Glossary
Verbal Tics
| Verbal Tic | Running Count |
|---|---|
| [I'm] not your X | 2 |
| Almost hard to believe | 4 |
| And I'll tell you why | 2 |
| And you know it | 4 |
| Bet your ass | 2 |
| Bite me | 3 |
| Both at the same time | 1 |
| Can I ask you something | 1 |
| Can I say something | 5 |
| Can I tell you something | 1 |
| Damn right | 3 |
| Dangling modifier correction | 5 |
| Don't give a damn | 4 |
| Eat 'em up | 3 |
| From time to time | 7 |
| Get away from me | 2 |
| Here we go | 3 |
| Here's the thing | 17 |
| How ya doin' | 24 |
| I would think/imagine | 4 |
| I'll tell you what else | 5 |
| Knock 'em dead | 3 |
| Let me ask you something | 3 |
| Let me tell you something | 11 |
| Missed a name | 6 |
| Musical theatre appeal | 7 |
| No kidding/shit | 1 |
| Not for nothing | 1 |
| Résumé recitation | 11 |
| Shove it up your ass | 2 |
| Shut up => okay | 2 |
| Standing (t)here | 4 |
| There it is | 2 |
| This isn't happening | 2 |
| To say nothing of [the fact] | 7 |
| Walk with me | 6 |
| What do you want from me | 4 |
| What do you want from me? | 3 |
| Would(n't) kill you | 2 |
| You bet | 5 |
| You think? | 7 |
Dialogue Motifs
| Dialogue Motifs | Instances |
|---|---|
| "Come home at the end of the day" speech | |
| "Cruise director" quip | |
| "Dig" double-take | |
| "Dissolve treaty" quip | |
| "I Love Lucy" shout-out | |
| "It was yesterday" | |
| "NFL" analogy | |
| "Really old" dig | |
| "She"/"he" corrected to "it" | |
| "We're not waiters" speech | |
| "What ho" | |
| 'Motherly' dig | |
| 'Whom' correction | |
| 'Woman' as an insult | Entry 006 - Sports Night 103 (The Hungry and the Hunted) Entry 011 - Sports Night 108 (Thespis) |
| [Really] [quite] something | |
| _Lion in Winter_ (mis)quote | |
| _One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest_ reference | |
| A Little Punishment™ | |
| Agatha Christie shoutout | |
| Alger Hiss reference | |
| Among other things | Entry 015 - Sports Night 112 (Smoky) |
| Amway dig | |
| Angels dance on pinheads | |
| Any ten people I know | |
| Avert your/my eyes | |
| Barn-burner | |
| Barney Fife insult | |
| Beat the shit out of X | Entry 003 - The American President Entry 004 - Sports Night 101 (Pilot) Entry 025 - Sports Night 122 (Napoleon's Battle Plan) |
| BELGIUM™ | |
| Best time to X | |
| Bob/duck and weave | |
| Bring it, boss | Entry 014 - Sports Night 111 (The Six Southern Gentlemen of Tennessee) |
| By and large | Entry 011 - Sports Night 108 (Thespis) |
| Calamitous™ | |
| Can we be men | |
| Close the door, with you on the other side | |
| Cocktail party joke | |
| Crawling up one's ass | |
| Damn straight | Entry 027 - The West Wing 101 (Pilot) Entry 031 - Sports Night 202 (When Something Wicked This Way Comes) |
| Dave of Love™ | |
| Did you just call me baby? | |
| Disabuse you[rself] of the notion | |
| Doctor Zhivago reference | |
| Doing a big thing badly | |
| Don't be ridiculous, everybody likes me | Entry 031 - Sports Night 202 (When Something Wicked This Way Comes) |
| Don't call me sir | |
| Don't even know me/normally takes hour[s] | |
| Don't get cute | |
| Don't have time to do one thing at a time | |
| Don't like (me) very much | |
| Don't look now | |
| Don't need to be here | Entry 003 - The American President Entry 009 - Sports Night 106 (The Head Coach, Dinner, and the Morning Mail) |
| Don't tell (me) what (I) do/don't know | |
| Eyes front[, mister] | |
| Father annoys the neighbors | |
| Father's dungeon for daughters | |
| Fire me or shut up | |
| For I am X | |
| For reasons passing understanding | |
| Frank Capra shoutcut | |
| Gender-bender sarcasm | |
| Get creamed | |
| Get in the game | |
| Gilbert and Sullivan appeal | |
| Gonna blame you | |
| Gonna take you on tour | |
| Good tip | |
| Got ourselves a ballgame | Entry 020 - Sports Night 117 (How Are Things in Glocca Morra?) |
| Half my stuff | |
| Hard not to like... | Entry 020 - Sports Night 117 (How Are Things in Glocca Morra?) |
| Have you fallen on your head | |
| Head up ass | |
| Hell in a hand-basket/cart | |
| Here it comes | |
| Hit (you) with something heavy | |
| Hit over the head | Entry 003 - The American President |
| Hop in the shower/money on the nightstand | |
| How much do you like/love me | |
| How's it going so far | |
| I don't know how you do it | |
| I know everything | |
| I put my name on it | |
| I wasn't listening | |
| I'll own your ass | |
| I'm a simple girl | |
| I'm an educated man | |
| I'm like Tippi Hedren | |
| I'm talking to myself | |
| If anything should happen, it should happen to you | |
| If not X, it doesn't matter what's second | |
| Imagine my surprise/shock | |
| In my [entire] life | |
| Incredibly Not™ | |
| Insistent night job terminology | |
| It helps not to know me/him | |
| Just what the doctor ordered | |
| Kill me now | |
| Kinks in the system | |
| Kiss you on the mouth | Entry 014 - Sports Night 111 (The Six Southern Gentlemen of Tennessee) |
| Legs go all the way down to the floor | |
| Let's assume not | |
| Let's make it the issue | |
| Like a daughter to (you) | |
| Living on a charitable grant from the X Foundation | |
| Look at what we can do | |
| Looking at my watch | |
| Mark Twain truth quote | Entry 031 - Sports Night 202 (When Something Wicked This Way Comes) |
| Misspelling sarcasm | Entry 009 - Sports Night 106 (The Head Coach, Dinner, and the Morning Mail) |
| Mr. Happy [Fun] Guy | |
| My man has come back to me | |
| Never been to Spain | |
| No, except yes | |
| Nobody cares | |
| Noel Coward shout-out | |
| Norman Rockwell reference | |
| Not fit for man nor beast | |
| Not much chance [of that] | |
| Not that guy™ | |
| Not that X, the other X | |
| Nothing/no one I don't hate | |
| Now they tell me | |
| On the Mouth™ | |
| One of the perks | |
| One of those things | |
| Opposite sounding words mean the same thing | Entry 031 - Sports Night 202 (When Something Wicked This Way Comes) |
| Organized Ball™ | Entry 034 - The West Wing 105 (The Crackpots and These Women) |
| Other People™ | |
| Perfectly fair question | Entry 008 - Sports Night 105 (Mary Pat Shelby) |
| Pissed as hell | |
| President of what? | |
| Raise the level of debate | |
| Really Good Porn™ | |
| Rededicate my life to ruining yours | |
| Represent without passion or prejudice | |
| Sarcastic "I feel better" | |
| Sarcastic "winner" declaration | |
| Sass accusation | |
| Screw with pants on | |
| Serious problems, serious people | |
| Six-to-five and pick 'em | |
| Smart people who disagree with (you) | |
| Southern District™ | |
| Special powers™ | Entry 007 - Sports Night 104 (Intellectual Property) |
| St. Crispin's Day speech reference | |
| Step in the right direction | |
| Take your lungs out | |
| Tall grass | Entry 010 - Sports Night 107 (Dear Louise) Entry 034 - The West Wing 105 (The Crackpots and These Women) |
| Tell 'em X => "X" | |
| That was nice, a little... | |
| That was predictable | Entry 034 - The West Wing 105 (The Crackpots and These Women) |
| The "Stop Screwing Up" Speech™ | Entry 009 - Sports Night 106 (The Head Coach, Dinner, and the Morning Mail) |
| The "you were right" setup | |
| The 'Oversexed' Rant™ | |
| The cost of doing business™ | |
| The Dentist Lie™ | |
| The Made-Up Org of X™ | |
| The thing about me is... | |
| The Unimpressive Demotion™ | |
| The way it was meant to be played | |
| There _is_ a law against it | |
| There is no law | |
| This isn't X camp | |
| This sideshow is over | |
| Time and inclination | |
| Timing problem™ | |
| Took/Takes N people to write X | |
| Tuna fish in a barrel | |
| Unglued™ | |
| Walk[ed] into that [one] | |
| Want something done right, damnit, call X | |
| Wants to know what we know | |
| What did [you] mean when [you] said... | |
| What men do™ | |
| Whatever it is you do/did | |
| Who do I see about that | Entry 009 - Sports Night 106 (The Head Coach, Dinner, and the Morning Mail) |
| Whole new ballgame | |
| Wiseass all you want | |
| Wit/cunning and guile | |
| Won't make fool(s) out of you | Entry 020 - Sports Night 117 (How Are Things in Glocca Morra?) |
| Work(ing) anywhere I want | |
| World gone mad | |
| Worry over father hearing | |
| Wouldn't be a day | |
| Wouldn't complain if her hair were on fire | |
| X, don't X [up to you] | |
| X... X+1 problems | Entry 009 - Sports Night 106 (The Head Coach, Dinner, and the Morning Mail) |
| You and me both | Entry 020 - Sports Night 117 (How Are Things in Glocca Morra?) |
| You raise your voice to X? | |
| You say that now | Entry 017 - Sports Night 114 (Rebecca) |
| Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah |
Plot Bunnies
| Plot Bunny | Instances |
|---|---|
| Afraid of fish | |
| Apology refusal | |
| Black faux pas | Entry 005 - Sports Night 102 (The Apology) Entry 014 - Sports Night 111 (The Six Southern Gentlemen of Tennessee) |
| Bleeding pregnancy | |
| Bomb dog dig™ | |
| Can't tell a joke | |
| Care what it looks like vs. care what it is | |
| Crazy glue prank | |
| Crossword help | |
| Dropped panties | |
| Dupont Circle bashing | |
| Empty firing threats | |
| How do you spell Khaddafi? | |
| Ivy League mix-up | |
| Making a list to check things off | Entry 014 - Sports Night 111 (The Six Southern Gentlemen of Tennessee) |
| New father's cigars | |
| No French | |
| No pants for TV | |
| Nobel in economics | |
| Particular about cake | |
| Poker at the office | |
| Rely on the love of an audience | |
| Sabotaged game of Telephone | Entry 003 - The American President |
| Schubert's _Ave Maria_ | Entry 034 - The West Wing 105 (The Crackpots and These Women) |
| Sudden Relationship Accelerant™ | |
| Television neckties | Entry 014 - Sports Night 111 (The Six Southern Gentlemen of Tennessee) |
| Terrible practice flirt | |
| The 27-year affair™ | |
| The 50-50 Misspeak™ | Entry 031 - Sports Night 202 (When Something Wicked This Way Comes) |
| The Ambiguous Date Ask™ | |
| The Gay Jesus Bomb Scare™ | |
| The Recommendation Inundation™ | |
| The Stoner Mix™ | |
| The virtue of a proportional response | |
| Therapy slag | Entry 009 - Sports Night 106 (The Head Coach, Dinner, and the Morning Mail) Entry 034 - The West Wing 105 (The Crackpots and These Women) |
| Turned down a talk show | |
| What Kind of Day Has It Been™ | |
| Women and shoes | Entry 003 - The American President Entry 013 - Sports Night 110 (Shoe Money Tonight) Entry 015 - Sports Night 112 (Smoky) Entry 031 - Sports Night 202 (When Something Wicked This Way Comes) |
| Women tie bowties | |
| Younger than expected |
Topical Signatures
| Topical Signature | Instances |
|---|---|
| Boat racing | |
| Cricket | |
| Don Quixote | Entry 009 - Sports Night 106 (The Head Coach, Dinner, and the Morning Mail) |
| Drug crisis — criminal vs. medical | |
| Flag burning | |
| Genius with a chip on their shoulder | |
| Gun control | |
| Politics of climate change | |
| Soccer sucks | Entry 006 - Sports Night 103 (The Hungry and the Hunted) Entry 014 - Sports Night 111 (The Six Southern Gentlemen of Tennessee) |
| Vouchers | |
| Wartime vs. peacetime orders | |
| Writer's block |
Non-Verbal Signatures
| Non-Verbal Signature | Instances |
|---|---|
| Drink thrown in face | |
| Ear twist | |
| Explosion imitation | Entry 009 - Sports Night 106 (The Head Coach, Dinner, and the Morning Mail) |
| Hug misfire | |
| Sit into missing chair | |
| Slap upside the head | Entry 013 - Sports Night 110 (Shoe Money Tonight) Entry 034 - The West Wing 105 (The Crackpots and These Women) |
| Spit drink on self | |
| Table sweep | |
| The "Damnit" Slap™ | |
| Walk into a closed door |
Sorkin Names
Sorkin Drinks
| Sorkin Drink | Instances |
|---|---|
| Chivas | |
| Dewar's | |
| Fresca | |
| Jack Daniels | |
| Jägermeister |
Sorkin Players
| Sorkin Player | Instances |
|---|---|
| Aaron Lustig | |
| Allison Janney | |
| Anna Deavere Smith | |
| Arthur Senzy | |
| Bradley Whitford | |
| Brenda Strong | |
| Brett Barrett | |
| Dafidd McCracken | |
| David Bowe | |
| David Graf | |
| Felicity Huffman | |
| Felton Perry | |
| Gabriel Jarret | |
| Greg Baker | |
| Janel Moloney | Entry 014 - Sports Night 111 (The Six Southern Gentlemen of Tennessee) |
| Jeff Mooring | |
| John Mahon | |
| Joshua Malina | |
| Lisa Edelstein | |
| Martin Sheen | |
| Mary Ostrow | |
| Matthew Saks | |
| Maud Winchester | |
| Nicole Kidman | |
| Nina Siemaszko | |
| Ralph Meyering Jr. | |
| Richard McGonagle | |
| Ron Canada | |
| Ron Ostrow | |
| Ted McGinley | |
| Thom Barry | |
| Timothy Busfield | |
| Timothy Davis-Reed | |
| Tobin Bell | |
| William Duffy |