# Truth In Nomenclature
**URL:** https://eldraeverse.discourse.group/t/truth-in-nomenclature/956
**Category:** General
**Created:** [October 31, 2024, 4:37pm UTC](https://eldraeverse.discourse.group/t/truth-in-nomenclature/956 "2024-10-31T16:37:10Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@avatar](https://eldraeverse.discourse.group/u/avatar)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2024, 4:37pm UTC](https://eldraeverse.discourse.group/t/truth-in-nomenclature/956/1 "2024-10-31T16:37:10Z")
**damnfool switch (n.):** Engineering / aerospace jargon. _Damnfool switch_ is an alternate term for the Master Envelope Interlock Disable switch; i.e., that switch which disables the hardwired safety features preventing the pilot, sailing master, or other operators from commanding maneuvers or equipment operations known to cause damage to, or the potential destruction of, the vehicle. (See also: _[redlining](http://eldraeverse.com/2014/02/21/trope-a-day-explosive-overclocking/)_.)
The _damnfool switch_ acquired its sobriquet due to the near-universal consensus that not only would only a damn fool disable said interlocks in anything other than a dire and imminent emergency, but that most of the people who have disabled them under such circumstances were _also_ damn fools at the time.
**idiot light (n.):** The warning light, usually located next to the Master Alarm indicator, that indicates that the _damnfool switch_ has been engaged; so named because the illumination of the idiot light indicates that an idiot surely must be in command of the vehicle.
_– A Star Traveler’s Dictionary_
* * *
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at [https://eldraeverse.com/2015/08/31/truth-in-nomenclature](https://eldraeverse.com/2015/08/31/truth-in-nomenclature)
---
### Author:  [@avatar](https://eldraeverse.discourse.group/u/avatar)
#### Post date: [October 26, 2025, 12:00pm UTC](https://eldraeverse.discourse.group/t/truth-in-nomenclature/956/2 "2025-10-26T12:00:12Z")