showstack / glossary / heads-up
Heads up 小心上方／HEADS UP
The call shouted when something is falling, or is about to move, overhead. It is not a general notification and it is not a figure of speech: it means something is coming down, protect yourself, and in most houses the correct response is to move rather than to look up. It is one of a very small number of calls anybody on a stage may make without authority, because the time cost of asking permission is the whole problem.
中文
當有物件掉落、或上方即將有動作時喊出的警告。它不是一般的通知，也不是日常用語：它的意思是「有東西從上面 下來，保護自己」，而在多數劇場裡正確反應是立刻離開該位置，而不是抬頭看。這是少數任何在台上的人都可以不經 授權直接喊出的警示之一，因為請示的時間成本正是問題本身。
Regional usage
| Where | Term | Note |
|---|---|---|
| UK | Heads / heads up | The bare "heads" is the older and still common UK call. |
| US | Heads up | |
| HK / TW | Heads up／小心 |
Easy to get wrong
In ordinary speech a heads-up means advance notice of something minor. On a stage it means an object is in the air. Using it to mean "just so you know" is how the call gets ignored when it matters.
The intuitive response — looking up to find the hazard — presents your face to it. Most houses teach moving out from under, or covering your head, and looking afterwards.
It is distinct from "walking", which warns that a load is moving horizontally through a space at ground level.
Next to this
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Sources
- Theatrecrafts glossary of technical theatre terms — Theatrecrafts / ABTT heritage primary
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