General
madisons
What does madisons mean?
Thin metal straps — also called battleships or F-straps — slid into a drywall cutout to clamp an old-work switch or outlet box from behind. You push them in past the rock, then bend the wings forward against the box ears. Standard fix when there's no stud to screw into.
"No blocking back there, just throw a pair of Madisons in and call it good."
Origin
Trade nickname of uncertain origin; widely used by US electricians for the strap-style old-work box support.
Frequently asked questions
What are Madisons in electrical work?
They're metal straps that hold an old-work electrical box into drywall.
How do you use Madisons in a sentence?
"Slide the Madisons in behind the wall and fold the tabs over to lock the box in place."
When do you use Madisons?
You use them for old-work installs, where you're mounting a box into existing drywall without access to a stud.
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