The Builders’ Glossary
Us tradespeople are always using weird and wonderful words that the average person often just doesn’t get. We’ve put together a glossary of definitions to celebrate these typical trade terms – no matter what line of work you’re in, or if you’re a customer trying to figure out what on earth your contractors are on about, these expressions are sure to make you chuckle!
Apprentice
The rookie on site. The butt of all jokes, the victim of all pranks, you’ve got to have thick skin to get through these few years.
Brickie
Slang term for a bricklayer. More money than sense.
Brush hand
A painter’s assistant.
Bodge
A poorly done job, completed quickly and carelessly.
Builder’s bum
The startling exposure of buttock cleavage caused by recklessly low trousers and careless bending over.
Catch
Mechanism that keeps cupboard doors shut.
Chippy
Slang term for woodworkers i.e. carpenters, joiners. Or where you bunk off for lunch on Friday.
Cowboy/chancer
Someone who acts like a skilled craftsman but isn’t really qualified to do the job. We all know one...
Day-rate
The slacker’s preferred alternative to an hourly rate. Good luck getting any work done!
Dob and dab
Slang for dry lining.
First fix
Completing all building jobs before plastering.
Fixtures
Elements of a building that are fixed but not part of the structure, such as skirting boards, fitted furniture, worktops. Not sport-related.
Flashing
A metal sheet, usually lead, that provides waterproofing where a wall meets a roof.
Floating floor
A way of installing hardwood floors which are not fixed into position.
Flush
Flat (as in a flush door with no panelling or glazing) or in line with (as in bringing alcove shelves flush with a chimney breast).
Frog
The indentation in the top of most bricks.
Gobbo/muck
Slang for mortar. The paste that is used to bind bricks and stones for construction.
Health and safety
Referring to rules and regulations put in place to avoid accidents and injuries. Often unheard of on many building sites.
Jamb
The side of an opening in a wall for a door or window.
Joist
A beam supporting a floor or ceiling.
King stud
A framing member running from the bottom to the top of a panel/sheet. Not a nickname for the apprentice, though he might like to think so.
Long weight
Usually fetched by apprentices. Can often take a while to get hold of.
Party wall
Refers to the wall separating two properties, i.e. in a terraced house. May lead to noise complaints from neighbours if taken too literally.
Painter’s Mate
The most widely used brand of decorator’s flexible filler (not to be confused with a brush hand).
POETS day
P*ss Off Early, Tomorrow’s Saturday!
Reveal
The vertical side of a window or door.
Screed
A layer of sand/cement that provides a smooth surface for underfloor heating to keep your feet nice and warm
Second fix
All building jobs that come after plastering, like electrics, bathroom fixtures and door fittings.
Skim
The final, thin coat of plaster.
Snagging/making good
Finding the faults (snags) in everyone else’s work.
Snots
Splatters of plaster that have built up on the walls. Charming.
Sparky
Turns up, leaves a mess everywhere, charges an arm and a leg for the privilege.
Stack
The vertical waste pipe from a sink or toilet.
Trap
The U-bend underneath a sink or bath, which stops the smell of sewage from making its way into your house, and (popular to contrary belief) doesn’t stop certain things from being flushed away.
Veneer
A thin sheet of wood typically used as a decorative cover for wood of a lower standard.
Welder
You don’t hear much about this trade. They tend to stick together in a closely bonded, tight-knit community.