ɪnðə pɹədˈʌkʃən, ðeɪ wɜː ɹᵻfˈɜːd tʊ æz "fˈuːfs" ɔːɹ "fˈuːfs" dˈuː tə ðə sˈaʊnd ɪfˈɛkt ðæt ɐkˈʌmpənid ðˌɛm, wˌɪtʃ wʌz kɹiːˈeɪɾᵻd baɪ ˌɛnsˌiːˌaɪˈɛs ˈɛs kɹiːˈeɪɾɚ ænd ɛɡzˈɛkjuːtˌɪv pɹədˈuːsɚ dˈɑːnəld pˈiː. bˌɛlɪsˈæɹɪˌoʊ hˈɪɾɪŋ ɐ mˈaɪkɹəfˌoʊn wɪð hɪz hˈænd.
In the production, they were referred to as "phoofs" or "foofs" due to the sound effect that accompanied them, which was created by NCIS'''s creator and executive producer Donald P. Bellisario hitting a microphone with his hand.