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.
Verb. To use a sharp or pointed object to scrawl ones name on a surface in graffiti. Usually glass, plastic, or metal. Other forms of graffiti include: stickerbombing, tagging, throw-ups, pieces, bombs, burners...
Noun. A sharp or pointed tool used by graffiti artists to write their name (usually) in glass, plastic, or metal surfaces. Graffiti artists usually use rocks, modified pens, razor blades, or other various hardware tools. Most...
To bail out of a bad situation before things get even worse. From the dictionary definition to sink one's own ship.
Strips of newer, smoother concrete on a pavement that has undergone reconstruction at some point. Usually a seam runs along the pavement and is a different colour or type on concrete. Usually seen on UK pavements.
The abbreviation for the rank of Sergeant First Class in the United States Army and is currently one rank above Staff Sergeant(SSG) and one rank below Master Sergeant(MSG) and Sergeant First Class(1SG). Also called E-7.
Casual mechanics who fix or modify cars using tools and techniques that are frequently improper or not "by the book". Tool boxes include zip ties, they use chrome sockets on an impact driver, don't own a torque wrench, and...
A structure in a golf competition which allows golfers with higher handicaps to defeat golfers with lower handicaps without requiring them to perform.
A mountain bike feature leading into a jump with a lip at a 45 degree angle. Leads to a sideways jump and requires the rider to twist his bike mid-air to prepare for the landing. The feature sticks out of the ground like the fin...
A word used in place of swearing, or any other word that is inappropriate at the moment. Can also be used to replace any verb for comic relief. Started in retaurants kitchens, to avoid trouble with a spervisor, then eventually...
Slang term in the U.S. Air Force in reference to the First Sergeant, also known ad the First Shirt or simply, "The Shirt." Normally a unit commander delegates a lot of authority and responsibility to the Shirt. As such, most...
What an ignorant person or dealership tech says the problem is when he or she does not have the mental capacity to properly diagnose an electrical problem in a vehicle. This conclusion is typically drawn after a tech plugs in a...
Definition 1: When someone is so messed up or burnt out that they can no longer funtion normally. Definition 2: When something is old or breaks and no longer functions correctly.
A phrase in inventory control that accounts for employee and customer theft.
One who exploits, hacks, or finds loopholes in a system, usually involving a game or programming technique. It can also mean to solve a problem with genius-like finesse or hack/exploit something perfectly.
The bane of musicians all over the world: a music stand that sinks by itself, caused by stripped threading inside the bore of the stand.
Short for Skipper, the person in charge of steering a seafaring vehicle.
Skipping school, or playing hooky, in England, as used by J.K. Rowling in the Harry Potter series,
Stock Keeping Unit. Every uniquely identifiable item in an inventory is a SKU. Any variation on the product such as coming from a different vendor, having a different size or color, or having different packaging must be...
1) In construction work, it is one of the initiation rites of passage given to all new apprentice workers, and thought to be very funny by senior workers in on the gag. see also - rock stretcher, 68 volkswagen water pump, double...
SL ST is when you make a Slip Stitch in or during a crochet project.
This is used to define an agreement between a service provider and a company.
a peice of one inch climbing webbing strung between two points and pulled tight, used for walking and bouncing like a trampoline. like tight rope walking but with a little slack.
1) A person obsessed with metal work involving welding and torch cutting. 2) A person who likes to chip hot slag off fresh welds with no face shield.
A combination of the words job and slow, the term for a run or portion of a run when your pace slows to that of a quick walk usually due to exhaustion, a loss of motivation, or physical distress. Usage patented by laura @ the...
in rock climbing, specifically bouldering, a sloping hold (think of a basketball).
the word "slug" has a variety of definitions: 1. a bullet 2. a shot (of liquor) 3. to punch or knock unconscious these definitions can often be found in hard-boiled detective fiction popularized by writers such as Raymond...
Currency in terms of hundreds of dollars. "Five small" = $500. "Five large" = $5,000.
A quick test to see if your software works at all. Originally a term for testing electronics ("switch on the power and see if there's smoke").
a slang term used on building sites in Australia, meaning a morning-tea break, or a smoke break.
Military jargon meaning: S.ituation N.ormal A.ll F.ucked U.p
It's slang for lunch time ,originated from old miners who had a half meat half fruit pasty for there break they would "snap it " and have the two meals " Very promenant in Ireland with the travelling fraternity
Gate or door latch, consisting of a swiveling bar on the door/gate and a channeled bracket on the frame for it to seat into when lowered. (ENGLISH)
Also known as The Law of Sod, this term refers to the global phenomenon of how something will go wrong just exactly when one most wants it to go right.
1- A substance that is used produce soft water (water with reduced hardness). 2- A device used for the same purpose.
Standing Operating Procedure (SOP) - Commonly and erroneously referred to as Standard Operating Procedure. Written military directives defining the actions to be taken upon the occurance of specific events.
Signal passed at danger (SPAD), in British railway terminology, describes an event where a train has run beyond its allocated signal block without authority, as indicated by a lineside signal showing danger (typically a red...
Spanner wrench - a special wrench used in the fire service to assist in decoupling fire hoses.
Sterile Processing Department in a hospital or healthcare facility that cleans instruments
1. a hump in the road designed to stop cars from going above 25 in a residential area. 2. anything that prevents one from achieving one's goals
To present an incident in a particularly slanted or biased manner. Originated from the game of pool, wherein if one shoots the ball from the side to put “spin” on the ball, it will go into the desired hole. To properly “Spin” a...
1. Informal title for the member of an organization specifically responsible for presenting information with a particular slant or point of view, and for recovering an organizations image after a public relations catastrophe. 2...
Restaurant food waste. The food trash also known as free lunch
In vehicles: A device attatched to a car- usually at the rear, that changes the aerodynamic shape of a vehicle, reduces drag- which does not add downforce- and acts as a rear diffuser, eliminating a vacuum effect at the rear end...
Verb: To pull through one parking spot and into another Adjective: Describes a parking spot reached only by pulling through another parking spot; usually in conjunction with the words "parking spot" or "parking space" or a...
Pilot slang for the transponder code being used to indentify the aircraft on radar. The code is made up of four digits, and all codes are used but 0000, try using that code in a civilian aircraft and watch how fast the air force...
intransitive verb- The act of telling on someone(snitching) and recieving a reward in return. also To turn informer; betray an accomplice or secret.
A weld that has well defined and uniform ripples, similar to a stack of coins on an angle.
A hard, strong, durable, malleable alloy of iron and carbon, with bits of other stuff in it like carbon, maganese, chromium, nickel, molybdenum, copper, tungsten, cobalt, silicon or a bunch of other impressive-sounding hard...
The amount of time a big-rig driver spent driving a big-rig.
Those topics which are always displayed at the top of the topic list in internetforums. Usually, a sticky topic is a topic that will interest a lot of users, so it is displayed first.
A work shift scheduled by you - so you can earn money without missing out on your studies or the fun.
1) Having an item in your possession that is ready to be sold and/or shipped out to a consumer. 2) A car that has no performance modifications on it. Most street racers who race with American muscle cars or high end European...
When you are too stupid to spell stopping. Such as a random dumb blond girl would say when when she tries to put the word "stop" into a different tense.
One of a group of usually parallel scratches engraved in bedrock by a glacier or other geological agent.
theatre slang for the deconstruction of a production (dismantling sets, collecting rentals, removing pit instruments, etc.)
Act quickly while the opportunity is still available. Blacksmiths working iron by hand heat the iron in a fire to red-hot making it malleable. The Smith removes the iron from the fire and shapes it with blows from a hammer. They...
One of the most misunderstood of Colorguard termanology. It means to hold the silk to the pole so the silk is not visible.
A person carrying things over one hundred pounds for long distances at a time with high repetitions.
The Macpherson Strut And Spring Assembly is a vital component of your vehicles suspension system. It helps keep the tire in constant contact with the road surface while still providing a relativly good ride, a blown or worn strut...
A sump pump is a pump used to remove water that has accumulated in a sump pit.
One industrial term every day, with the trade it belongs to and why it is worth knowing. No advertising.