On Thu, 7 Dec 2017 09:23:40 -0000, "Brian Gaff"
wrote:

I was always told that Neutral was supposed to be earth, or almost so.
Otherwise we would have two lives.
Brian

One of which would then be a negative wouldn't it?

In the past I think some people referred to the black , later blue
wire in domestic wiring as the negative which was wrong but possibly
influenced with tinkering with cars where batteries have a positive
and negative pole, or maybe for old timers it was a hangover from the
days of DC mains.

The yellow 110 volt plugs intended for use with transformers in the UK
to give a 55-0-55 volt supply usaully have both pins identified with a
moulded L rather than an L and an N but I reckon few people using
or even wiring one have noticed.

G.Harman