Oh, then you have the "switch with a pilot light" thing... where it glows faintly (or brightly, as the one above) when off so you can find it in the dark.
No, never saw there over here. I have just have regular unmarked switches. Two regular ones and the third internally has a special function, 4 poles, two lines going trough it, and when you flick it it permutes the two lines. But from the outside it looks jus like the two other switches, un marked, you just can"t tell.
I don't know how this arrangement is called in English.. "va et vient " in French. Anyway, nothing fancy.
Here is a wiring diagram for that. The two regular switches at either end, which makes a traditionnal two way va-et-vient, then to extend it to a 3 way like I have, then the third switch is the one in the middle, it permutes the two lines linking the two outter switches. Simple, just works. I hear it's judged obsolete here now, but who cares, it's cheap simple and it works.
But at least over here, the light switches that have ON and OFF molded into the switch have ON in the UP position, so that kindof makes it pretty clear. They make it so we mere users don't have to think aboot such things; and when we do, there are always guys like Bob Vila to give even the most hopeless home-fixers among us the basics so we shouldn't be killing ourselves.
mnem
Yes Americans / Canadians need to be told not to stuff their fingers in the power outlets, as if it's not obvious.
Thank god no such shit here, at least for now. May it long continue that way...
Switches here are unmarked. There is no need to do so : if you enter a dark room, you can't see what would be written on it anyway ! Plus, if it's dark and you want light, who cares what position the switch is in ? You just flick it the other way and that's it, obvious !
Do you think I look at the marking on my Tek scopes power switch ? No ! If I want to power it up and it's not already doing so, I just flick it the other way that's all !
It's funny how people can drive a car at 16 and kill people on the streets, own guns and go shopping with them, yet somehow they are judged too stupid to figure out how to operate a light switch or that high voltages can be dangerous ?!