'30 Rock': A to Z

EW's thoughtfully compiled ''Rock''-tionary, from Adultaraisin to zing and everything in between

01 of 26

A

Avian Bone Syndrome noun An illness causing brittle bones, which afflicted Jack Donaghy's ex-gilfriend Phoebe. Anna Howard Shaw Day noun Feb. 14, the birthday of…

Avian Bone Syndrome
noun
An illness causing brittle bones, which afflicted Jack Donaghy's ex-gilfriend Phoebe.

Anna Howard Shaw Day
noun
Feb. 14, the birthday of the famed American suffragette, which Lemon repurposes as an anti-Valentine's Day.

awes
adjective
Short for awesome.

Aack!
interjection
Expression made popular by the comic strip character Cathy, made priceless by Liz Lemon.

Adultaraisin
noun
Tracy Jordan's Ben and Jerry's flavor.

02 of 26

B

Black Cop, White Cop noun A film starring Tracy Jordan. See also: Who Dat Ninja , Hard to Watch , Sherlock Homie , Honky Grandma…

Black Cop, White Cop
noun
A film starring Tracy Jordan.
See also: Who Dat Ninja, Hard to Watch, Sherlock Homie, Honky Grandma Be Trippin', A Blaffair to Rememblack, Cruise Boat, Death Bank, Black Caveman, President Homeboy, Samurai I-Am-Awry, and Fat Bitch (''She's off the leash!'')

blerg!
interjection
An expression of exasperation, translating to anything from ''Whoops!'' to ''S#@&!'', inspired by a frustrating Ikea product.

''By the hammer of Thor!''
interjection
Blerg, but with more passion.

Brian Williams
noun
NBC news anchor, nemesis of Avery Jessup.

Beeper King
noun
Reputation of Lemon's boyfriend Dennis Duffy.

Black Crusaders
noun
An underground organization of influential African-Americans who conspire against Tracy.

Bubble
noun
A world inhabited by beautiful people, where no criticism or limitations exist; Lemon's ex Drew Baird lives there

business drunk
adjective
A state of inebriation resulting from a boozy meeting; per Jack Donaghy, similar to rich drunk and legal to drive.

Bitch Hunter
noun
An shoot-'em-up drama starring Will Ferrell, executive produced by Jack Burditt & former NBC entertainment chief Ben Silverman; catchphrases: ''Happy birthday, bitches!'', ''Put the mimosas down...bitch!''

backdoor bragging
noun
Per Jenna Maroney, sneaking something wonderful about yourself into everyday conversation; example: ''It's hard for me to watch American Idol because I have perfect pitch.''

BFF
noun

Not the acronym for ''Best Friends Forever'' at 30 Rock; something vulgar that has never been revealed — probably for the best.

Black Frasier
noun
A BET sitcom for which Toofer wrote before joining TGS.

Bottoms-Up Day
noun
A yearly NBC event when senior executives switch workloads with junior employees for a day.

Bro Body Douche
?noun
?The sick body spray company Liz turns to as a possible TGS sponsor. Definitely not Axe.

03 of 26

C

Cheesy Blasters noun One of Lemon's favorite snacks — and America's top-selling food in America outside New York City — consisting of hot dogs stuffed…

Cheesy Blasters
noun
One of Lemon's favorite snacks — and America's top-selling food in America outside New York City — consisting of hot dogs stuffed with cheese and wrapped in pizza dough; mascot: Meatcat.

The Cleve
noun
Colloquial name for Cleveland, Ohio, location of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and nearly home to Lemon until she broke up with her boyfriend Floyd.

critz
verb
To majorly screw something up.

Cah-Runch!
interjection
Jenna's iteration of ''Oh, snap!''

Cranky Sue
noun
Also known as The C-Word; the worst word you can call a woman.

Cranston?
noun
?Kenneth's British alter ego.

04 of 26

D

dealbreaker noun A relationship killer; also, the subject of Lemon's short-lived talk show. Damn It, I'll Pick a Name Later Dot Com Productions ? noun…

dealbreaker
noun
A relationship killer; also, the subject of Lemon's short-lived talk show.

Damn It, I'll Pick a Name Later Dot Com Productions
? noun
? Tracy's production company.

''Don't be cry''
interjection
Lemon-speak for ''Cheer up!''

dummy
noun
A term of endearment, if you're Dennis Duffy.

05 of 26

E

EGOT verb, noun A term invented by Miami Vice 's Philip Michael Thomas and co-opted by Tracy to describe the achievement of winning an Emmy,…

EGOT
verb, noun
A term invented by Miami Vice's Philip Michael Thomas and co-opted by Tracy to describe the achievement of winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. (Related note: Tracy did EGOT; Thomas did not...not even close.

everybody
noun
One of two things Kenneth loves; see also: television.

06 of 26

F

farmer noun A man who doesn't wear a tuxedo after 6 p.m., according to Jack father-pig noun A swine named Harold that Kenneth adopted as…

farmer
noun
A man who doesn't wear a tuxedo after 6 p.m., according to Jack

father-pig
noun
A swine named Harold that Kenneth adopted as a role model and father figure when his own pa died; Kenneth later ate his father-pig in a contest so he could afford to move to New York.

Fabian Strategy
noun
A passive-aggressive military tactic, modeled after Roman general Quintus Fabius Maximus, that Jack applies to his relationship with Avery Jessup, wherein he retreats from all her advances until she gives up.

fungdark
noun
The male equivalent of a Cranky Sue.

fun cooker
noun
Kenneth's name for a portable microwave (see also: biteNUKER); Tracy's nickname for his derriere

07 of 26

G

Greenzo noun According to NBC language, ''America's first non-judgmental, business-friendly environmental advocate''; in truth, a short-sighted, short-lived means for General Electric chairman Don Geiss to…
Kent Eanes

Greenzo
noun
According to NBC language, ''America's first non-judgmental, business-friendly environmental advocate''; in truth, a short-sighted, short-lived means for General Electric chairman Don Geiss to cash in on ''this environmentalism trend.''

gazerk
adjective
More than berserk, less than insane.

gay bomb
noun
A chemicalized weapon Jack proposes to the Pentagon.

''Gangway for the footcycle!''
interjection
How Lemon's British boyfriend Wesley Snipes warns pedestrians he's riding by on his bicycle.

God finger
noun
A euphemism for a curse word or one of its homophones, proposed by a Republican Congressman in season 2.

08 of 26

H

high-fiving a million angels
verb
Lemon's way of congratulating herself for a job well done.

Homonym
? noun
? An NBC game show in which contestants are challenged to define a word that has two meanings. (The answer is always ''Sorry, it's the other one.'')

Horseville
noun
A gathering of naysayers, per Tracy.

HAM!
interjection
Angie Jordan's catchphrase on Queen of Jordan.

ham napkin
noun
An unused wedding dress on a single girl, if you're Liz Lemon.

hill-people milk
noun
Alcohol served to children (a.k.a. young Kenneth Parcell) in Stone Mountain, Ga.

hipster nonsense
noun
A way to ensure Lemon won't attend your club/event/whatever.

09 of 26

I

''I want to go to there'' interjection Lemon's expression of praise/longing. ''Into the crevasse'' noun A business strategy Jack employs in which a party must…

''I want to go to there''
interjection
Lemon's expression of praise/longing.

''Into the crevasse''
noun
A business strategy Jack employs in which a party must consciously go the lowest possible point of power to ascend back to a control position.

''I love it so much I want to take it behind the middle school and get it pregnant!''
interjection
Tracy's highest praise (especially for cornbread).

innoventing
verb
Jack's term for the combination of innovation and invention.

innoventually
adverb
An indeterminate amount of time before something ahead-of-its-time will happen (see: Child Hell Flight, a reality show about a 6-year-old captaining plane full of people, hosted by Tom Bergeron).

10 of 26

J

Jackie Jormp-Jomp noun An unauthorized Janis Joplin biopic starring Jenna. jack verb To be so happy you throw up.

Jackie Jormp-Jomp
noun
An unauthorized Janis Joplin biopic starring Jenna.

jack
verb
To be so happy you throw up.

11 of 26

K

Kimiko-tan noun The name of the Japanese Body pillow with which James Franco and Lemon had a wild threesome. KDate noun The singles section of…

Kimiko-tan
noun
The name of the Japanese Body pillow with which James Franco and Lemon had a wild threesome.

KDate
noun
The singles section of the Kraft website frequented by Lemon.

Kidney Now
noun
The charity concert Jack organizes for his ailing father Milton Greene, the theme of which ''He Needs a Kidney'' featured performances by Clay Aiken, Elvis Costello, Mary J. Blige, Sheryl Crow, the Beastie Boys, Steve Earle, Adam Levine, Sara Bareilles, Wyclef Jean, Norah Jones, Talib Kweli, Michael McDonald, Rhett Miller, Moby, Robert Randolph, Rachael Yamagata, and Cyndi Lauper.

Kabletown
noun
The company (totally not Comcast) that buys out GE in season 5; according to its official website: ''Why KableTown with a K? Because K stands for the Kindness we show our customers, the Keen interest we take in their needs and because CableTown with a C was already the name of a store that sold cable-knit sweaters and legal said we had to spell it with a K.''

12 of 26

L

lizzing verb To laugh and whiz at the same time, brought on by great joy or amusement. Lizbianism noun A (failed) philosophy embraced by Lemon…

lizzing
verb
To laugh and whiz at the same time, brought on by great joy or amusement.

Lizbianism
noun
A (failed) philosophy embraced by Lemon in season 5 that balanced her work and personal lives.

Ludachristmas
noun
The TGS writers' Christmas party.

Lemon party
noun
A mandatory party thrown by Liz Lemon.

''Live every week like it's shark week!''
interjection
Advice Tracy wished he had received early in life.

lemon
verb
The act of self-sabotaging.

13 of 26

M

Mickey Rourke noun An actor with whom Jenna has a rather...ummmm... complicated relationship. See also: ''I will break you down completely, and build you up…
Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Mickey Rourke
noun
An actor with whom Jenna has a rather...ummmm... complicated relationship. See also:
''I will break you down completely, and build you up from scratch. Just like Mickey Rourke did to me sexually.''
''Your new vibe is a double-edged sword. Much like the one Mickey Rourke tried to kill me with.''
''If you can't handle the heat, then get off of Mickey Rourke's sex grill.''
''Nice try, Hazel, but you made the same mistake Mickey Rourke made on that catamaran. You didn't kill me when you had the chance.''
''Did you see last night's ratings?! The only show I've ever been on that got a 10/2 is when Mickey Rourke threw me on the field during the Super Bowl.''
''No Liz, don't test it, especially this early in a relationship. It's like when Mickey Rourke tested his catapult on me.''
''Mickey Rourke wants to take me camping!''

mind grapes
noun
The part of the mind to be juiced for ideas.

myirt!
interjection
See ''By the hammer of Thor!'' and ''blerg!''

MILF Island
noun
One of Jack's ideas that became NBC's most successful show.

Moonvest
noun
A grumpy, seemingly crazy homeless man who wear a vest embellished with moons to whom Kenneth occasionally speaks.

Merkins for Hope
noun
A charity Jenna promotes when she is not allowed to front for Locks of Love.

mind vice
noun
Willpower; the part of the mind meant for crushing problems, according to Jack.

''Muffin Top''
noun
Jenna's hit single.

Mike Dexter
noun
The fantasy astronaut to whom Lemon regularly refers as her dream man.

14 of 26

N

nooner noun For Lemon, the act of eating pancakes for lunch. nerds! interjection See: blerg! night cheese noun Lemon's joyful habit ( sometimes with song!…

nooner
noun
For Lemon, the act of eating pancakes for lunch.

nerds!
interjection
See: blerg!

night cheese
noun
Lemon's joyful habit (sometimes with song!) of eating cheese...at night.

15 of 26

O

Operation Righteous Cowboy Lightning noun Jack's plan to create a telethon before an actual disaster struck, thus cashing in while other networks scrambled to pull…

Operation Righteous Cowboy Lightning
noun
Jack's plan to create a telethon before an actual disaster struck, thus cashing in while other networks scrambled to pull together an event — a plan that resulted in him airing a fundraiser for Mel Gibson's storm-struck private island.

''Other Liz''
noun
Lemon's nickname for a similarly named NBC employee who dated Floyd before she did.

16 of 26

P

page-off noun An event to establish the hierarchy between NBC pages or settle a serious conflict. Problem Solvers noun An alliance formed by Jenna and…
Mitchell Haaseth

page-off
noun
An event to establish the hierarchy between NBC pages or settle a serious conflict.

Problem Solvers
noun
An alliance formed by Jenna and Tracy to fix TGS's issues.

People's Gaypublic of Drugafornia
noun
Jack's nickname for San Francisco.

Party Town, U.S.A.
noun
An expression indicating something truly awesome.

17 of 26

Q

Queen of Jordan noun The Real Housewives -esque Bravo reality show starring Tracy's wife Angie. quadruple bunion surgery ? noun ? A procedure given only…

Queen of Jordan
noun
The Real Housewives-esque Bravo reality show starring Tracy's wife Angie.

quadruple bunion surgery
? noun
? A procedure given only to one whose ancestors mated with dinosaurs (i.e. Liz).

18 of 26

R

Reaganing noun According to Jack, ''Making it through a full 24 hours without a single misstep.... The only people who have ever done it are…
Don Rypka/Getty Images

Reaganing
noun
According to Jack, ''Making it through a full 24 hours without a single misstep.... The only people who have ever done it are Lee Iacocca, Jack Welch, and — no judgment! — Saddam Hussein''

The Rural Juror
noun
An indie film starring Jenna based on a hard-to-pronounce crime thriller.

19 of 26

S

settling soulmate noun The person you're destined to be with, even if you're not really into them; see: Wesley Snipes. ''Shut it down!'' interjection Lemon's…
Ali Goldstein/NBC

settling soulmate
noun
The person you're destined to be with, even if you're not really into them; see: Wesley Snipes.

''Shut it down!''
interjection
Lemon's riff on ''Stop the madness!''

sex idiot
?noun
?An idiot with whom a non-idiot has a purely physical relationship; see also: Lochte, Ryan.

Stride of Pride
? noun
?Liz Lemon's reformation of the ''Walk of Shame.''

Sabor de Soledad
noun
A cheap Mexican cheese puff Lemon enjoys that causes false positives on pregnancy tests.

snart
verb
To sneeze and fart at the same time.

scrumped
verb
To have been scammed.

silver panther
noun
The most handsome animal, per Jack and Danny.

shenanigans
noun
Celtic slang, inadmissable in an America with a black president, according to Tracy.

Sandwich Day
noun
The best day of the year, when union employees buy sandwiches for all of TGS from a secret (and super-delicious) shop.

shark farts!
interjection
See: blerg!

sun tea
noun
Jars of urine Frank stores on Lemon's windowsill because...?

sex island
noun
A vacation destination for Jenna and her transvestite fiancé Paul (a.k.a. 'Gina Bologna).

20 of 26

T

Toofer noun Someone who fulfills two checkboxes in a hiring procedure; ex. TGS writer James Spurlock, an African-American who graduated from Harvard. TGS noun The…
Mary Ellen Mathews

Toofer
noun
Someone who fulfills two checkboxes in a hiring procedure; ex. TGS writer James Spurlock, an African-American who graduated from Harvard.

TGS
noun
The Friday night sketch comedy show around which 30 Rock is based, formerly known as The Girlie Show.

twist!
interjection
Something to say when encountering or announcing an unexpected turn of events.

Thunder
?noun
?What Jenna's whole life is, which is why nobody can steal hers.

tank
?verb
?To purposefully screw something up; how Jack plans to wrest control of NBC when he hears that Kabletown CEO Hank Hooper is retiring.

Tracy Jordan Meat Machine
noun
A questionably safe product developed by Tracy and endorsed by dubious Dr. Leo Spaceman that melds three meats together — because ''meat is the new bread.''

Twig and Plums
noun
The Princeton secret society to which Jack belongs; a rival of Harvard's Skull and Bones.

21 of 26

U

Urban Fervor noun The sequel to The Rural Juror , written by Kevin Grisham (brother of John, above). unwindulax ? verb ?Jenna's chilled-out catchphrase, formulated…
Maki Galimberti

Urban Fervor
noun
The sequel to The Rural Juror, written by Kevin Grisham (brother of John, above).

unwindulax
? verb
?Jenna's chilled-out catchphrase, formulated after her single ''Catching Crabs in Paradise'' is unexpectedly popular in northern Florida.

22 of 26

V

vondruke noun A curse word of unclear origin (possibly German, Dutch, or French), often lobbed at others by TGS writer Sue LaRoche-Van der Hout? Verdukianism…

vondruke
noun
A curse word of unclear origin (possibly German, Dutch, or French), often lobbed at others by TGS writer Sue LaRoche-Van der Hout?

Verdukianism
noun
A religion established by the TGS writers founded upon a belief in pizza, root beer, bisexual polygamy, and the high holy day of MerlinPeen, and which shuns Secret Santa rituals.

Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming
noun
Jack's hybrid title at the start of the series.

velocipede
noun
Wesley's British terminology for his bike; see also: footcycle.

23 of 26

W

''Werewolf Bar Mitzvah'' noun Tracy's ''spooky scary'' single about a boy becoming...a werewolf. ''What the what?!'' interjection Lemon's expression of frustration. See also: ''By the…

''Werewolf Bar Mitzvah''
noun
Tracy's ''spooky scary'' single about a boy becoming...a werewolf.

''What the what?!''
interjection
Lemon's expression of frustration. See also: ''By the hammer of Thor!''

wordplay!
interjection
A way to announce a gleeful use of punnery.

24 of 26

X

XXX noun Pornography, a surprisingly frequent theme of 30 Rock ; see: Tracy's videogame Goregasm: The Legend of Dong Slayer ; see: Jenna's Japanese porn…

XXX
noun
Pornography, a surprisingly frequent theme of 30 Rock; see: Tracy's videogame Goregasm: The Legend of Dong Slayer; see: Jenna's Japanese porn star diet (''You can only eat paper, but you can eat all the paper you want''); see: Tracy Jordan's DVD collection and habit of going to strip clubs.

25 of 26

Y

''Ya burnt!'' interjection An insult to someone you just outwitted; see Jenna on Hardball . ''You wish, pal!'' ? noun ? A phrase coined by…

''Ya burnt!''
interjection
An insult to someone you just outwitted; see Jenna on Hardball.

''You wish, pal!''
?noun
? A phrase coined by Jack in 1985.

26 of 26

Z

zing adjective, noun Short for amazing; slang for a club drug made from tooth whiteners (says Jenna, ''Either way, you win.'') Zarina Sbarro ? noun…

zing
adjective, noun
Short for amazing; slang for a club drug made from tooth whiteners (says Jenna, ''Either way, you win.'')

Zarina Sbarro
?noun
? Food court chain heiress and one of Jack's old flames; her nickname is short for ''Pizzerina.''

Related Articles