We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember saying something
like:

I could very easily be mistaken on this, but I thought the use of
'pattress' for moden backboxes was the result of the continuing to use
the word for the bit that goes behind a socket, even though today the
box shape of it is different to the old flat plates.

I see what you're getting at, but the pattress has always been just the
wooden plate and the term 'pattress box' refers only to the surface box
that would screw onto it. Lazy diction has led to a generation simply
calling them patresses, missing the 'box' off - this may be worse in
some parts of the country than others.
Best to stick with the proper, traditional terms - damnit, we need
standards these days.
--
Dave
GS850x2 XS650 SE6a

"It's a moron working with power tools.
How much more suspenseful can you get?"
- House