Appel à un ami, literally call a friend, is the French name for the phone-a-friend lifeline familiar from television quiz shows, where a contestant calls someone they trust for help with a question. The format became a staple of quiz television, and its tense music and pause before an answer became instantly recognisable to viewers. Online, creators reuse the clip outside its original broadcast context, especially in quizzes, challenges and reaction videos, because it instantly signals that help is needed and time is running out.