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.
a slang word for an electrician or worker from the supply company, a supply of electricity, a bill for the supply of electricity. Regional spelling versions exist like leckie and lekkie, but leccy is a more common form due to the...
when your fellow tradies are out on smoko and they ask the new apprentice to give them a left handed screwdriver, it's both a prank and an intelligence test to check if he knows his tools. It's a more generalised version of the...
Last In First Out. Referring to a co-worker that arrives the latest but always leaves the earliest. Working aproximately 4 hrs a day. This person can be an assclown but the majority of them are boat anchor.
Some one who loads a lot of expensive software on a computer to raise its' price. Then sells the computer without the program disks, and keys, when a program needs to be reloaded the buyer is hosed.
A type of weight in the theatre industry used to play a prank on newbies
In the days of sail, naval vessels mounted cannon carefully and purposefully rigged into positions which optimised the effect of their fire. Occasionally, the rigging of these very heavy guns might come loose, and with the vessel...
In mechanics, to run the engine in too high a gear for current road speed; shifting too early.
Scots word for Chimney or flue,allows the reek to exit a house!
Local Yarn Store, used by knitters & crocheters, and other purveyors of the fiber arts & crafts.
"Ma Bell" is a now outdated term that refers to the whole of Bell Telephone, which was to say the entire national telephone network.
1. n. A short book or booklet explaining key concepts for assembly or use. Something to keep in mind before calling tech support. 2. adj. Referring to work done with little or no help from machines. 3. adj. Referring to someone's...
The way that driving has always been done. In order to drive in manual, you control a clutch and a gearshift in addition to gas and brakes. Manual transmissions give you much more information about your car such as its feel, its...
1)Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. 2)One of the best shows to ever grace the television screen.
When a machine reduces the amount of force needed to move an object.
Your someone named Emily who did the remove the first and last letter from your name trend.
(n) A very easy task, usually used in the air force to define an easy mission
In the times of Pugilism under the London Prizefight Ring Rules, British gents used this term as a verb to mean fight, thrash, beat, and box.
A mixer is a casual party where people assembled to promote sociability and communal activity, which means a lot of girls
Something of value, which, for some reason or another, has continued to absorb considerable amount of payments due to its continuing failure to live up to expectation.
Usually only happens in a car with a manual transmission- A money shift is an accidental, far too aggressive down-shift, in which the engine performs the biggest red-line you've ever seen. It's referred to as a money shift...
1. An adjustable wrench. 2. An imaginary tool of sabotage, destruction, overthrow and mischief.
A mid morning break invented by the Disability Employment Network.
A communications system consisting of letters coded into dots and dashes, and used in radiotelegraph systems. (usally HF systems), and its fun to jam freeband stations with this stuff.
Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor. A type of field-effect transistor that functions when a controlling gate voltage is applied to the channel region across an oxide insulating material. Advantages: low power and...
walking (aka mucking) through a big muddy area. It can be very messy and you're sure to have fun. Especially when you're in deep sticky mud up to your waist.
In New Zealand slang, 'munted' refers to something which is utterly destroyed.
A railroad whose track rails are closer together than the international standard of 4'8.5". Narrow gauge railroads are easier and cheaper to lay, can take tighter corners, and can economically handle lower traffic volumes than...
Abbreviation for "Non Commissioned Officer". Only enlisted people are NCOs.
Non-Delivery Report or Non-Delivery Receipt. This is what you get back from a mail server that was unable to deliver your message. The cause of the problem is usually contained within the message.
In the automotive world, is short for nitrous oxide, a chemical compound used to increase vehicle engine performance. Also referred to as nos or noss in certain circles, though overall this reference is looked down upon.
Wrong, Nitrox is used at shallower depths to allow for LONGER bottom time with less Nitrogen build-up in the tissue, it also requires certification to use as well as Oxigen scrubbed bottles and first and second stage regulators.
A size of toy or model electric train. O is the size, and gauge refers to the distance between the outer rails. The gauge of the O train is 1 and 1/4 inches. The most prolific maker was Lionel. O gauge also refers to the basic...
1. (slang) sphincter 2. (normal) a rubbery gasket used to seal a connection between two pipes. The o-ring is squished between two flanges, forming an air-tight seal.
Optical Character Recognition. Used in computing terminology. Actually, is a computer software designed to translate images of typewritten text into machine-editable text
a Reference to Diesel trucks, which commonly burned enough oil to notice on a single tank full of fuel. some diesel trucks even had a sticker on the fuel door that said "check engine oil" so as not to run it out.
Used to desribe someone who is a Freemason (member of the Masonic Lodge or related side-orders). The level (a builders tool used to to "prove" horizontals), in Freemasnory, indicates that all human beings are the equal - that not...
A slot machine, Named after the 'old' era of slot machines with the arm on the side you pulled down. This was prior to modern era push button machines.
Stands for Oh Please Connect, used as a curse word in industrial facilities when systems from different manufacturers either stop passing data between them or will not start in the first place. Often mistakenly believed to stand...
A surface consistency defect resembling an orange peel due to weathering and time or poor application. Occurs in coated or finished products in varying degrees. May be the result of poor quality or manufacturing or poor...
Organized Team Activity. Often used to describe preseason activities in the NFL. Sometimes incorrectly defined as Offseason team activities.
1. v., To rebuild or refurbish a product. (Completely overhaul: rebuild.) 2. n. The process or result of overhauling. 3. v. To catch up with, and pass something or someone.
More than what is needed. In gross excess of what is reasonably expected. An excess of something beyond what is required or suitable for a given purpose. Originally applied to nuclear weaponry.
1.a waterwheel that uses a waterfall/stream overflows to turn the wheel the oppostie direction of an undershot wheel 2.to go over a line intended to stop at
Cornish word for mate; originated before the English language reached Cornwall, when it was used for a miner's workmate, as they commonly mined in twos.
This is slang for applying large quantities of make-up to the face or body. It derives from the verb ‘pargeting’ which is to apply a decorative, waterproof plaster to a wall. The finished plaster is also known as pargeting and...
A car that is in non-driving condition that exactly or closely matches the specifications of a running or non-running car. As the name suggests, the parts car provides matching parts to the project car.
In Computer Software industry: the process of taking old bugs out and putting new ones in.
n. - not ideal employment usually outside of one’s preferred industry; used to fill the hole in a resume
1. Any source of success or wealth; a fortunate discovery or profitable venture. 2. End Zone (football)
printed circuit board this is a board that your computer,tv,vcr (basicly all manufactured electrionics(although this can be done by hand on a amature scale)) components are soldered to.
PCV stands for positive crankcase ventilation and it is a vacuum controlled valve on or near the valve cover of an engine that removes blow by gasses from the crankcase and allows them to be reburned
To accelerate from a stop in such a manner that the tires squeal and smoke. To burn rubber.
Australian slang, meaning to throw an object very hard and fast. Generally an object small enough to fit in one hand.
To push a system to its limits; such that the system is at its maximum work output at which failure is more likely.
A retail customer who has no intention of making a purchase. They enjoy wasting the time of a commissioned salesperson, thus preventing the salesperson from spending time with an actual customer who intends on making a purchase.
The act of using more effort to place a piece of trash on top of an already filled garbage can instead of emptying it.
A small valve or faucet used to drain or reduce pressure, as from a boiler or radiator.
An office or home printer that "jams", but there is no real printer jam. A phantom jam can be extremely frustrating in re-occurrences, resulting in the urge to drop-kick the printer out the window. The movie Office Space depicts...
(Verb) To disturb, perturb, deter or intimidate. Usually used in the negative.
A small, piece of plastic often triangular or "teardrop" in shape. Guitar picks come in varying colors and thicknesses (thin, medium, hard, etc.) and can only be bought in packs. Also an alternative term for "pluck", as in, to...
One industrial term every day, with the trade it belongs to and why it is worth knowing. No advertising.