Definition
A flexible electrical conductor made from very fine threads of copper or other conductive metal wrapped or woven around a textile core such as cotton or nylon. The construction allows the cord to bend and flex repeatedly without the conductor breaking, making it suitable for use in headsets, microphones, and other low-current applications where the wire must move constantly.
Plain English
A bendy electrical wire made by wrapping thin metal strips around a fabric thread, so it can flex over and over without snapping. It's the kind of cord used in headset and microphone leads.
Context Anchor
Seen in aircraft electrical maintenance when discussing flexible leads, headset cords, microphone cords, or other low-power wiring that moves or bends often.
Derivation
Tinsel' originally referred to thin strips of shiny metal foil used for decoration. The same idea — narrow ribbons of metal — was borrowed for this cord, where fine metal strips are wrapped around a fiber core.
Why Pilots Care
It prevents wire fatigue and breakage in high-movement areas, maintaining reliable electrical connections for controls and communications.
Intuition Check
Do not read “tinsel” as decorative material here. In this term, it means thin metal strips used to make a flexible electrical path.
Example Sentence 1
The pilot's headset uses a tinsel cord so the lead can be coiled and uncoiled on every flight without the wires inside breaking.
Example Sentence 2
Headset cords often use tinsel cord because the pilot moves the microphone frequently during flight.