Featured Terms
Electrical Slang
What do a "bug" and a "cherry" have in common?
They are both electrical slang terms!
Curious about what these and other slang terms mean?
Scroll through our collection of slang terminology used in the electrical industry!
Whether you are an electrician, contractor, or just someone trying to understand what your local electrician is jabbering about, use the glossary to learn trade slang and electrical jargon.
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10/16/2021
These devices detect the presence of voltage without direct contact with the wire. One style (Greenlee 1010 or Fluke 1ACA1) looks like a pen and you touch the tip to a possible power source such as a wire or outlet and if the tip glows red, you know there is some level of voltage present. An upgraded version of the Greenlee 1010 Volt Tick called the 1112 includes a flashlight. The other style is an audible detector that chirps as you get closer to the load, detects a higher and lower voltage range, detects both hot & neutral, and detects if breakers are powered.
10/16/2021
Cover to adapt 4" or 5" boxes to accept a wiring device. Wall plate added later, (see also 'Square Device Box'; 'Combination Box Cover').
10/16/2021
The term Quadplex and Triplex comes from the Murray (ITE) product and in general refers to a breaker that offers the benefits of 4 poles in two breaker positions with the benefit that if one phase trips on the 240v configuration, the other phase trips internally instead of relying on the pole handles to be physically tied. A QUAD breaker is when the two outside two poles are tied together and the inside two poles tied together providing two 2-pole 240vac breakers. A Triplex breaker is when either A) the two outside poles are tied together for a 2-pole 240v breaker and the two inside poles operating independently as two 1-pole 120v breakers or B) the same as A but switching inside and outside poles. The alternative to using a QUAD or TRIPLEX breaker is to take two twin breakers and physically tie the two inside and/or two outside poles together. The downside is that this method relies on the physical connection of the pole handles for the other breaker to trip instead of the internal trip mechanism.
10/16/2021
The cable cutter is a tool used to cut copper or aluminum electric wire from #1 through 1000MCM. They come in four varieties: palm grip, manual two-handled units, ratchet cutters and electric cutters.
10/16/2021
Family of stickers that say "danger high voltage" in a variety of styles/sizes.
10/16/2021
This is a ¾" wide galvanized steel band with holes to accommodate nails and bolts. Available with the holes evenly spaced or with alternating small and large holes. It is typically used to hang some kind of pipe from some kind of support system such as strut, wooden studs or simple masonry.
10/16/2021
This is a plastic bushing used inside the enclosure to insulate the end of rigid conduit. Comes in sizes from 1/2" to 6" and are generally rated to 105°. The bushing to insulate the wires coming out of the conduit is the BB bushing.
