During my career as a Communications Design Engineer (RF) at the Long Island
Rail Road, I've heard some misinterpretation and misuse of technical terms,
the likes of which are interesting... for example:
Radio Tech: "Do you want that circuit hooked up with wahre...?
Me: Wahre..? No, I'd prefer it 'WIRED' with 'WIRE'..!
Radio Tech: "Okay, straight wahre, or quard..?"
Me: "quard.."?
Radio Tech: "Yeah, you know...that stuff we do phone lines with...
QUARD..!"
Me: "What the hell is QUARD...?"
Radio Tech: "Oh, come on now... Dontcha know what Quard is... WOW, you're
some Engineer..!"
Me: "Alright, please explain what QUARD is.."
Radio Tech: "Jeeez, QUARD is that WAHRE thet has RED, GREEN, YELLAH, 'an
BLACK in it...!"
Me: (ready to slap my forehead)... "Do you mean QUAD...?"
Radio Tech: "Yep, you got it now... QUARD..!"
Me: (exasperated) "Yeah, that kind of wire..."
Radio Tech: "Fine, thet's wot I'll use...plain ole QUARD..."
Me: "Fine with me, so let's get this circuit on the air, okay..?"
Radio Tech: "Can ya gimme that there little GERB to put on the end of the
QUARD...
Me: "GERB...?" (oh s**t, here we go again...)
...and so it goes...!
73, Larry - W1GOR
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