I've seen the "plug" and "receptacle" terminology cause problems when used among the technically semi-literate (i.e., Project Manglers). The majority of us nerds and geeks learned at a very early age - even before we grasped the concept of copulation - that the "gender" of a connector was determined by how the inner contact(s) mated. The (supposedly) higher life-forms occasionally determine a connector's gender by how the outermost shells engage. This is often the opposite of the inner contacts. At least the "male" and "female" designation carries the implicit idea (for those older than about 13) of things engaging more-or-less at the center, rather than the overall body.
(To be sure, there ARE multi-circuit connectors where both pin contacts, and socket contacts, are present in the same connector shell. With a coed assortment of inner contacts it may be reasonable to consider how the outer shells engage when describing the connector's gender, but it often leads to a round of questions to clarify the meaning.)
Dale
Plug could be ambiguous, as some people think a plug must be the mobile (cable-based) end. Then there are the language differences: jack - to me it implies a quarter-inch probably male connection, to others it means RCA (which I call phono).
Male and female are unambiguous. So are concepts like 'chassis-mounted'. Only teenagers will find this amusing.
Male and female are unambiguous. So are concepts like 'chassis-mounted'. Only teenagers will find this amusing.
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