Gross Term of the Day: snot rocket

snot rocket--one actor's gross habit of holding one nostril and blowing out boogers onstage or in the wings.

Term of the Day: stumble-through

stumble-through--parody of a run-through, when you are doing a rehearsal with new subs or swings. "The rehearsal wasn't a run-through...it was more like a stumble-through."

Term of the Day: dilly dally

dilly dally--moving slow, dragging your feet. "Don't dilly dally," "Stop dilly dallying...repair the unit now."

Term of the Day: Don't show your teeth until you have to

Don't show your teeth until you have to--controlling signs of aggression in a confrontation.

Term of the Day: pie in the sky

pie in the sky--an unreasonable dream, it isn't going to happen, that's a fantasy. Lyrics from the extended version of Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land." We are so far behind at this load in, it is pie in the sky to believe that we are not going to have a work call tomorrow morning."

Term of the Night: short shrift

short shrift--a quick, often rude dismissal of an idea or a person. "The head gave short shrift  to my idea of painting the deck on Sunday night." Fascinating etymology...shrift is a 12th century word for the penance given to a condemned man. "Short shrift"  was the inadequate time for such penance to be given.

Term of the Night: watch your 6

watch your 6--watch your back. It is a military term, using the clock face, where 12 is in front of you and 6 is behind you. "That's a brutal theater to work in...watch your 6."

Term of the Day: peanut hours

peanut hours--no extras, just the show call, no work calls, no rehearsals. "I got the job running a front light on a long-running show, but it is peanut hours, no extras. I am happy to have the job, however."

Overheard Line #28: "You can't hit a moving target."

"You can't hit a moving target"--If you are working around the theater or constantly moving, management has a hard time nailing you, and stage managers can't find you. If you are in your office, with your feet on the desk, you become an easy target.

Overheard Stagehand Line #42: "Why retire and be miserable at home..."

"I think the angry old stagehand's attitude was 'Why retire and be miserable at home alone when you can come to work and make other people miserable?'"

Term of the Day: slow-walking

slow-walking--intentionally doing a job slowly to aggravate a boss or management. "The two mechanics slow-walked building the new platform to piss off the young tech."

Term of the Day: "What's the T?"

"What's the T?"--what's the gossip? "What's the T? What show is coming in after this one?"

Term of the Day: "You don't need four years at MIT to know that"

"You don't need four years at MIT to know that"--it's obvious. "Despite good reviews, 'Groundhog Day' ticket sales went through the basement. You don't need four years at MIT to know that's why it closed."

Term of the Day: on the fritz

on the fritz--when a mechanism is not working properly. Referring to a machine or electrical item, possibly a special effect. "The downstage blood cannon was on the fritz and was not working during the matinee."

Term of the Night: to work someone over with a ball-peen hammer

to work someone over with a ball-peen hammer--to take someone apart. "When the contract man gave the house head lip, her tirade was like working him over with a ball-peen hammer.

Term of the Day: ungatz

to have ungatz--to have nothing, to have one ball (testicle). Italian slang. Angry disappointment. "Everyone else got on the workcall, and I got nothing. I got ungatz."

Term of the Day: tap dancing it back

tap dancing it back--when someone makes an inappropriate comment or reveals a secret piece of information, they then stumble all over themselves to try to lessen the impact. "When the PSM accidentally revealed that the star was leaving, he tried to tap dance it back, implying it was just a vacation."

Overheard Stagehand Line #51: "He's checked out...

"He's checked out...the only tool he uses nowadays is the TV remote."

Term of the Day: drilling holes in his own boat

drilling holes in his own boat--self sabotage, especially by someone who has a good position in the stage business. "By fighting with the other stagehands in the theater, the old stagehand was drilling holes in his own boat."

Term of the Day: "He hates his men almost as much as he hates himself"

"He hates his men almost as much as he hates himself"--said of a famously difficult, abusive head.

Term of the Day: failed bully

 failed bully--when one stagehand bullies another, but backs off when faced with an unexpected resistance or defense. "It's hard to come back after you become a failed bully. People begin to view a failed bully as a buffoon."

Term of the Day: to go Ghandi on someone

to go Ghandi on someone-- to refuse to do something, to use passive resistance, or maybe passive aggressiveness, to force a change.  "When the contract propman stopped providing the props for the lift rehearsals at half hour, the house head told the extra stagehands to go Ghandi on him and not do the rehearsals, so the contractman had to do them by himself."

Term of the Night: jackassery

 jackassery--a bad decision, an idiotic move.  The foolish behavior of a jackass.