The Name of Things

To become an electrician, you have to learn a lot of stuff.  Here in Montana, 8000 hours of on-the-job training is required to complete an apprenticeship.  Just learning the name of the various parts and tools used is daunting.  For me, learning the names of conduit fittings proved particularly difficult when I worked with a particular journeymen.  Every conduit fitting sized ½ inch through 1½ inch was referred to as a “do-hickey.”

—Mitchell Hegman