Slang Terminology

To: "'Tesla List'" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Subject: Slang Terminology
From: Tesla List <tesla-at-stic-dot-net>
Date: Mon, 2 Mar 1998 23:49:12 -0600
Approved: tesla-at-stic-dot-net

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From:  Thomas McGahee [SMTP:tom_mcgahee-at-sigmais-dot-com]
Sent:  Sunday, March 01, 1998 5:18 AM
To:  tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Subject:  Slang Terminology

Fellow coilers,
Every profession has its own slang. Sometimes this slang is
based on acronyms. Sometimes it is based on abbreviations.
Sometimes it is based on historical factors. Often it is
just based on the natural human tendency to condense speech.
There is also the fun factor. Even stuffy old engineers like
to inject a bit of humor into their communications. 

When we refer to the 'stuff' inside any electronic component
as 'smoke', and then refer to testing as 'letting the smoke
out', and call such testing 'smoke tests' we are just 
exercising whimsy. It is a time honored tradition.

While a transformer may sound very staid and dignified, I
prefer trannie because it is light-hearted. Then there are
pole pigs. It is the same humor that a cyclist uses when he
refers to his Harley Davidson as a Hog. It is a pet name
for something that others may not appreciate. Call it a
distribution transformer if you want, but for many of us
coilers it will always be a Pole Pig. Sure, not everbody
uses this term, and the power distribution folks from the
local power and light company may have some high falootin'
term for it, but if another coiler calls it a Pole Pig,
not only do I know exactly what he means, but it brings a
smile to my face. 

Then there is poly. Not a pet parrot, but a certain beloved
dielectric that is near and dear to our hearts. And the
list could go on and on.

The purpose of words is communication. The words we choose
do add flavor to what otherwise might be very bland speech indeed.
True, a newcomer does have to learn a bit of our strange
vocabulary. A newbie has to hang around a bit to discover what
all these wonderful words describe. When he has learned them,
though, he uses them proudly. Others may not understand what he is 
saying, but we fellow coilers will, and I, for one, am all for
keeping our coiling rich with such whimsy. If you don't like
a word, no one on the List is going to jump all over you if you
choose to use a more technically correct term. But please, don't
ask the rest of us to use that term. I want to enjoy myself and 
even have a little fun here. If you disagree, that is your
prerogative. Just don't hit me over the head with a transformer
or an xfrmr. I think I have a better chance of surviving if you
hit me on the head with a trannie :)

Hope this helps,
Fr. Tom McGahee