Term of the Day: the choice cuts

 the choice cuts--the best work, like holidays or large blocks of work. "The head gave me a day or two, but the choice cuts, the Christmas holidays, went to his non-card nephew."

Term of the Night: to get the skinny

to get the skinny--inside information, the naked truth. "I'll give you the skinny on why the lead was fired."

Expression of the Night: "It's better to be seen than viewed"

Stagehand:  "It is good seeing you after all these years."
Old Stage Manager: "It's better to be seen than viewed"
(to be viewed is a reference to a viewing at a wake)

Term of the Day: die on this hill

die on this hill--to take a stand. Usually used in the negative..."I am not going to die on this hill," meaning a beef or fight is not worth the political capital. "The carpenter is fighting me over who services the scenics during a paintcall...he is in the wrong, but I am not going to die on that hill." Obvious military reference.

Term of the Day: message to the streets

message to the streets-- sometimes a message is given out with the purpose of it being spread through the theaters, sometimes coming from theater management, sometimes from an individual stagehand. "The old head made it clear he would punch out a younger stagehand who he thought had crossed him. He had his friends spread the message to the streets."

Term of the Night: to be pole-axed

to be pole-axed--to be stunned, to be hit right between the eyes with something heavy. "When they called the company meeting, I thought the producers were going to announce some recasting. When they announced we were closing, I was pole-axed."

Important Ethnic Terms

Stagehand slang comes from everywhere, including Yiddish, Gaelic, Italian and Spanish. Here are some to start:

amadan--(Irish) idiot
brouhaha--(thought to be Irish, but really French) big fight, controversy.
colleen--(Irish) pretty girl
ongatz, ugatz--(Italian) one ball, nothing.
pendejo--(Mexican slang) pubic hair. Idiot. "Move out of my way, you pendejo."
pug mahone--(Irish) Kiss my ass.
shillelagh--(Irish) oak stick, cudgel.