In the lexicon of today's telephone world there are hundreds if not thousands of acronyms, colloquialisms and abbreviations. Confusing as they might be, they are a necessary and natural outgrowth of the times and of the uniqueness in the business. And so it has been from the beginning.

The first telephone instrument crafted by Alexander Graham Bell and his assistant, Thomas Watson, in 1875, was equipped with a piece of animal skin as a diaphragm which these two remarkable men called "gold beaters skin."

Just why they chose this odd term can only be guessed at, but this event did mark the beginning of the trend in word games.

Take the title, "splicer". In the earliest days they were known as "plumbers" because that is precisely what they were. They were the only craftsmen who could manipulate the hot lead used in sealing splices. Soon after we began training our own splicers they picked up the nickname of "knockers." This was a result of the wooden paddles used in forming the ends of the lead splice. Their knocking could be heard for blocks. "Cutting in" cable terminals was one of their responsibilities. As these early terminals were made of wood they frequently became the adopted home for swarms of honey bees. Thus the moniker "B" box was born and sorry indeed was the hapless splicer who opened the door only to find a swarm falling into his lap. When it came to pulling out the stingers he really found out who his friends were.

In the days of animal drawn vehicles the drivers were called "skinners." The term carried over when we went to motorized conveyances. Another less frequent term bestowed on our drivers was "horny." This came about because they were most prone to use a lot of horn and little brains in their driving. I doubt this term would be widely accepted today.

Repairmen were called "big hunters" as the telephones were often a a hangout for roaches and other sundry creep-crawlys. "Spider diver" was another much used term to describe installers and repairmen due to their affinity for crawling on their bellies under houses.

Central office people whose job it was to string wire jumpers on the mainframe were classified as "frame monkeys" and in more recent times we heard the words "frame dame" to describe female "frame monkeys."

And let's not forget those dear, dear ladies who bore the well deserved title of "Voice With A Smile." In the beginning, they were called Ralph, George, Herbert, etc, as well as any derogatory name the unhappy customers dared. Yes, they were boys and bore a well deserved reputation for outrageous conduct. This difficult situation was soon resolved by the simple expedient of hiring girls. Most called them "Hello girl" at first and "Central" became the accepted title for many years. During the waning years of the art, the operators themselves coined the phrases "plug shooter" and "plug pusher."

Much to the chagrin of some readers, I must report the craft known as lineman was born not with the advent of the telephone but with the coming of the telegraph in 1844. Telephone linemen however were the great innovators and coined many of the peculiar terms known to the trade.

Beginning at the bottom, so to speak, the tools used to dig the pole and anchor holes were collectively called "idiot sticks." Singly they were "spoons," "sharpshooter" and "digging bar." Be there a lineman that hasn't regretted picking up that steel bar on a hot day only to burn blisters on his hands. You soon learned to place it in the shade if there was any.

"Grunt" was the moniker for the unlucky who assisted the lineman. His life was less than easy and he soon learned to answer to nearly any name. "Squeek," "groundman," and "numbskull" were some titles he inherited. This latter, "numbskull," came about as his head was very often used as an unwilling cushion for anything the linemen above happened to drop. This most often occurred due to an inherent clumsiness on the part of his airborne colleagues. The "grunt's" job required he spend a considerable time at the foot of the poles loading material for the linemen into an aptly named "grunt bucket." This, of course, exposed his noggin to assaults from the aforementioned clumseys.

The day finally came when his boss, known as "pusher", "skipper," and in the southwest as "head honcho", ordered his "grunt" to grab his irons and got hit the "sticks." You and I would be at a total loss to comprehend this command. However every "numbskull" understood and dreamed of the day when they could don a pair of climbers and join the linemen "up where the sky begins."

His climbers were the symbol of every lineman's pride and were known as "hooks," "gaffs," "irons," and "spurs." There was even an odd backward style laughingly called "barrel hooks" as the uninitiated invariably put them on with the points out.

The linemen that proudly wore the "irons" were known as "pole jockeys," "stick stabbers" and sometimes "hookers," another title no longer acceptable to many. "Pole burner" was yet another descriptive title, but one not relished by many. This name was earned by the unfortunate ones who "cut out" and slid down the pole, adorning arms, legs and other appendages with numerous splinters and friction burns. But the granddaddy of all linemen handles was the name, "Boomer." To be called "Boomer" was an acknowledgement that you were one of the big men of the business. It was most often applied to those linemen who led a rather nomadic life, seldom working for one company or boss more than a few months. They referred to steady employees as the "home guard" and had little use for them.

"Clum sum" is my all time favorite title. It came about because of one of those inexplicable habits of prideful men.

EXAMPLE: An unemployed "Boomer" decides to get "back in the harness." He approaches the first crew foreman he finds with little else but a `howdee.' The boss, knowing these are men of few words, simply asks, "Lineman?" "Clum sum,” was the reply. And thus they were to be known.

MA

Meet Vic Sumner and his lovely wife, Lynn, seen recently at the 
Western Regional Show in Bakersfield.
Both Vic and Lynn are retired from "Ma Bell."