Glossary

## **The *Blank Check* Lexicon of In-Jokes**

The podcast is full of running jokes and bits. Some of the jokes are ongoing, others are just a flash in the pan. This is a humble attempt to track some of it.

**Contents:**

## **#**

### #CoalGate

The saga of Producer Ben getting coal in his Christmas stocking, followed during The Santa Clause commentary series on Patreon.

### #TheTwoFriends

David Sims and Griffin Newman are friends, they are two people, therefore they are "hashtag-TheTwoFriends." That friendship is their competitive advantage in the podcast game.
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## **&**

### &

Pronounced “Ampersand,” Griffin’s shorthand for the 2009 film *Fast & Furious*—the fourth entry in the Fast & the Furious franchise. The film is stupidly titled, and in order to differentiate it from the first film, *The Fast & the Furious*, Griffin simply calls it Ampersand.
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## **A**

### Al-oh-gashu

An original Jedi created by Ben Hosley in the The Clone Wars Animated Series episode. "He be big."

### Bit Status

Retired

When hired to star in *The Tick*, a superhero series on the Amazon Prime video streaming service, Griffin often praised Amazon as "the best company in the world" when it or its products are mentioned, and insist "they've never done anything wrong." He often rents Blank Check films from Amazon or explicitly mentions that he watched them on his Amazon Fire tablet in order to bring up the company 'organically.' However, since the cancellation of *The Tick* in 2019, the bit has essentially been retired.
### And, as Always...

At the conclusion of the majority of Blank Check episodes, Griffin invents a different piece of advice or saying or aphorism, often riffing off of something discussed during that episode's recording. The joke is that every "As always" entry is different, entirely without wisdom, and often not particularly useful to anyone but Griffin.
### The Attachies

A phenomenon where after a director experiences a success, they attach themselves to any- and everything. Very little of it comes to fruition. Coined by JJ Bersch in the dossier for The Handmaiden.
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## **B**

### Batt Pecki

An original Star Wars character created by Ben Hosley in the The Clone Wars Animated Series. He is "A bat man, from the cave planet of Kreggon." Batt was mentioned again during coverage of the Christopher Nolan Bartman films.
### Ben, Cut That Out

**"Ben, cut that out"**and **"Ben, keep that in and double it"**

Occasionally David or Griffin will jokingly give commands to Producer Ben Hosley to make an edit to something they just said. Reputedly, Ben never actually makes those edits. Later editors, Alex Barron and AJ McKeon, do in fact keep things in and double and/or triple them. This originated in the Merchandise episode of The Phantom Podcast.
### Big Chicago

A nickname for actor Michael Shannon. Coined by Fran Hoepfner during the *Aliens* episode.
Similarly, they nicknamed Willem Dafoe **Big Milwaukee**, after initially thinking he was a Chicago guy and then course correcting. Coined during The Loveless episode.
### Big Nice

David Sims' previous residence. It was big and nice, contrasted with Little Nicer which is little but nicer.

### Bit Status

Retired

An unusually and sometimes surprisingly large monetary success. When a movie is such a popular and box office hit that it is not just a hit, it is a Big Tittied Hit or BTH. Possibly derived from a quote from the movie *Network*. Griffin usually invokes it during The Box Office Game much to the disgust of Ben and David. The bit may currently be retired although the shortened BTH may be still allowed.
### Blackhat

A Blackhat is a unit of box office measurement equal to $8,005,980, based on the domestic box office performance of the film Blackhat.
### Blank Check Blacklist

Sometimes the hosts joke that they’ll never discuss a director in the months leading up to their miniseries, but other directors they will actually just never cover. They might end up covering a single film by blacklisted director, à la Stargate, but will not cover the full filmography. The "blacklist" has also been used for future guests and franchises as well.
Not to be confused with the the \*actual\* Blank Check Blacklist.
### Blank Check Bump

The #BlankCheckBump is the increase in popularity, real or imagined, caused by a movie or guest's appearance on the podcast.
### Blank Check Pictures

*Main article: Blank Check Pictures*

Sometimes Griffin will come up with an off-the-wall pitch for a movie that either stars one of the show's co-hosts, or is somehow based on their lives or experiences or personality traits. The production company that would put these movies together would be called Blank Check Pictures.
### Blankies

A term used for a fan of the Blank Check podcast. Originally coined during The Podcast Reawakens episode by Emily Yoshida, which earned her the nickname "The Mother of Blankies."
Famous blankies include: Jamelle Bouie, Jamie Bell, Nia DaCosta, Chris Weitz, Michael Rianda, and Zach Cherry.
### The Blankies

*Main Article: The Blankies*
Also known as **The Blank Check Awards**. An annual awards episode where the hosts and Joe Reid get to pick their favorites from the past year of cinema.
### Blank it? Thank it!

During the Starship Troopers episode J.D. Amato came up with code phrases for two Blankies to recognize and salute each other, which begins with one saying "I love movies." The second then asks, "Blank it?" which is met with "Thank it!" Then the two Blankies exchange a high-five. If done via text or in some other digital fashion, it can be initiated with a hashtag: "#ILOVEMOVIES".
### Blarp

Verb, to create a plot device for a female character so she has something to do in the movie; does not directly affect the story. The term has its origins in the CGI character of Blarp from Lost in Space.
### Blender

A screenwriting term which refers to a character tic in a movie, assigned to a character where "it's one inexplicable thing that's *their* thing," yet has no real relevance to the story being told and could be lifted right out of the movie without any consequence. Originated with Will Smith's affection for his blender in *Enemy Of The State,* and coined by Alex Ross Perry who shared it with Blank Check during the *Insomnia* episode.
### Boss Baby

The nickname of David & Forky's daughter, Griffina Benducer Sims.
### The Box Office Game

*Main article: The Box Office Game*
At the end of nearly every episode, Griffin and David play a game relating to the film under discussion. David looks up the top five earners at the box office for the first weekend of that film's release, and Griffin attempts to name all five, in order. As the game goes on David provides hints until the title is guessed. The game is a good way to think back on what kinds of movies were big in a given year or era. Until it's unfortunate demise, David used the Box Office Mojo website. Presently he uses The Numbers.
Griffin is a box office savant, and many guests on the show are flabbergasted to watch him in action - pulling correct answers from thin air, naming titles of movies that don't exist.
For box office terms, not specific to the podcast, see the Box office game Glossary.
### Burger Report

*Main article: The Burger Report*

A glorious feature that has absolutely nothing to do with anything related to the actual purpose of the podcast.
Whenever anyone on the show has a story about seeing a Fame-o eat a hamburger, they can file a Burger Report on the podcast. Eventually a hotline for listeners to file Burger Reports via voicemail was established, and those reports are eligible to air on the show.

### Bit Status

Unearthed.

*Main article: Congratulations.*
Producer Ben buried several pairs of jeans in the backyard of his childhood home. For fashion.
### But I Like Her... movies

Films, usually romantic comedies, in which the lead male character romantically pursues a woman without regard for her nonexistent reciprocal interest in him. These films usually consist of the male character continuing to chase the female character until the end when she wears down and relents. Term coined by Chris Gethard during the *As Good As It Gets* episode.
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## **C**

### The Calling Card

The precursor to The Guarantor, whereby a filmmaker proves they can be trusted to handle a larger budget and are competent at making a film. Notable Calling Card films include Bound and Shallow Grave.

### Bit Status

Retired

David's nickname for Colin Trevorrow, given while recounting how he'd been at the helm of Star Wars Episode IX, steering the ship. Coined during The Last Jedi episode, well after Trevorrow had been dismissed from the Episode IX project during pre-production. Griffin says he found it hilarious because it was such a complete non sequitur. "You gotta call the Captain!"
### Card System

*Main article: Card System*

A system similar to that used by referees in soccer/football, where Producer Ben issues cards (such as a yellow card or a red card) to the co-hosts. The idea is to penalize them for various infractions, such as not staying on track. This system also led to a new nickname for Ben: "The Commish." See Card System for an accounting of cards issued.
### Cars 2

Griffin's go-to joke is "Cars 2 makes Cars 3 look like Cars 1." The joke has made *many* appearances on the pod and was dissected at length during their trip to Atlantic City.
### Charming

A preferred adjective of Griffin Newman, pronounced in a sing-song fashion with an extremely prolonged middle portion.
### Check Republic

The new name of the Blank Check studios given in the Battle for the Planet of the Apes Commentary.
### Checkmates

The nickname of subscribers to the Blank Check: Special Features Patreon, and a counterpart to Blankies.
### Cinéaste Cow

A bovine character voiced by Griffin Newman in ad reads for Mubi wherein he is a mooing cinephile. While originally thought that the cow had a Pokemon-esque vocabulary, it was eventually revealed that the cow speaks the queen's English.
Related to the **Cinéaste Bee**, a newer apian character voiced by Griffin Newman in ad reads for Mubi. Debuted in Drag Me to Hell, and speaks only in buzzing and Mubi-adjacent syllables.
### Come In

An audio sting of Wallace Shawn saying "Come in" in his trademark nasal whine from A Master Builder. Dropped at mentions of Wallace Shawn or when someone comes in.

### Bit Status

Active

*Main Article: Comedy Points*
A complex system of rules to distribute "Comedy Points" to people for saying something particularly witty or amusing was developed by Griffin and his friends, including Sam Rogal, some years ago. On Blank Check Griffin will sometimes give comedy points to David or Ben, usually 3 or 5 at a time. Keeping track of the comedy points you've earned, however, results in the loss of all comedy points. Many variants have been used as the situation demands; see complete list of types here - Comedy Points.
### Connoisseurs of Context

An unofficial catchphrase of the podcast. First used in episode 82.
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## **D**

### Darkman Ranking

While doing the rankings for Sam Raimi, everyone accidentally omitted Darkman. Subsequently they have inserted it into other miniseries and franchise rankings as a goof.
### Darth Stupid Idiot

An original Star Wars character created by Ben Hosley in the episode The Clone Wars Animated Series. He is a really wet bad guy.
### Director Jail

When a director makes something so financially and critically reviled that they get sent to (metaphorical) jail.
### Duck Piss

Something which is really, really, really bad. Griffin substituted the term 'duck piss' instead of 'eating ass' as it was pointed out by Ben that some people enjoying eating ass whereas no one enjoys duck piss.
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## **E**

### Eating On Mic

As early as episode 2, Griffin can be heard eating on mic, often munching on peanuts or an everything bagel. After a few listeners were disgusted by these sounds, especially the first iTunes reviewer to rate the show with just one star (see Sith Lord), Griffin doubled down on the eating sounds and even now from time to time he and David and Ben will occasionally flaunt this so-called unprofessionalism.

Deciding what to order for dinner has become a large part of the Patreon commentaries, which are often recorded several at a time.
### Europa Fan

During the *Aliens of the Deep/Ghosts of the Abyss* episode, Ben and David had a prolonged and very spirited faux argument about who was the bigger enthusiast when it came to aliens and space. In particular they discussed Europa, the moon of Jupiter which in science fiction is sometimes cited as being the most likely place in our solar system to harbor extraterrestrial life. The debate over who was the bigger Europa Fan later briefly resurfaced in the *Flesh + Blood* episode, and on Patreon during 2010: The Year We Make Contact.
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## **F**

### Fame-o

Slang for a famous person, especially in the context of a celebrity sighting. Alternate spelling "famo."

### Bit Status

Retired

In the early days during the first three Star Wars miniseries', Griffin would occasionally mention something in a sardonic tone about his father's gambling, or inability to manage money, or other financial issues that may be real or invented. He usually would immediately say to Ben, 'cut that out,' but it never was (see "Ben, cut that out," above). Apparently, much later Griffin's father actually did listen to the podcast and was perturbed by these mentions.

### Bit Status

Dormant

During the Cloud Atlas episode, whenever featured guest Bobby Finger let loose a particularly sharp line Griffin would say "You got Fingered!" and Producer Ben overlaid a sweet guitar riff sample. #TheTwoFriends liked the result so much that it led to the establishment of "Fingered" as a recurring bit.
### Forky

The on-mic nickname for David Sims' girlfriend, now wife. While her name was said on-mic in the early days of the podcast, she has strong feelings about being a public figure and thus is referred to as Forky.  The nickname comes from Toy Story 4. She is not trash but sometimes she asks questions.
### Flubber

Term used to refer to CGI effects which are spongy or otherwise don't work well, causing actors and objects to behave in silly ways and look unrealistically goofy. Coined by Morgan Evans during the Count Dooku episode.
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## **G**

### Gentleman's Six

A rating #TheTwoFriends use to denote an extremely competent, middle of the road, serviceable, well-made movie.
### The Great...

When referring to anyone outside of the podcast, Griffin may refer to them not just by their name, but "The Great (so and so)." For example, The Great Connor Ratliff, or The Great Jar Jar Binks.
### Griffin's Grandma

Griffin chooses to believe that one of his grandmothers, Grandma Rozzi (sp?), never really died since he never saw her afterward - she is living her best life out there somewhere and just stopped calling him. See also TC-14.
### Griffina Benducer Sims

The alternate nickname for the Boss Baby, David & Forky's daughter.
### The Guarantor

The early successful film that allows a filmmaker to get a blank check. Often a low- or modest-budget film that massively outperforms its budget at the box office.
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## **H**

### Hello, Fennel

Originated in the intro to episode #005 when Ben Hosley started to say "hello fellas," changed in midstream to "hello gentlemen," and it came out "hello fennel." Griffin immediately adopted it as a catchphrase for the show, and also incorporated it into the list of Ben's nicknames. "Greet Ben with a 'Hello Fennel' if you see him on the streets."
In November 2018, the first Blank Check tattoo appeared, of the phrase "Hello Fennel", on the ankle of Blankie Simon (the\_go\_slow).
### He's My Best Friend

**"He's/She's/They're My Best Friend"**

Used (mostly by Griffin) to refer to a delightful person he has an affinity for, often ending a list of praise for said person. Usually refers to a fictional character or CGI creature, but can refer to the real-world actor/actress. For example, Griffin and David's nickname for the *Guardians of the Galaxy* film series, '*Best Space Friends*.'
### Honks

An adjective used primarily by Griffin to describe something when something is really fun. Synonyms include: rips, fucks, rules, etc.
### The Hosoleum

The nickname of Ben Hosley's residence. During The Mummy commentaries, it was previously nicknamed **The Tomb** but a Blankie suggested **The Hosoleum** which is way better. The residence is not at all tomb- or mausoleum-like in appearance, but evocative of Ben's love of bones. Clonk.
### How Do You Know

A How Do You Know is unit of measurement equalling $120 million, the budget of its namesake film How Do You Know, often representing a comically overblown budget that is not seen on screen. It is the bloated budget counterpoint to a Blackhat box office.

### Bit Status

Active

A bit primarily used by Griffin where someone would say a mostly normal, lightly braggy thing and Griffin (or sometimes David or the guest) would mumble "Humblebrag" under his breath. This bit was retired since the Batman Returns episode, but has made a humble resurgence in 2021 and onward.
### Hyper Good

The nickname for the former residence of Ben Hosley. He currently resides in The Hosoleum.
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## **I**

### I LOVE MOVIES

The catchphrase of J.D. Amato introduced during the Starship Troopers episode. Can be used to introduce a Blank it? Thank it! interaction. If done via text or in some other digital fashion, it can be initiated with a hashtag: "#ILOVEMOVIES".
### Intro

In each episode, Griffin reads an opening which incorporates the word "podcast" into a prominent line from the movie. The word "podcast" is usually shouted. Sometimes David participates in order to set up the line. On Ben's Choice episodes or other rare occasions, Producer Ben or the featured guest will handle the intro and outro.
At the end of each episode, Griffin uses a closing line, "And, as always..." and then a pithy observation couched in something that came up during the episode's discussion.
### It's about the sky

A phrase originating from the film Aloha, broadly used as a stupidly inaccurate or simplistic summary.
### It's Been a While

When this phrase is spoken in the course of conversation, one person may then repeat the line in a singsong fashion imitating the song of that same title by Staind. This bit is a carryover from the podcasts *Comedy Bang Bang* and *U Talkin' U2 To Me?*,which David has cited as inspirations for the general atmosphere and attitude of the Blank Check podcast.
### It's Tough to Make the Five

*Main Article: Five-Timers Club*

First invoked by David when Griffin was appalled that Christian Bale's performance in the Michael Mann film Public Enemies was his only appearance on his famed spreadsheet. The catchphrase of the Five-Timers Club.
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## **J**

### The Jelly Trilogy

A trio of films wherein Joe Viterelli plays virtually the same character either named Jelly (*Analyze This* (1999), *Analyze That* (2002)), or by different name that should be Jelly (*Mickey Blue Eyes* (1999)). Established in the A View to a Kill Commentary, and part of the Special Features March Madness 2023 bracket.
### Joey Pants

A nickname for actor Joe Pantoliano, a favorite of the co-hosts. First used on the show during the Bound episode. While not created by #theTwoFriends, they use it whenever possible.
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## **K**

### Keep That in and Double it

*See "Ben, cut that out"*
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## **L**

### Little Nicer

David Sims' current residence. It is nicer than Big Nice, but not as big.
### Lock the Gates

Used in reference to popular podcast *WTF with Marc Maron*. Maron spoke this line in Blank Check movie *Almost Famous*, and uses the audio clip in the intro to his *WTF* show. Griffin sometimes will launch into an impression of Maron as well, with phrases like "What's wrong with me?", "I was working as a doorman down at the Comedy Store," and "I saw Damon Wayans walk in and say 'tonight I'm just gonna do a jazz set.'" Other variants include "Who are your guys?" and "Pow! I just shit my pants!" Man, Marc Maron has a lot of damn catchphrases.

The catchphrase primarily appears in the Cameron Crowe miniseries, due to the phrase's origins in one of his movies, but it also appears in other episodes covering films where gates are locked like Titanic.
### Logan

"I don't know if you've heard but it's a secret western". A mocking portrayal of those who think they've discovered something secret which is plainly text in the film.
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## **M**

### Medium Messy

The residence of Griffin Newman and his pal Watto.
### Merchandise Spotlight

*Main article: Merchandise Spotlight*

Griffin is a toy boy, and loves talking about (and spending too much money on) all the movie tie-in merchandise that he can get his hands on. In the Blank Check episodes featuring movies that spawned toys or collectibles or other merchandise items, Griffin will discuss them in a segment called Merchandise Spotlight.

### Mog

Short for "fil***mog***raphy." Frequently used in the Blankies discord as a shorthand for a director or actor's filmography, and accompanied by a gif when someone watches a dang mog!!
### Mortal Engies

Short for Mortal Engines, a ground-breaking 2018 sci-fi film about cities on wheels. It absolutely whips ass. Fans include: Emily Yoshida, David Sims, and Griffin Newman.
### Movies That Don't Exist

A term for movies so forgettable and lacking any cultural impact that they cease to exist. Prime examples are Oz the Great and Powerful and Bewitched, two inexplicable successes that had truly no impact. Movies where when you hear about them you think "if something like that happened, surely I'd remember something about it." It did and you don't.
Not to be confused with *actual* movies that don't (yet) exist like Night Eggs or Rocket Crocodile in the World of Tomorrow.
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## **N**

### Bit Status

Retired

*Main article: Night Eggs*
The flagship film on the Blank Check Pictures slate. The film is the brain child of Ben Hosley and executive produced and co-written by Chris Weitz. Due to the bit escalating, it has been retired at the request of the EP.
### No Acting Required (N.A.R.)

An acting technique pioneered by Sir Anthony Hopkins wherein he does the bare minimum in his job, specifically his role as Odin in Thor.
### No Bits / Pro-Smits

The show was founded under the auspices of a bit, where for purposes of the show *Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace* was the only Star Wars movie ever made. The hosts then made an irony-laden proclamation that the show would be "no bits." When the well-liked actor Jimmy Smits appeared in *Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones*, Griffin declared the show was not only No Bits, but now also Pro-Smits. Specifically Pro-Smits' Ship. To further complicate matters, Smits' co-star Richard Kind confirmed that Smits is, in fact, pro-bits himself.
### No Good Very Bad Don’t Do It

A frequent phrase uttered by Griffin Newman when a person, place, thing, event, or action is quite bad, the antitheses of good, and no one should do it.

### Bit Status

Retired

**"No one should ever make a TV show"** or **"No one should ever promote a TV show."**

During and immediately following Griffin's most hectic periods of filming and promoting *The Tick* television series for Amazon, he frequently says this. Variant: "No one should ever promote a TV show."
*See also:* Amazon, a great company that's done nothing wrong.
### Nut or Butt

The official rating system of *The Atlantic's* David Sims.
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## **O**

### Bit Status

Retired

Griffin often refers to small or odd endeavors of his or David's as potential Obie Award winners (Obie being a New York City area theater award for Off-Broadway productions). For example, early in the history of the podcast Griffin produced the intentionally slapdash photoshop graphics with the co-hosts' heads over the films' promotional images, and talked about how he was going to win another Obie for it.
### Outro

*For the main feed outro, see: And, as always...*
For the patreon, Griffin ends most episodes with a hearty "Smell you later, fart heads."
### Owns Bones

Verb meaning to be awesome. Synonyms include: Rips, rules, honks, fucks, whips ass. A personal favorite descriptor used by David.
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## **P**

### Bit Status

Retired

A pasta dinner is nice evening out with a special someone. Griffin had a longtime standing offer to a certain Star Wars actress, it's not known if she ever accepted. This is now a retired bit after much cancelling and general creepiness.
### Peppered In

A totally unnecessary character that keeps recurring in a film or film series. Named for J.W. Pepper in the Roger Moore Bonds. Also referred to as “In the mill.”

### Bit Status

Dormant.

A feature of the early Star Wars series where at the end of the series they rate the performances. This carried into early post-Star Wars series and some of the commentary series. For all episodes with a Performance Review, see the category of the same name.

### Porch Movies

Also known as **Porch Classics** and **Porch Cinema**.

Porch movies are movies frequently replayed cable TV or frequently rented on VHS that Ben Hosley watched on a TV hauled out to a hot porch. Porch movies covered on the podcast include Stargate and Joe Dirt.

### Bit Status

Active, but infrequent

*Main Article: Ben Hosley's Nicknames*

When Griffin introduces Producer Ben by name at some point within each episode, he also lists the nicknames he has given him throughout the history of the podcast. He usually lists the nicknames in the form of "aka Prodoer Ben, aka The Hoz," etc, and takes pride in listing them off the dome without aid of a recorded list. There has been some talk in 2018 of retiring this bit, but listeners and guests have protested and hopefully #TheTwoFriends will see their way clear to retaining this universally adored recurring feature.
While the two friends usually introduce new nicknames at the end of every miniseries, this bit has largely been retired due in large part to how embarrassed they felt doing it in front of real deal guests.
### Putters and Murmurs

The most prestigious award given out in the annual Blankie Award episode. Sort of a Palme d'Or, but for performers who putter and murmur their way through an entire performance.
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## **Q**

### Quibi

A streaming platform, which was hyped as the next big thing before it actually was available. After its debut it swiftly crashed and burned, culturally speaking. David mocked the service a number of times, and eventually a bit grew organically from that where David was referred to sardonically as President and CEO of Quibi.
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## **R**

### Bit Status

Active

Occasionally bits will get retired and raised to the rafters. When referencing a retired bit, the hosts will often literally say "retired bit" instead the bit.

### Bit Status

Active

A formal nickname for The Joker character in recent Batman movies. On occasion the "Richard T." will be used in front of any other character's name instead, just to keep using the bit. Also includes **Michael J. Bane** and **John C. Scarecrow**.
### The River of Ham

Term used for when an actor gives a big, bombastic performance. Derived from a Kenneth Branagh quote as he directed on the set of *Thor*. As related by Griffin, the exchange between Branagh and one of his actors went something like "'Ken, I think I'm going too big; I don't want to dip my toe into the River of Ham.' 'No, bathe in the River of Ham! I've bathed in it many times, it's a great river.'" Actor Ray Stevenson recounts the exchange here to IndieWire: "And I said to Ken Branagh, I was nervous, and he said, you can’t be too loud! So I said fine, I’ll dip my toe into the river of ham. And he said, trust me, I’ve swam in that river many times. You enjoy that!”
### Romilly's Kitchen Corner

A feature during the Nancy Meyers miniseries where Griffin's sister Romilly Newman evaluated the incredible kitchen featured in the film.
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## **S**

### SB

Sneaky Boy. Encountered during the Live at the Barclays Center Patreon episode.

### Bit Status

Retired/Dormant

Because the podcast "Serial" made a big impact on the culture, which a podcast had not really done before, it somewhat obscured the fact that podcasts as a form of media had existed for some time previously. So Griffin sometimes refers to "Serial" sarcastically as The First Podcast. Notably, Layne Montgomery's first theme song for "Griffin and David Present" was very noticeably inspired by the theme song for "Serial."
### Sith Lord

Anyone who rates the show with one star or leaves a negative review on iTunes is declared a Sith Lord. Sith Lords are not allowed to listen to the podcast.
### Slappin' an Obvi

Slapping down an obvious pick, a phrase used to denote when there is an obvious candidate but it has to be introduced to be discussed. Primarily used in Talking the Walk 2021: Ranking the Walks.
### Small Fine

The former residence of Producer Ben Hosley. In 2020 there was some construction in his building and subsequently it became Small Dusty. He currently resides in The Hosoleum.
### Spreadsheet

*For the full episode on David's spreadsheet see Spreadmaster's Delight*
References are often made to David's Spreadsheet which is an actual spreadsheet that he uses to track his choices for awards dating back to the 1930s. There has been considerable interest in releasing the Spreadsheet to the public but so far David has been resistant although he did ease up a little when it was pitched as a Patreon goal for he is the Money Monster. There is also a possibility of a future episode devoted solely to the Spreadsheet. The Spreadsheet has also given rise to the phrase "it's tough to make the five" in regards to David only allowing 5 nominees per category in his spreadsheet, and also David's nickname as **The Spreadmaster**.

### Bit Status

**Not a bit.**

*Main article: Sully - Blank Check LIVE!*
A 2016 film directed by Clint Eastwood. The friends *love* this film, but their love often comes across like a bit, which it... isn't?
### Sweaty

Refers to a movie or an actor trying too hard to make a particular story point work. As if you can see the sweat on their brow as they try to pull it off.
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## **T**

### Bit Status

Active

Contrary to many modern podcasts, guests are encouraged to talk on mic before they are actually introduced by name to the listening audience.
### Talking The Walk

*Main Article: Talking the Walk*
A recurring feature featuring JD Amato where they talk about a film that features the word "talk" or "walk." The episode may or may not feature actual walking, but certainly features talking.
### TC-14

The tea-serving silver droid in the opening scene of *Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace*, who apparently identifies as female. Griffin holds that TC-14 is the sexiest thing he's ever seen, and both Griffin and David love the actress who voiced TC-14, Lindsay Duncan. Griffin also maintains that TC-14 isn't really dead after the ship she was on was destroyed, since we didn't actually see her inoperative body afterward. See also Griffin's Grandma, above. Later in the podcast when Griffin had a girlfriend, she was referred to on mic as TC-14 (à la Forky).
### Thor

A poop. Also evoked by saying they're going to "drop a hammer."
### Threatening

A descriptor for an ill-advised or ambitious project that may never come to fruition. Ex. "James Cameron is threatening to make 5 Avatar sequels."
### Too Much Paprika on the Sandwich

Term used for an acting performance which seems to be slightly miscalibrated with the movie they're in; often a performance that is just a little too over the top in some way. A milder form of The River of Ham - however, 'Paprika' is usually made in reference to a mistake that the actor is making, in the view of #TheTwoFriends, whereas 'Ham' is most often used in the context of a good performance that Griffin and David like. 'Paprika' originated from discussion of a sandwich-making scene in the film *Split*.
### A Touch of the Tucc

Another way of analyzing a film or performance. Because the co-hosts and especially Producer Ben are fond of the actor Stanley Tucci (pronounced 'Toochie'), they will sometimes say things like "What this movie needs is just a Touch of the Tucc." Coined during The First Annual Blank Check Awards.
### Try Silence

A line uttered by Ellen Burstyn to Griffin to shut him the fuck up in the Draft Day makeup trailer. Past guest Timothy Simons witnessed the "withering" remark as well. Originally relayed in the Interstellar episode. Also the unofficial catchphrase of the Buster Keaton miniseries.
### Twisted

Sarcastically growled and accompanied by an electric guitar riff, to describe a creative choice that attempts to portray a shallow and juvenile idea of 'adult,' mature, or edgy. Used most often when discussing the DC Comics film adaptations by Zack Snyder and David Ayer, especially Jared Leto's portrayal of The Joker in 2016's *Suicide Squad* and his reported on-set behavior of gross-out pranks in the name of method acting.
Primarily applied to movies, but occasionally applied to Griffin’s preferred on-mic snack: a white cheddar bagel twist.
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## **U**

### Bit Status

Deceased.
Found dead in a ditch.

*Main Article: **The U.K. Bit***
Every time David accidentally implied that he lived in London England during part of his childhood, Griffin and Ben acted like it was a shocking revelation that they'd never heard before and milked it for all it's worth.
### Unbreakable!

Any mention of the M. Night Shyamalan-directed somber superhero drama *Unbreakable* will be sung in the cadence, and accompanied by an audio clip of the upbeat theme song to the Netflix comedy series "The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt."
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## **V**

### Virtual Fine

The virtual recording space during the Coronavirus pandemic. It is not as nice as the other residences, but they can change their backgrounds.
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## **W**

### Watto

Watto is a Toydarian slave-owner featured Star Wars - Episodes I and II. Physically, he is short and blue with a pot-belly and wings. He has a gruff voice and sometimes wears a jaunty little hat. He was a frequent conversation topic in the first two series of the show. More recently, Watto co-hosted The George Lucas Talk show on Planet Scum. He is roommates with Griffin Newman.
During The Eighth Annual Blank Check Awards, Griffin gave The Watto Award to Tom Hanks in *Elvis* for his accent-heavy performance as Col. Tom Parker.
### Watto Tho

The podcast originally grew out of an exchange of tweets and text messages between David and Griffin, in which they each tried to one-up each other by naming ever more obscure *Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace* characters. The initial message was Griffin's simple "Watto Tho" together with a picture of Watto. A fan-made embroidery of said tweet hangs in the current Blank Check Studio.
### What If There Was A...

A common joke made by #TheTwoFriends about films with overly simplistic plot/title combos, such as "What if there was a Wife?" or "What if there was a Love Story?"
### When Is He Bad?

Also **When is she bad?**

A certain class of performer that is excellent in everything, including bad movies.
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## References

1. ↑ @benhosley on twitter
2. ↑ u/brotherfallout, my wife has pretty strong feelings about either her or the baby being remotely public figures in any way so I try to respect that, reddit. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
3. ↑ The George Lucas Talk Show (Apr 24, 2023). The George Lucas Talk Show with Richard Kind, Jeff Hiller and Karen Chee. Youtube. Retrieved on May 11, 2023.