MD88 FLC MISINTERPRETS CLRNC TO HOLDING FIX AS DIRECT. CTLR INTERVENES WITH INTERP THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE REMAINED ON THE ARR ENRTE TO THE HOLDING FIX. FLC FEELS PHRASEOLOGY IS INCORRECT. CTLR SAYS THIS HAPPENS FREQUENTLY.

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WE DEPARTED GNV FOR ATL; FILED VIA TAY; AMG; AND THE SINCA 3 ARR; AMG TRANSITION; TO ATL. OVER AMG AT FL290 ZTL (FREQ 126.42) GAVE US THE FOLLOWING CLRNC; 'CLRED TO SINCA TO HOLD SE AS PUBLISHED; EXPECT FURTHER CLRNC AT AF05Z.' I READ BACK THE CLRNC AND PROGRAMMED THE FMS TO PROCEED DIRECT TO SINCA. THE CAPT AND I BOTH AGREED THAT THE CLRNC WAS DIRECT TO SINCA INTXN. ABEAM DUBLIN VOR; ZTL ADVISED US THAT WE WERE NOT CLRED 'DIRECT' TO SINCA; WE WERE ONLY CLRED 'TO' SINCA. HE THEN CLRED US DIRECT TO SINCA. HE STATED THAT THIS MISUNDERSTANDING OF THE PROPER CLRNC HAPPENS FREQUENTLY! OFTEN TIMES WHEN GIVEN A CLRNC LIMIT FIX TO HOLD; CTLRS INCLUDE A VIA STATEMENT -- SUCH AS 'CLRED TO SINCA VIA THE SINCA 3 ARR...' THE TERMS 'CLRED TO...;' AND 'CLRED DIRECT TO...;' ARE ALMOST IDENTICAL. YET THE ABSENCE OF THE WORD 'DIRECT' IN CTLR PHRASEOLOGY MEANS VASTLY DIFFERENT INTENTIONS. THIS SMALL TERMINOLOGY DIFFERENCE HAS OBVIOUSLY BEEN PROVEN CONFUSING (ZTL -- 'THIS HAPPENS FREQUENTLY') AND REMAINS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 363255: ON THE CTLR'S PART; PERHAPS THE TERMINOLOGY SHOULD BE 'YOU ARE CLRED VIA THE SINCA ARR TO HOLD AT SINCA; ETC.' OR YOUR CLRNC LIMIT IS SINCA VIA THE SINCA ARR TO HOLD AT SINCA... PLTS DON'T VIOLATE CLRNCS ON PURPOSE -- MORE PROBABLY WHEN INSTRUCTIONS ARE AMBIGUOUS OR MISUNDERSTOOD!!!