As an unsociable-hours worker, I get to watch a lot of mid-morning and early afternoon cable television, which has had me addicted to carpentry/workshop shows. There are quite a few UKkian programmes on, plus the USsian king of carpentry: Norm Abram in his New Yankee Workshop. What I find interesting about these shows is the way similar techniques are given slightly different names. Most obvious, to me, are the following three.

1. Rebate/rabbit: a notch cut along the edge of a board so as to give it a lip that can subsequently be used for fastening it to other board and so on.

The Brits unhesitatingly call it a rebate, but for Norm it's always a rabbit. Why? Where did this word come from anyway?

2. Tongue'n'groove: Anybody familiar with wood flooring will probably have encountered this stuff. Again, the Brits say it tongue and groove, but our favourite Yank has it as tongue in groove. Who's right?

3. Temporary fasteners while the glue sets. Clamp for Norm, cramp for the Brits. Help!

Next, can anyone explain what a dado is really supposed to be? There are too many different things shown, all of which the chappie in question confidently refers to as a dado.

Finally, why is nobody called a carpenter anymore?

I pause, for a reply...

the sunshine "hoping there are none I have offended" warrior

Edit: Just to make the point that, apparently, Norm is using the word rabbet, not rabbit.