xkcd #3186: Truly Universal Outlet
Title text:
Building Inspectors HATE This One Weird Trick
Transcript:
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Source: https://xkcd.com/3186/
this post was submitted on 26 Dec 2025
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N/L are “reversed” on the UK BS1363 standard vs US/EU Earthed plugs. By having two sets of N/L you can ensure that they are always correctly wired.
This is often why some adaptors seem to be “upside down”
Most devices can handle N/L being swapped, though.