Receptacles, plug-ins, or outlets which is it?

Today we use different words for the same meaning, known from the different walks of life. Being both a tech and owner of Warner Electric, I am always working with customers. Letting them tell me is their words what they are taking about, I can help them better and talk back to them in a language that they will know. This builds a better relationship with the customers

To an electrician, any box that electrical is being used at, is an outlet. Being that of a switch box, light box, or even a receptacle box. However, a junction box to us (electricians) is a place where wires come together for different reasons, mainly to make a connection. that don’t require electrical use from them.  Even the panel box can be a place for an extension of a wire so therefore it could be called a junction box.

A plug-in is the same as a receptacle. A receptacle is an item that holds device in its place. A plug-in is an item that holds another device in its place. The same thing can be said about a trash can. Are they not an item that holds another device called a trash bag and then trash inside of it? People all around have referred to this as a receptacle. A computer is another, that can be classified as either a receptacle or a plug-in, as you have your main items, then add certain programs or add-on’s to enhance the product, while all the time being inside of something different.

Today’s terminology is hard enough to understand and let alone adding new ideas behind it of computers. What use to be a period, is not a dot. The pound sign is now a hash tag.