A nylon strap with a ratchet head that locks when pulled tight, used to bundle wires, hold hoses, tag parts and make temporary repairs that become permanent. Elsewhere it is a zip tie or cable tie. Its everyday use as a fix-all makes it a staple of shop humor about temporary repairs.
Heard on the job
Zap strap the coolant line to the guard for now, we'll make a proper bracket when the job's off the machine.
Also heard as
- zip tie
- cable tie
- tie wrap
Related terms
Bubblegum and baling wire
Describes a repair or machine held together by improvised, makeshift fixes that should not still be working.
Bodge
A crude, makeshift repair or piece of work that does the job, but only just.
Fabricobble
To fabricate something by cobbling it together from scrap and whatever is lying around.