Enchufar: to plug in

A) Inclinado – B) Tres-en-linea (three in line) – C) Schuko (German)

Buy three appliances in Uruguay, and you may get three different types of plug.

If you do some of your own wiring, note that a mounting frame D from Argentina will not work with sockets from Uruguay (A & B), and vice versa. The width discrepancy amounts to a millimeter or less – way to go, guys! And (of course) Argentinian hardware is not widely sold in Uruguay. We bought our house from someone who built it with (cheaper) hardware he carried from Buenos Aires, which is why I know.

I like the compact tres-en-linea, especially with hot leads partially insulated (plug B). I have cut off perfectly good Schuko plugs and rewired new appliances right out of the box.

Other people prefer fumbling with adapters. Here’s one that will accept anything, including North American plugs:

But the question remains – what’s on the other end that plugs into the wall?