L.A. SPEAK

Stunt doubles not only do things most people wouldn’t, they have their own way of talking about it. A selection of stunt slang.

auger in: v . to bore in. From the drilling tool. “I got off the horse on that saddle fall, and I augered in hard!” cable off: v . to use a specially rigged safety cable. “When he hits his mark at the cliff, he’s gonna cable off that bike.” coming in hot: v . doing a stunt with much momentum. “The director wants me to come in hot on this curve and give it some excitement!” gag: n . a stunt. getting air: v . to get as high as you can on a jump or a fall. “You better get some air between you and that Harley, Mickey, or that’s gonna hurt!” heartthumper: n . a scary stunt. “Walking the beam on the 11th floor of the building without an airbag was a real heartthumper!” John Wayne: n . an exaggerated, “haymaker” punch. Michelin man: n . a stunt double wearing a lot of pads for protection. no brainer: n . unpredictable stunt, requiring sheer blind nerve. roll over: v . crashing a car so that it flips over sideways and lands on its wheels. “I hit the ramp with the Viper and rolled over six times.” saddle fall: n . a stunt requiring a performer to fall from a horse. sell out: v . going for it 110%. “Wow, he really sold out on that fight gag! You can taste the blood!” stick it: v . to hit a mark exactly. “I’m gonna fly through here at 40 m.p.h. and stick it at the wall.”