Category Archives: Folk speech

“Striking” – Theatre Slang

Text: “To strike” or “striking”

Context: AB is a Screenwriting BFA at USC, though has a substantial background in theatre. In a theatrical context, the word “striking” means to clear something [a prop, set piece, etc] from the stage. This is often used during scene transitions within a performance, but can also be used in a rehearsal context for any physical piece that needs to be removed from the performance area.

Analysis: As someone with extensive experience in theatre, it can be interesting to realize what specific terminology isn’t widespread. These terms are so ingrained into your muscle memory when working in theatre, it’s startling to realize they’re not intuitive. Both AB and I are film majors with backgrounds in theatre–in film, “striking” means to turn a light on, which is completely removed from its usage within theatre.

Acronyms – OCSA

Text: “OCSA” – “IA,” “MT,” “DM,” “CV,” “CMD,” “DMS,” “VA,” etc.

Context: CS is a 21 year-old college student from Southern California who attended the Orange County School of the Arts in Santa Ana. This school is referred to by its acronym, “OCSA” (pronounced “osha”), and is made up of many different acronyms for the different artistic focuses the school offers. CS discusses being identified by the acronym of the school, as well as one’s artistic focus–acronyms, at this school, become a shorthand for what kind of person an individual is, and what stereotype that person might fulfill. For instance, a Musical Theater (“MT”) student might be seen as highly competitive, whereas a Visual Arts (“VA”) student might be assumed to be much more reserved and introverted than other students. Other acronyms listed above include Integrated Arts (“IA”), Digital Media (“DM”), Classical Voice (“CV”), Commerical Dance (“CMD”), and the Dance, Music, and Science building (the “DMS”).

Analysis: It’s interesting how the proliferation of acronyms at this school led to a kind of stereotyping or role-assigning, almost similar to the clique stereotypes seen at other high schools. CS discussed quizzing substitute teachers on the acronyms of the school, and assimilating quickly to the culture of the school through learning acronyms–she also discussed the panic of not recognizing an acronym that someone identified themselves with. The acronyms, at this school, very much make up a part of student identity and represent being part of an in-group. Not recognizing acronyms or not conforming to the common stereotype of one’s acronym could result in ostracization or judgement from peers, functioning as an extension of the high school social eco-system, rather than something passive outside of it.

Dead Dove: Do Not Eat

Text: “Dead Dove: Do Not Eat”

Context: This is a term that is prolific among fanfiction circles, particularly on Archive of Our Own, which uses a content tagging system. EK is a college student in Southern California who has been active in fandom spaces and fanfiction culture for a number of years.

“Dead Dove: Do Not Eat” is a tag used on Archive of Our Own. EK notes the tag’s negative reputation, however, its “correct” usage simply means to pay attention to the other tags on the work, because what is tagged is what will be present in the fic. This often is usd in fanfiction with potentially triggering or upsetting content, because the author wants to emphasize that the content is tagged, and it should not come as a surprise to any reader who chooses to read the piece.

This tag’s origin comes from an Arrested Development scene, where a character opens the fridge to see a paper bag labelled “dead dove: do not eat.” He opens the bag and, when he finds a dead dove inside, says “I don’t know what I expected.” It’s in this way that the tag is meant to say that the fic is going to contain what the tags denote, and the reader should not be surprised by the content.

Analysis: EK discusses the misinterpretation of this tag as having a “scary” reputation–that often, “dead dove” is a red flag for many readers in and of itself, without even looking at the rest of the tags. Because it is often used on works with potentially triggering or taboo content, the tag itself has taken on a taboo reputation. It’s interesting to me, however, that this has become the case for a practice that is essentially a public service–“dead dove” itself doesn’t mean anything scary or taboo, all it does is tell a reader to know what they’re getting themselves into. I also believe that “dead dove” as a tag is kind of a sweet custom, on a fandom’s part; it’s community care, in a way, looking out for others to make sure they won’t be upset by anything they read. It’s also a measure of protection, as online anonymity makes people quite comfortable yelling at fic authors in the comments for things that were clearly advertised in the tags or description of a fic.

No Beta, We Die Like [Blank]

Text: “No Beta We Die Like [Blank]”

Context: This is a term that is prolific among fanfiction circles, particularly on Archive of Our Own, which uses a content tagging system. EK is a college student in Southern California who has been active in fandom spaces and fanfiction culture for a number of years. She explains the meaning of the phrase is that the fic has not been “beta read” by someone else–it has not been read or edited by another person aside from the author before being posted online. While the original form of the phrase is “No beta we die like men,” often the phrase is customized toward the fandom, with “men” being replaced by the name of a character who dies in the show. EK notes that it’s usually a particularly painful death, often a particularly beloved character who died, whose name is substituted in. She also notes that it’s not always solely a character name–in some instances, it’s “my sanity” or other references to the author’s real life, or other times a reference to a commentary about the show’s writing [ie. “we die like [character’s] characterization] or other aspects of the property.

The origin of this phrase comes from a picture of a bumper sticker that read “no airbags we die like men.”

Analysis: EK views this as a public service announcement on a fanfiction, sort of a disclaimer meant to explain any errors or “bad writing” found within the piece. I also view this as a kind of signifier of in-group status, recognizing that someone is a member of a fandom and was emotionally impacted by a character’s death–enough to bestow their name within the tag, almost as a badge of honor. This is a way to make light of any emotional turmoil brought on by a character’s death and find community in the emotional response to a piece of media, as most fandom is fixated on.

Frozen Faces

Text:

Parents would tell their children that if they make funny faces too much, their faces will be stuck like that forever.

Context:

The informant was told this as a child, and noted that it was said generally either in jest or as a light way to discourage them from being immature/disrespectful and making faces all the time. They also carried this on and said it occasionally to their own child, though mostly in teasing.

Analysis:

This phrase was and is used by parents as a funny but somewhat “scary” way of keeping their children from making faces all the time. It shows how certain beliefs are born from ways of keeping children in check rather than innately from fact or fear.