Hot shoe
A clip-on connector for an external flash system (or accessories like remote controls or flash adapters) usually found on the top of the camera. It has two metal brackets and normally one or several electrical contacts in the centre to allow communication between the camera and flash. If it has no contact, this is an accessory shoe. The flash also features a hot shoe contact and normally a locking mechanism to prevent it falling out of the shoe.
Cold Shoe - Usually found on some higher end camcorders to mount additional lights or microphones.
