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Discussion Forum

Breaktime Acronym Glossary (BAG)

KFC | Posted in General Discussion on April 2, 2008 07:45am

Has anyone started a glossary thread before?  Is there an acronym glossary on the site?  After a couple of other folks’ recent questions about some acronyms, I had a thought that we could start a glossary thread, and if you used the word glossary and an acronym (for instance, sr) along with its definition (sheetrock) in the post, then anyone who wanted to find a (user posted) definition of sr could search glossary, sr and find that posted definition.  I know there’s gotta be a better way, but I’m not a computer genius, so…

glossary, sr. sr is sheetrock.  (a commonly used brand name for drywall).

ps If anyone starts a construction acronym wikipedia and gets rich, please buy me a beer.

k


Edited 4/2/2008 12:52 am ET by KFC

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  1. KFC | Apr 02, 2008 07:51am | #1

    ok, i just tried an advanced search for "glossary, sr" and got nothing.  like i said, i'm not a computer genius...

    any thoughts? 

    k

  2. peteshlagor | Apr 02, 2008 03:40pm | #2

    Ain't nobody here calling drywall "sr."  We all call it DW.  Just as in "Dear Wife."

     

    1. Biff_Loman | Apr 02, 2008 03:48pm | #3

      And DishWasher.

      1. Biff_Loman | Apr 02, 2008 03:53pm | #5

        I got into construction without knowing a damn thing about drywall.  I heard site supers talking about sheetrock, drywall, wallboard, gyprock, and plain 'rock.' 

        It took me longer than I care to admit to figure out that it was all exactly the same stuff.  ;-)  I think you could play a mad libs game in which you come up with random combinations of gyp, wall, rock, and board and come up with new terms.

        "We've got to get the gypwall up."

        "Time to patch the wallrock."

        :-D

        1. User avater
          talkingdog | Apr 03, 2008 02:48pm | #42

          As for drywall, here in Japan it refers to tapered P.B.
          that is then taped in the fashion we all know. Here, the more
          normal application is untapered v-groove P.B., which gets puttied
          at the seam and then covered with V.W.C.So, in our local lingo, drywall refers to the whole process of
          rock, tape, compound.

      2. User avater
        basswood | Apr 02, 2008 03:56pm | #6

        DW can also mean:Double WideDead WeightDon't WorryDo Work...and,Doctor Who

        1. User avater
          G80104 | Apr 02, 2008 04:21pm | #7

          Let's not forget, "Damm Wieners"!

          1. User avater
            basswood | Apr 02, 2008 04:28pm | #9

            Ya DW...DW if the DW is DW, if she DW the DW and scraps out the DW, then she ain't DW.

        2. KFC | Apr 02, 2008 04:22pm | #8

          Actually, it was piffin who used "sr" for sheetrock.  (sheetrock screws in that case.) 

          k

          ps. I understood what he meant, btw.  just trying to help other folks out. 

          1. gordsco | Apr 02, 2008 05:24pm | #14

            Piffin said?

            Sheet rock screws?

            Say it isn't so..."Perfect is the enemy of Good."    Morrison

    2. TomT226 | Apr 02, 2008 07:17pm | #16

      I never heard it called drywall until I started hanging around here.

      It was always sheetrock or just rock... 

      1. JohnT8 | Apr 02, 2008 08:42pm | #17

        Usually called drywall hereabouts (midwest), but I occasionally hear sheetrock or gypsumboard.

         jt8

        "If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles."  -- Doug Larson

        1. brownbagg | Apr 02, 2008 10:06pm | #18

          cement, concrete, cemento, con cray toe. to pour or to place it still all the same chick- concrete or ready mix and it comes in BAG

          Edited 4/2/2008 3:07 pm by brownbagg

      2. Hudson Valley Carpenter | Apr 03, 2008 01:32am | #20

        I never heard it called drywall until I started hanging around here.

        It's regional and also according to period/generation.  Rock lath is another type of gypsum board.

        I never heard of "placing" concrete until I began reading Break Time.  That's after doing many kinds of form work over a long period.  So I don't know if it's a distinct term, different from "pouring", or if it's regional.  Anyone care to elucidate, enlighten me? 

        "Drying in" is also new to me.  It's always been "under roof" in my part of the country.  Maybe it's a newer term and means something different.  If someone would like to explain what "drying in/dried it" means, exactly, that might add something to this glossary. 

        1. frammer52 | Apr 03, 2008 02:38am | #21

          My understanding, is the term is probably southern in origin.

          From what I understand, framers dry in a house when done framing

          by par papering the roof.  Poof the inside is dry enough to have mechanicals installed.

          6 yrs ago I wouldn't have understood but, we had a former memer

          of our framing crew come back from NC with  this term.  He had to explain it to us dumb yankees.

          1. Hudson Valley Carpenter | Apr 03, 2008 03:44am | #24

            So "dried in" means a tar papered roof, huh?  Forget the shingles, is it Miller Time yet?  <G>

          2. ptp | Apr 03, 2008 03:50am | #25

            Yup. "Dried in" or "blacked in" or just "black." As in, get that roof black before you leave today."

          3. User avater
            Sphere | Apr 03, 2008 03:53am | #26

            I've heard the reason it is called drywall, is because plaster is wet. no plaster=dry wall.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

            "Welcome to Poo-ville, can I have your socks?Seriously Folks, I need a home for 3 lovers of your life.

          4. frammer52 | Apr 03, 2008 04:17am | #27

            funny

          5. Hudson Valley Carpenter | Apr 03, 2008 03:34pm | #43

            I've heard the reason it is called drywall, is because plaster is wet. no plaster=dry wall.

            That sounds logical, according to the history of the products.  One of the early applications of gypsum board, still done in some places today, was/is as a base for a full plaster job. 

            Replacing wood lath or wire lath and known as rock lath, it's 3/4"X2'X various lengths, with rounded edges to act as a big "tooth" for the plaster. 

            Due to the big difference in labor and materials, all forms of lath and plaster were gradually overtaken by dry wall techniques during the building boom following WWII, 

            I can recall radio ads from the early fifties promoting "genuine lath and plaster". 

            Edited 4/3/2008 8:37 am by Hudson Valley Carpenter

          6. KFC | Apr 04, 2008 03:07am | #44

            In Ca. I've taken the drywall "plaster lath" out of old buildings and it had holes every twelve(?) inches for keying in.

            But back to acronyms-  The proper acronym for drywall (or sheetrock or gypboard, whatever), wasn't my point. 

            I came up with a duct tape and bailing wire way to post acronym definitions to a glossary, so people can find these things without going to their bookshelf, or leaving the site to search online. 

            I haven't been stumped myself yet, but I'm sure it'll happen.  I was just trying to help other folks out.  So far, the response has been a big yawn, and even a comment that any glossary would be deleted.  I'm curious why.  Are we trying to use jargon to keep the ho's from understanding us?  That confuses me, b/c I've been impressed with how generous people have been with their knowledge here.  But then, I get confused a lot...

            k 

          7. Hudson Valley Carpenter | Apr 04, 2008 05:39am | #45

            Are we trying to use jargon to keep the ho's from understanding us? 

            Who? You and Imus? ;-)

          8. KFC | Apr 04, 2008 05:59am | #46

            and Spitzer...

          9. User avater
            CapnMac | Apr 04, 2008 06:46am | #49

            So far, the response has been a big yawn, and even a comment that any glossary would be deleted.  I'm curious why.  Are we trying to use jargon

            Several separate issues there.

            The "it would be deleted" comment (I'm guessing) would be from the "salty" verbiage that would be used in unexpurgated litteral correctness.

            All professions use argot and jargon for precise communication--the gotcha here is that such usage is very regional, sometimes even within a region.  That can make a simple glossary as frustrating as a dictionary of acronyms.

            This example popped into my head, "Flashing the mudsill on my bungalow."

            Simple, right?  Not necessarily.  In Canadian usage, a bungalow is a detached single-family residence--not a specific style of residence per se.  "Mudsill" is a very different timber in much of California than in other parts of the country.  Which makes flashing one a very different answer in each case.  And all that before factoring in our international corespondents here.

            So, it's complicated, which may be why you are feeling like you as swimming upstream a bit.  Search the threads for 'king" or "jack" studs, just to see how much regional variability there is. 

            Now, if you want, we could tilt at some windmills out there, like HWH or DCW (hot water generally is, so it does not need a heater--domestic water is generally already cold, etc.)

             Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)

          10. plumbbill | Apr 04, 2008 06:56am | #50

            Now, if you want, we could tilt at some windmills out there, like HWH or DCW (hot water generally is, so it does not need a heater--domestic water is generally already cold, etc.)

            We label our potable piping with "domestic cold", "domestic hot", & "domestic recirc".

            “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” —Albert Einstein

          11. User avater
            CapnMac | Apr 04, 2008 07:11am | #52

            label our potable piping with "domestic cold", "domestic hot", & "domestic recirc

            Makes perfect sense, that's DC, DH, and DR.

            It's when it's DCW, DHW, and DRW that the plans get cluttered.  (and some one has labeled that circle a DHWH <sigh> . . . )

            Boiler Feed (BF), Boiler Supply (BS) & Boiler Return (BR) middling logical.  What will be interesting is if the greywater systems stick to that simplicity.  Which is not evident, "supply" for grey water is actually from a drain, the "return" might be more properly called a "feed: instead.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)

          12. plumbbill | Apr 04, 2008 07:21am | #53

            & purple.

            We do water reclaimation system that uses rain & grey water for water closets, urinals & trap primers.

            By code the pipe has to be marked purple.

            “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” —Albert Einstein

          13. User avater
            CapnMac | Apr 04, 2008 07:24am | #54

            By code the pipe has to be marked purple.

            Shoot tough enough to get the engineer's drafters to label the plans to half right, can't imagine getting them to print to correct color, too <g>Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)

          14. KFC | Apr 04, 2008 07:37am | #55

            You're right, there's a lot of different definitions for all acronyms and terms.  Any member posted glossary would have to be taken with a grain of salt. 

            I'm not real hung up on this, it was just a thought- I made a post using the acronym lsl and someone asked me what that was, but I was offline for a while.  It occured to me that when I (or someone else) answered what I meant, it would be easy to answer in a way which would be quickly searchable later.   

            Eventually, if folks wanted to, they could build a large (if occasionaly flawed) glossary that way.  Sure, folks could abuse it, but they could abuse this forum in any number of ways, and while it gets a little salty sometimes, I've actually been pretty impressed by the way everybody has fun and (mostly) gets along, even when they disagree.

            k

            ps- I know most of my ideas are pretty half-baked anyway, so I don't mind hearing chuckles.  I just keep throwing them out there, and eventually I'll have a good one.  ;)

          15. Hudson Valley Carpenter | Apr 04, 2008 11:36am | #56

            When addressing a newbie here I try to remember to use full descriptive terms, at least the first time they occur in my reply.  After that, the clients are released on their own recognizance. 

            I mean, if this place and it's associative peculiarities are that foreign to their cognitive abilities, then they're most likely not prepared to tackle the physical aspects of the problem they wish us to address anywho.  So we might as well digress for our own amusement. 

            Not that amusing digressions need any rationale or justification. Unless undertaking to rationalize or justify them creates an opportunity for further digression. In fact, that would seem to be a lawful phenomenon around here. 

          16. Biff_Loman | Apr 04, 2008 06:00am | #47

            I wouldn't thank someone for a lath and plaster house. Geez.

          17. plumbbill | Apr 03, 2008 05:17am | #30

            Poof the inside is dry enough to have mechanicals installed.

            Say what????????

            There's aplace in this country that waits for it to be dry------ I work in Western WA if you don't work in the rain, then you don't work.

            “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” —Albert Einstein

          18. User avater
            IMERC | Apr 03, 2008 05:20am | #31

            you saying you haven't an assistant to hold yur umbrella???? 

            Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->

            WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!

          19. frammer52 | Apr 03, 2008 05:44am | #32

             know it's hard to believe but unlike was. the rest of the country doesn't have rain everyday.

            I just figured that their mechanical installers in the south melted with

            the rain

          20. plumbbill | Apr 03, 2008 05:48am | #33

            Hey, we have seasons------- warm rain & cold rain.

            “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” —Albert Einstein

          21. brownbagg | Apr 03, 2008 05:50am | #34

            but during the summer we have rain on the time clock, every day at 2 pm

          22. frammer52 | Apr 03, 2008 06:40am | #35

            well you guys have us beat, you have a summer.  I think ours lasts about 15 min.

        2. brownbagg | Apr 03, 2008 03:00am | #22

          placing" concrete is a term that the uneducated use when they want to sound smart, someone who is a beginner that wants to be bossin reality everybody knows what they mean by pouring concrete and its no big deal

          1. Hudson Valley Carpenter | Apr 03, 2008 03:28am | #23

            Thanks BB.  I've seen "placing" used here by one or two of the BT authority figures so I naturally assumed that I was behind the times. 

            Maybe "placing" is when it's a bag of Sacrete mixed in a wheelbarrow and carefully shoveled into a 2X4 frame to make a pad for a potted plant. 

            Mix, place, screed, broom, edge. Wash tools.  Miller time! <G>

          2. TomT226 | Apr 03, 2008 01:24pm | #40

            Don't know about that.  I've "placed" a cinderblock on my feets more than once... 

  3. jimz | Apr 02, 2008 03:52pm | #4

    Here's several that I compiled a while ago (as you can tell by the thread number):

    Acronyms

    41776.6

     

    AFU            - All F’d Up

    AHJ            - Authority Having Jurisdiction

    BFH            -Big F’n Hammer

    BOHICA      - Bend Over Here It Comes Again

    BTW           - By The Way

    BTDT          - Been There, Done That

    CYA           - Cover Your A$$

    DW             - Depending on context....here's a few

      Dear Wife; DishWasher; DryWall; DeWalt; Da Wife (Chicago vernacular); dead weight (as in someone you’re carrying on your payroll; e.g. bother-in-law)

    DWV          - Drain, Waste & Vent

    FUBAR       -F’d Up Beyond All Repair

    FWIW         - For What It’s Worth (or FWITW?)

    HI               - Home Inspector

    IIRC            - If I Recall Correctly

    IMHO          - In My Humble Opinion

    IME            - In My Experience

    ITA             - I Totally Agree

    LOL            - Lots Of Luck or Laughing Out Loud

    MR             - Moisture Resistant

    PITA / PIA   - Pain In (T)he A##

    NFG           - No F’n Good

    OTH            - On The Other Hand.

    OTOH         - On The Other Hand

    ROFLMAO. - Rolling On Floor Laughing My A## Off

    RTFM         - Read The F’n Manual

    TOH            - This Old House

    SNAFU       - Situation Normal All F’d Up

     

    1. KFC | Apr 02, 2008 04:29pm | #10

      that's actually helpful.  was there a direct way newbies could find that? 

      k 

    2. KFC | Apr 02, 2008 04:34pm | #11

      glossary, lsl. lsl is laminated strand lumber.  engineered dimensional lumber that looks kinda like parallams.  straight, true and available in long lengths.

      k

      1. KFC | Apr 02, 2008 04:36pm | #12

        glossary, ho. ho is homeowner.

        1. KFC | Apr 02, 2008 04:38pm | #13

          glossary, bi.  bi is building inspector

          glossary, bd. bd is building department

          glossary, hi.  hi is home inspector

          1. User avater
            BossHog | Apr 02, 2008 05:58pm | #15

            There's also a lot of Acronyms for relatives:DD = Dear DaughterDS = Dear SonFIL = Father in lawMIL = Mother in lawSIL = Son in law or Sister in Law
            Conscience is a mother-in-law whose visit never ends. [H.L. Mencken]

  4. caseyr | Apr 03, 2008 01:06am | #19

    Acronyms have been discussed several times in the past (probably not as frequently as soundproofing or black diamonds on tape measures, however). There are some extensive computer acronym listings (such as BABEL, which has been around for nearly 20 years: http://www.geocities.com/ikind_babel/babel/babel.html
    - doing a search on "computer acronyms" will get you several more).

    Someone posted a listing of construction terms some years ago and I thought it would be a good idea to add it to the site in a way that it could be easily found. However, if it has, I have never found it.

    Early on in Breaktimes history, a number of us requested that Taunton and their service provider add a Frequently Asked Questions section, but there was no interest on their part.

    1. KFC | Apr 03, 2008 05:00am | #28

      Interesting.  There are, of course, many references for construction terms, but I like the idea of something easily accesed in Breaktime, so I don't have to open a different window, browse whatever site, or pull a book off a shelf.

      So far, the method of typing glossary, (acronym).  followed by the acronym's definition does allow anyone trying to find that definition to find it by searching for "glossary, (acronym)".  But there's gotta be a better way.  I'll do one right after this as a demonstration.

      k

    2. KFC | Apr 03, 2008 05:00am | #29

      glossary, dw.   dw is drywall, or sometimes dear wife or DeWalt.

       

      1. User avater
        CapnMac | Apr 04, 2008 06:27am | #48

        dw is drywall, or sometimes dear wife or DeWalt.

        It's also Distilled Water in lab situations.  Domestic Water in situations with non-potable piping (like greywater or boilerwater systems).

        An office I worked in always used the abbreviation GWB (gypsum wall board) for al lthe products, and you had to read the spec (and the details) to keep the different materials (sheathing, backer, interior wall board, what have you).  Don't know how they handle core board--that's the problem with abbreviations.

        Ah, and "dw" is dishwasher, too (dewalt around here often just called 'yellow' in deference to some folks' sensibilities).Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)

        1. KFC | Apr 04, 2008 07:11am | #51

          Glossary, dw. dw is drywall, dear wife, dewalt, dishwasher, domestic water and sometimes distilled water.

          k

  5. RW | Apr 03, 2008 06:56am | #36

    I think any official and comprehensive glossary of acronyms would get deleted right quick.

     

    Real trucks dont have sparkplugs

    1. User avater
      IMERC | Apr 03, 2008 07:04am | #37

      it has always been just that.... 

      Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->

      WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!

    2. KFC | Apr 03, 2008 08:23am | #38

      what do you mean?  who would delete it, and why?

      k

      (edited addition:  what about an unofficial one?)

      Edited 4/3/2008 1:24 am ET by KFC

      1. User avater
        IMERC | Apr 03, 2008 08:54am | #39

        the powers that be.....  here..... 

        Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->

        WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!

    3. TomT226 | Apr 03, 2008 01:27pm | #41

      Think it ought to be in an issue of FHB.

      Then they wouldn't have to explain everything from the beginning, like they do sometimes. 

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