Introduction:

Engineers and other technical persons frequently use commonplace shapes to describe and label parts. Two main sources provide the greatest range of terms – namely human body parts and the alphabet.

Awareness of the use of these shapes in general practice is of great assistance when working in engineering and other technical environments.

BODY SHAPES and TERMS
From top to toe:

Male	Male fitting or coupling
Female	Female fitting or socket
Hair	Hairline crack
Head	Bolt head
Face	Flange raised face
Eyes	Eye bolt
Nose	Long nose pliers
Lip	Lip seal
Teeth	Gear teeth
Tongue	Tongue and groove flange
Neck	Bottleneck
Throat	Pump throat
Shoulder	Shoulder edge
Arm	Lever arm
Elbow	Pipe elbow
Hand	Handle; Hand lever
Finger	Finger gauge
Nail	Wood nail
Thumb	Rule of thumb
Rib	Strengthening Rib
Nipple	Pipe nipple
Hip	Ball and hip joint
Knee	Pipe knee bend
Toe	Lower bearing of a vertical shaft
Foot	Foot valve; foot bearing