Greenie
Genuine workplace term for new workers, useful.
A new person, aka greenhorn. Usually asks stupid questions but is not even close to as annoying a s noob. Derived from Puzzle pirates were new players names are written in green.
Fun terms
500 pieces of shop floor, site and apprentice slang. The language that never makes it into a catalogue.
Fun terms are quoted from Urban Dictionary, where a lot of trade slang gets written down first. Each entry links back to the original and credits its author. These are how people talk, not what belongs in a specification.
grind
Workplace slang for work ethic and hustle
1) Your hustle 2) Good work ethic, doing what you do. Ex: Getting money, editing pix, singing...whatever your hustle is. When you're "on your grind" then you're doing a good/great job at whatever you're doing.
Gripper
Railway staff term for ticket inspector on trains.
Guard or other ticket collector who is doing ticket check on board a train.
Grog
Historical naval/maritime trade term for rum ration
A mixture of rum and water, sometimes sweetened with lime and sugar. Issued on British Navy ships from the mid 18th Century to the late 20th Century.
grot
British industrial/workshop term for scrap, waste material
noun: Trash, garbage, or filth. British slang. Famously, in the 1970s BBC comedy "The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin," Reggie opened a doomed (he hoped) shop that sold old bits of trash and scrap recycled into completely...
grout
Standard construction/tiling material. Professional reference definition.
a mortar or paste for filling crevices, especially the gaps between wall or floor tiles.
Guck
Workplace slang for unpleasant gooey substances on site.
guck (n) / Goo that provokes one to express the word "yuck" when come to contact with it.
Gunge
Workshop slang for unidentified sticky substance on equipment
1) <noun> A name for any thick, sticky substance that has no particular identity. 2) <verb> Slang; To gunge; To ejaculate.
gunk
Mechanics term for oily residue buildup on engines
a mix of liquids and solids, much like you find on car engines and there abouts
gunner
Ambitious worker exceeding minimums, workplace culture term
A person who is competitive,overly-ambitious and substantially exceeds minimum requirements. A gunner will compromise his/her peer relationships and/or reputation among peers in order to obtain recognition and praise from his/her...
gusset
Metal joining piece; real structural/engineering term
A thin piece of metal, angled or flat, that exists to attach two other pieces. Similar to a strap, but commonly with an interesting shape.
hacking
Legitimate transport trade term for unlicensed taxi operation
The act of operating a car as an illegal or unlicensed taxi service. In the United Kingdom, the name hackney carriage refers to a taxicab licensed by the local authority. The New York colloquial term "hack" (which is probably...
hand brake
Mechanics understand hand brake as parking brake
the parking brake. hen pulled at fast speeds locks up the back wheels and causes the car to lose control and slide around, (drift)
hard hat
Standard safety equipment term, workplace protective headgear
1. a steel or plastic helmet worn to protect one's head from falling objects or debris. 2. a worker who wears a hard hat.
hardhat
Standard construction safety equipment and worker category
1. a protective helmet, usually made of plastic worn by workers in places such as construction sites 2. a laborer who's job requires them to wear a hardhat, such as a construction worker
harmonic balancer
Engine component definition useful for mechanics
The main drive pulley of an engine; mounted on the fromt end of the crankshaft. Harmonic balancers are weighted to keep the crankshaft balance in order to reduce vibration.
Hawk
Regional UK trade term for selling goods or merchandise
Meaning to sell something. Semantically implying devious actions involved in the transaction. Often something stolen can be referred to as being hawked. The important thing to remember is it is being stolen to sell on. A northern...
Header
Construction/trade term for horizontal structural member
An Irish slang word commonly found in Donegal. Used as a compliment. A person who is at once thought crazy and cool. A person who is 'gud craic.'
Heath Robinson
Workplace term for makeshift or poorly engineered designs
Adj: An invention, machine or process that is makeshift, fragile, poorly engineered or overly elaborate. William Heath Robinson (1872-1944) was a British Cartoonist well known for humourous illustrations of fantasical inventions...
helicopter
Rotorcraft vehicle used in transport, rescue, military work
A type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine driven rotors
Hemi
Automotive engine term, genuine trade vocabulary
Nickname for a powerful Chrysler V8 engine from the 1960s that had a hemispherical combustion chamber. The name has since been trademarked by Chrylser and applied to a new, 345 horsepower V8 that does not have the characteristic...
HGV
Professional transport/logistics abbreviation for heavy trucks
A heavy goods vehicle is a term used almost exclusively in Europe and Britain to describe trucks or lorries that carry a weight of more than 3.500 kilograms. (for you Americans that might not be able to claculate that is 7,716lb)...
hoarding
Legitimate advertising/construction industry term for large billboards
In India, hoarding also refers to an advertising billboard. Given the big size of the billboard and because it "hoards" the attention of the audience, it is called a HOARDING. Hoardings are found in cities, on tall buildings...
Home Run
Tradesperson humor about bathroom efficiency
when one has a bowel movement and proceeds to wipe and there is no fecal matter on the toilet paper, thus finishing the activity with one wipe similar to a home run in baseball, scoring with one swing of the bat, similar to a...
hot bed
Legitimate shift work term for shared hot bed
where one bed is shared by two people who work "shift work", they sleep at alternate times, as one wakes up, the other goes to sleep, hence having a "hot bed"
hot hatch
Automotive trade term for sporty hatchback category.
A sporty hatchback. e.i. mini cooper s, vw gti(mk1, mk2, mk5), civic type r.
hot metal
Industrial furnace product term, genuine trade vocabulary
Any molten metal other than mercury, e.g. iron and steel, lead, tin, aluminium, copper, silver, gold, platinum, etc. Usually used in industry to refer to the product of melting furnaces.
hst
Real railway classification term for high-speed train models
A high speed train which is either a class 43 or know as a class 203 and travels at 125mph and has consists for- Gwr network rail colas rail scotrail emr midland Pullman and has a consist for the staycation express
Hump Day
Workplace slang for midweek motivation, genuinely used.
The middle of a work week (Wednesday); used in the context of climbing a proverbial hill to get through a tough week.
ide
Technical clarification on IDE vs ATA terminology
IDE is an acronym for; 'Integrated Device Electronics' (true term) Common misconseption that IDE refers to the pin standard of ATA, (flat 39/80 pin cable). The term IDE only refers to the controller residing on the device itself...
IGBT
Precise electronics component definition
An insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) is a three-terminal power semiconductor device primarily forming an electronic switch. It was developed to combine high efficiency with fast switching. It consists of four alternating...
imperial
Explains measurement system difference clearly
The unit of measurement from the british empire the "US unit" was based on. Very similar but with some differences. The pint, and therefore the gallon, is smaller in US than imperial units.
intercooler
Turbo engine component with clear technical purpose
a device mounted in tandem with either a turbocharger or supercharger. its purpose is to cool the air charge coming in from the turbo/supercharger. cooler air is denser, so it packs more power.
interlace
Technical video compression method explanation
A common way to compress video. Each frame of an interlaced video signal shows every other horizontal line of the image. As the frames are projected onto the screen, the video signal alternates between showing even and odd lines...
ITB
Individual throttle bodies technical term, improves performance
Stands for Invidual Throttle Bodies. Can be found in cars such as tuned AE86's and GTiRs. Every cylinder has it's own throttle body. Greatly improves throttle response compared to a single throttle. Has a great sound to them.
jack in
To connect/jack in to network or system
1. to connect to a system via wire or ethernet 2. to log in to a website or computer
jacked up
Military discipline term; tradesperson-relevant workplace vocabulary
In the military, to be given a stern talking-to by an NCO for some offense or omission.
Jackhammer
Construction power tool, definition 0 is straightforward
1. A large power drill used in construction 2. the act of stealing your buddies hammer after he helped you build that extension for your house.
jalopy
Trade slang for worn-out equipment or machinery needing replacement.
Slang term for an obsolete, worn-down machine or hardware device. Derived from the misspelling of the word "Jalapa", which is the name of some town in Mexico that is famous for the Jalapeno pepper, and its former...
jiffy
Physics term used in computing and engineering contexts
The amount of time taken for a beam of light to travel the diameter of 1 nucleon(the particles that make up the nucleus of an atom)in a vacuum.
Jig
Essential workshop and machining fixture tool
A device for guiding a tool or for holding machine work in place.
Jigger
Surveyor slang for theodolite/total station equipment
Slang term for a modern day theodolite, total station as used by land surveyors. It stands mounted on top of a tripod.
Journeyman
Legitimate trade rank between apprentice and master
experienced practioner; one who practitions a specific art, (such as lavaliering), on the way to becoming a master.
jump box
Practical automotive and equipment term
A portable battery used to jump start a vehicle with a dead battery.
jumper
British term for sweater, workwear vocabulary
The British word for a sweater. In the United States, a jumper is a kind of dress or coverall.
Junkyard Special
Mechanics term for vehicle assembled from salvaged junkyard parts.
A multicolored car like a blue and purple door, a green hood and a black bumper/A car that is made from parts of other cars found at the junkyard
jury rig
Common workshop term for temporary improvised repairs
to fix or build something so that it only lasts for a short time
Keyhole
Ballistics term for asymmetrical bullet hole, real workplace jargon
when a bullet fired from a gun strikes its target at a funny angle, the resulting asymmetrical hole looks like a keyhole, hence the name. usually caused by a worn or damaged barrel, or poor quality/incorrect caliber ammunition.
keyway
Machining/engineering term for precise tolerances
fit together so perfectly you gotta use a key. needing to be true.
kludge
Common engineering term for improvised functional fixes
A quick, messy but functional fix or workaround to a problem.
Knacker's yard
Real slaughterhouse term, used in workplace as metaphor for worn-out
Area of a slaughterhouse where animal carcasses unfit for human consumption are rendered into useful materials such as glue. As an English colloquial expression, it is used to describe a person or object that is spent beyond all...
Knackered
Trade slang for exhausted, origins in working horse terminology
spent, near death. Origin from 'knacker's yard' where one took old horses to become pots of glue.
Knock Off
Australian workplace term for clocking out at end of shift
Australian, to end the days work, to clock out. 2) colloq to steal
Knockoff
Common trade/retail term for counterfeit goods
(n.) knockoff - a copy of an original brand, often priced dramatically lower than an authentic. Commonly, the designs will have been altered a bit, or they will appear the exact same, but some small detail may prove they are not...
knuckle
Skiing/snowboarding terrain hazard term
the act of hitting a jump and and landing on the awkward bump where the flat of the top of the jump meets the sloped landing section of the jump.
lagging
IT/technical term for network delay or system slowness
when you type something and it comes up on screen later than you typed it
Lanyard
Workplace safety equipment term, essential site vocabulary
A cord designed to hold something around the neck, usually with a clip at the end on which to fasten the object. Used for easy exposure and/or quick access to an ID badge, keys, etc.
Last mile
Telecom/logistics term for final delivery segment
1. the circuit between your house and the telco, typically the biggest problem in getting a quality connection to the Internet. 2. the final leg of any journey 3. the final delivery mechanism for anything
Lead out
Real cycling tactic with clear workplace application
Cycling term. When you shelter a team mate from the wind so they are fresh and strong for a sprint finish.
learning curve
Standard workplace vocabulary for skill acquisition rate
the rate of a person's progress in gaining experience or new skills.
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