B737-300 CREW AND MAINT HAD CONFUSION IN TERMINOLOGY BTWN THE LEADING EDGE FLAPS AND THE LEADING EDGE SLATS.

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ON LNDG; THE COPLT CALLED FOR FLAPS 5 DEGS. UPON FLAPS 5 DEGS; THE AMBER 'LEADING EDGE TRANSIT' LIGHT STAYED ON. THE OVERHEAD PANEL INDICATED THAT THE #2 LEADING EDGE FLAP WAS AMBER. THERE WAS NO YAW OR INDICATION OF ASYMMETRY PROBS. WE REFED THE QRH: LEADING EDGE FLAP TRANSIT 'TKOF; GAR; CRUISE.' THIS TOOK US TO ASYMMETRICAL; PARTIAL; ETC. WE WENT TO FLAPS 10 AND THE LIGHTS WENT TO GREEN - LNDG UNEVENTFUL. WITH MAINT IN BNA; WE ASKED THEM TO MEET THE ACFT. DISCUSSION RESULTED IN ME WRITING UP EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED. MAINT OK'ED US TO CONTINUE PER MEL 27-4. MY ARGUMENT WITH DISPATCH WAS THAT IF IT SHOWED OK WITH THE FLAPS UP; WE DIDN'T NEED A SPD RESTR. THIS WAS DISCUSSED AS THE RELEASE WAS CORRECTED TO SHOW THE MEL. THE FO CHKED THE ON BOARD MEL; BUT WE DIDN'T PICK UP THAT THIS WAS A 'NO-NO.' I THOUGHT THE AIRSPD RESTRS WERE THE IMPORTANT FACTORS. FLEW THE ACFT TO RDU AND THE LIGHTS WERE NORMAL. RPTING FOR MY TRIP ON AUG/MON/03; THERE WAS A FAX IN MY BOX FROM MAINT REQUESTING THAT I CORRECT THE LOG ENTRY TO READ 'SLAT' INSTEAD OF 'FLAP.' I FIGURED THAT I HAD WRITTEN IT UP WRONG AND CORRECTED THE FAX AND SIGNED IT; WHILE THINKING THAT I WAS POSITIVE THAT IT HAD BEEN PROPER. UPON REACHING THE COCKPIT AND LOOKING AT THE LIGHTS THAT WE HAD SEEN; I REALIZED THAT THE ORIGINAL WRITE-UP WAS CORRECT. IT WAS THE #2 KRUGER FLAP. LATER; I RECEIVED A CALL FROM COMPANY TO EXPLAIN THAT THERE WAS A PROB AND SUGGESTED TO WRITE A RPT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 590268: AFTER CONVERSATION WITH MAINT IT WAS DECIDED THAT EVEN THOUGH THE MALFUNCTION WAS MOMENTARY; IT SHOULD BE WRITTEN UP AND ATTENDED TO OR AT LEAST DEFERRED. THE ITEM WAS DEFERRED AS PER MEL 27-4. WHILE I DID LOOK AT THE MEL; I DON'T FEEL I TOOK THE TIME TO READ AND UNDERSTAND IT FULLY. I WAS ALSO DISCONNECTED FROM THE DISCUSSION WITH MAINT; MAINT CTL; AND DISPATCH; DUE TO MY DUTIES AS FO AT THE TIME. I ASSUMED THAT EVERYONE WAS ON THE SAME PAGE AND UNDERSTOOD THIS WAS ALL LEGAL AND PROPER. IF THE PROB WAS A 'LEADING EDGE FLAP' IT IS; IN FACT; 'NOT' DEFERRABLE. A LEADING EDGE SLAT IS DEFERRABLE; BECAUSE YOU CAN CHK IT VISUALLY. I SHOULD HAVE INVOLVED MYSELF MORE WITH THE DISCUSSIONS WITH MAINT; READ THE MEL MORE CAREFULLY; READ THE LOGBOOK ENTRY AND UNDERSTOOD WHAT WAS ACTUALLY WRITTEN UP.