extension lead
The standard British and Irish English term for what Americans call an extension cord — a length of electrical cable with a plug at one end and one or more sockets at the other, used to bring power to devices that are too far from a wall outlet.
Definitions
The standard British and Irish English term for what Americans call an extension cord — a length of electrical cable with a plug at one end and one or more sockets at the other, used to bring power to devices that are too far from a wall outlet. Extension leads are a domestic essential and the subject of much nagging about trailing cables and fire hazards. In the UK, asking for an 'extension cord' will get you understood, but asking for an 'extension lead' is the native phrasing.
The Christmas tree was nowhere near a socket, so she rummaged in the cupboard for an extension lead.
Comments
(electronics, UK, Ireland) extension cord.
“My husband bought me jump leads for a birthday once and an extension lead for Christmas!”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
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Other words near "extension lead" (E)
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Related terms
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Semantically related
- extension cord77%
(electronics, US) An electrical cord with a plug one end, and a single socket or a multi-port socket at the other end, used for powering one or more devices at a distance, too far from the wall outlet to be reached by the normal cords of the device or devices.
- power lead72%
(British, electricity) a power cable or power cord which connects an appliance or other electrical device to the mains.
- plug58%
Electrical: the prong-and-cord connector. The "connection" slang sense is metaphorical (a plug connects two things).
- multiplug55%
An electric device that allows more than one plug to connect to a single socket by containing multiple similar sockets; particularly for mains electricity.