# what do you call this device?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-this-device/363911>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 10, 2006, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-this-device/363911 "2006-07-10T19:17:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 9\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![rainy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@rainy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainy)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-this-device/363911/1 "2006-07-10T19:17:25Z")

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I’m sure there’s a term for this, but it escapes me at the moment. What do you call the feature on a cable/wire/hose that increases the OD so that it cannot pull through a hole which is large enough for the cable/wire/hose to pass through if it were not for this feature?  
feature X []  
\_\_\_\_ [_**]  
-------| X |---------------------- cable/wire/hose  
-------|**_|----------------------  
[]  
[]  
barrier w/ thru hole

please excuse the really, really crappy illustration.

-rainy

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![rainy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@rainy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainy)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-this-device/363911/2 "2006-07-10T19:18:40Z")

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Oh heavens, should have previewed that. Totally ignore the now completely useless illustration.

☹

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**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-this-device/363911/3 "2006-07-10T19:21:46Z")

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[QUOTE=rainy]

```
 feature X []
     ____[___]

```

-------| X |---------------------- cable/wire/hose  
-------|\_\_\_|----------------------  
[]  
[]  
barrier w/ thru hole

[/QUOTE]

A snowman?  
But seriously folks. I know what you mean. I just always called it a clamp/blocker thing

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-this-device/363911/4 "2006-07-10T19:23:15Z")

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On a pipe you would call it a flange. I think the same term might apply for cable & hose.

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**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-this-device/363911/5 "2006-07-10T19:36:53Z")

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On some cables and wires, it is called a knot.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-this-device/363911/6 "2006-07-10T19:44:49Z")

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“Collar” comes to mind, especially for any such thing that could be added to the hose or moved along the hose.

Wires generally would be fixed in place with a “strain relief”

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**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-this-device/363911/7 "2006-07-10T19:47:08Z")

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[Strain relief fittings](http://www.majorelectronix.com/sealcon.html)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![rainy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@rainy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainy)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-this-device/363911/8 "2006-07-10T20:37:11Z")

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[QUOTE=gotpasswords]  
“Collar” comes to mind, especially for any such thing that could be added to the hose or moved along the hose.

Wires generally would be fixed in place with a “strain relief”  
[/QUOTE]

That’ll work!

Thanks all.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2006, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-this-device/363911/9 "2006-07-10T21:00:15Z")

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[QUOTE=rainy]  
I’m sure there’s a term for this, but it escapes me at the moment. What do you call the feature on a cable/wire/hose that increases the OD so that it cannot pull through a hole which is large enough for the cable/wire/hose to pass through if it were not for this feature?  
feature X []  
\_\_\_\_ [_**]  
-------| X |---------------------- cable/wire/hose  
-------|**_|----------------------  
[]  
[]  
barrier w/ thru hole

please excuse the really, really crappy illustration.

-rainy  
[/QUOTE]  
On a lamp cord in the base of a socket it is called an Underwriters Knot.  
Strain relief.  
Cable clamp.