What do you call the plug with no name?

[Lucien Nunes]

Yellow for 110V, blue for 230V, red for 400V. Other colours for special applications.
16A, 32A, 63A and 125A, 2P+E, 3P+E, 3P+N+E.

You know what I'm talking about. They've been around for 50 years, but no-one can yet agree what to call them.

The official name is "plugs, socket-outlets and couplers for industrial purposes" according to IEC 60309 (formerly IEC309). They go by lots of different aliases... IEC309, BS4343, CEE17... but a lot of people use a manufacturers' name or trademark: Commando, Marechal, Ceeform, or just the current rating 'a 32A plug' or something relevant to them 'Caravan plug'.

What do you call them? Does it depend on who you're talking to?

 

[Moley]

We just call them 'yellow plug' or 'blue plug' depending on if we are talking 110 or 230v.

 

[marconi]

Proper noun

Description

A proper noun is a noun directly associated with an entity and primarily used to refer to that entity, such as London, Jupiter, Sharon, or Microsoft, CEEFORM as distinguished from a common noun, which is a noun directly associated with a class of entities eg cities, planets, names, software, plugs, and primarily used to refer to instances of a specific class.

 

[pirate]

Does a common noun include plug tops as well as plugs? It is, after all, a class of entities, including plugs, plug tops, plug bottoms, tops of plugs?
I am Pirate!
Not a pirate...yes, I am one of them, but I am THE Pirate! Not common at all!
I am, however, a pedant, too...
which is why I shout at the telly/radio when presenters cannot pronounce words properly, and put the emphasis on the preposition...
How I long for the days when every school-leaver could speak English properly...but then, I am an old git, my days are numbered in so many ways, and soon I will be swamped by young people who think they know better, when in fact they know nothing...like apprentices who spend all day on their mobile phones...

Sigh...

 

[DPG]

And breathe.

 

[pirate]

Thanks, DPG...breathing now...

 

[pirate]

I am so glad no one mentioned the English language as spoken by cabin crew on aeroplanes...
(Breathing very deeply now...)

 

[pirate]

...and...relax!
Thankfully some kind person has administered my medication...

I truly believe if gin was available on the NHS everyone would be as sane as I.
Just saying...

 

[littlespark]

I thought pirates drank rum, not gin.

 

[marconi]

Should it be written the electricians' forums cf electriciansforums? ie: the use of the possesive when one noun possesses another noun?

 

[DPG]

Strictly speaking the apostrophe should be present. But it's probably done like it is to match the Web url (Web addresses don't have apostrophes).

 

[pirate]

One has to move with the times, littlespark...however, I do drink rum too!

I think, Marconi, that you are quite correct in that it should be electricians' forum.
Clearly, electrician's forum would be wrong, given that would relate to one electrician whose forum it is...and I don't think it could really be a forum if it had only one member. The inability to use an apostrophe in a web address precludes either version, methinks.

 

[DPG]

Bet you to it me old ship mate!

 

[marconi]

shipmate

 

[davesparks]

Stupid is more apt, what a waste of members time to keep this forum going IMO

If you don't like the thread or feel it is wasting your time then just ignore it. By posting in the thread to say that it is a waste of time you are adding to it and helping to keep it active.