Oh, the agony of nernees, those little pieces of plastic or metal that seem to have no purpose. Only until you throw them out will you realize how essential they were! This slang term is sometimes used among those who work in technical theater. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Nernees”
You’re listening to A Way with Words, the show about language and how we use it. I’m Grant Barrett.
And I’m Martha Barnette.
If you’ve spent any time at all around theaters, then you’re familiar with some of the language of actors, like hit your marks, meaning stand where you’re supposed to, and break a leg, meaning good luck.
But what isn’t so obvious is the language of the people working behind the scenes, behind the scenes literally, to make it all happen.
And there’s a stagecraft listserv whose members were asked to contribute some of the terms that they use when they’re working on productions.
And Grant, taken together, they really give you a taste of what it must be like to be building a stage set and moving scenery around during a performance and taking it down.
And it looks like some of that language varies from theater to theater, and it tells you what’s important to them.
For example, yo-yo, slipstick, and guesser.
Yo-yo, slipstick? I have no idea.
None?
No. Slipstick, is this something? I don’t know. I have no idea.
A tape measure.
Oh, these are all the same thing?
Yeah.
Yeah.
How about that?
Yo-yo, slipstick, and what?
And guesser.
Guesser.
Okay.
Guess how long that is.
And lots of words for cordless screwdrivers like Zimmer and Wazzer and Zeter, which makes sense, right?
They’re all onomatopoeic, right?
Yeah.
Yeah.
They all have Z in them.
And they use language like lateral maintenance, which is like percussive maintenance.
Oh.
Kick it.
Bump it.
Yeah.
Kick it.
Bump it.
Hit it on the side like that.
At least one person uses the expression crash-tinkle-tinkle moment.
That’s the moment at which a usually expensive piece of equipment meets an irresistible force or immovable object.
Oh, no, right.
You can just hear that, right?
Yeah, it goes from being really expensive to worthless.
And another one I like that at least one theater uses is Nerny.
And that’s spelled N-E-R-N-E-E or N-E-R-N-E-Y.
And the definition is an unknown but important appearing piece of metal or plastic.
You don’t know the source, and you don’t know what it is or what it’s used for or where it’s from, but you do know that if you toss it out, it will turn out to be a little used but essential gadget from a critically important piece of equipment.
If you keep it around, it will turn out to be utterly non-essential and will clutter the shop for all eternity.
I have cabinets full of Nernies.
I have lots of them.
I don’t even have those strands of lights anymore, but I have the replacement bulbs.
Yeah, exactly.
I got a drawer full of Nernies.
Oh, Nernie.
That one’s going in the lexicon.
It’s essential when you don’t have it, and it’s unessential when you have it.
Yeah.
They talk about Iwo Jima-ing a piece of scenery.
Oh, so lifting it up with ropes and people underneath, Iwo Jima-ing it.
Yeah, great stuff, right?
Yeah, it makes a lot of sense.
I love this language.
And, of course, that’s a creative enterprise, so they’re probably going to have just a little better class of slang than other folk, right?
Yes.
Yeah.
What do they say in your business?
What’s the behind-the-scenes lingo that the rest of us don’t get to hear?
Try us out.
Email words@waywordradio.org.
