French plugs are specially designed to collapse into a pankake of junk if trodden on, (or, in fact, used at all.) The plastic was carefully chosen after examining the toys that fell out of Corn Flakes packets, the pins are modelled on hair grips, while the terminal screws were sourced from spectacle-hinge suppliers. The 'cord grips' (sic) are often a plastic screw you graunch into the cable insulation, and we even have one that opens up like an oyster for wiring. That can be exciting if it suddenly comes undone! It's common here to pull the plug on something and bring with it the receptacle, the box, a tangle of wires and choc-blocks and with a large chunk of plasterboard attached.
Please don't criticise our lovely UK plugs just because they are built strong enough to brain a rhino!
Alan
