technical tap

English

Etymology

The phrase became popular in the Second Industrial Revolution, when sometimes vacuum tubes or soldered connections would become loose.

Noun

technical tap (plural technical taps)

1. A tap or a slap on a device in a way to either make it work correctly again, or break it completely. For example, hitting a TV to get its reception back, or hitting a jukebox back to life.

Synonyms

• percussive maintenance