In today’s scene, the girls are annoyed about the fact that their boyfriends prefer playing Dungeon and Dragons at home instead of going out with them on a Saturday evening. So, they decide to dress up and go to a club. Now, they want to show their boyfriends how amazing they look in their dresses and what they are missing out on.
For optimal learning results, I recommend following the five steps in the prescribed order:
- Watch with Subtitles
- Read the Transcript
- Learn the Vocabulary and Phrases
- Test yourself by watching the whole scene again
- Test yourself with some quiz questions
Step 1: Watch with Subtitles
Step 2: Read the Transcript
Howard: Okay, guys, let’s make a plan, spell casters in the back, warriors in the front.
Raj: No, screw that noise, I’m going in. Hang on, Santa, I’m coming for you.
Leonard: Okay, you run into a room full of weapons, hit a tripwire, a cannon blows your face off, you die, you’re out of the game.
Raj: A cannon? Am I really out of the game?
Sheldon: Lucky.
Leonard: Okay, come on, moving on.
Raj: Wait, doesn’t anyone have a rod of resurrection? Because if you’ve got one, I need it bad. Get in here with your rod and give it to me.
Stuart: Okay, you need to say these things in your head before you say them out loud.
Penny: Hey, guys. I don’t mean to interrupt your little game, but I thought you’d like to see what you’re missing out on. So, Bernadette? Bernadette’s wearing leopard-print pumps and a rack-tastic red dress from Forever 21. And there’s Amy, showing all kinds of ankle. In an outfit I’m assuming is from Forever 63. And I, myself am wearing a little number that got me out of two speeding tickets and jury duty.
Sheldon: I know they’re making a rhetorical point, I just don’t know what it is.
Penny: See you, boys. We are going drinking.
Raj: Uh, wait, can I come with you? My character died.
Bernadette: Sorry, Raj, it’s girls’ night out.
Amy: Maybe another time.
Leonard: Okay…
Penny: Come on.
Raj: Ooh! Girls’ night, girls’ night! Ooh! Ooh!
Stuart: How does he not hear that?
Step 3: Learn the Vocabulary
spell caster = someone who casts spells; a magician
The word spell caster (instead of magician) is usually used in role-playing games. It then refers to an imaginary creature capable of casting magic spells. In this case, Howard used the word while playing Dungeons and Dragons.
A spell are spoken words that are thought to have magical power. And when you cast such a spell you use that magical power.
Example: The witch cast a spell on the prince and he turned into a frog.
Screw it. / Screw that. = I do not care what happens.
Screw it can have different meanings depending on the contexts. In this case, however, it expresses a sense of disregard for consequences.
Example: It takes a lot of work to be successful, but most people are lazy and say screw it.
However, when Raj says, “Hang on, Santa, I’m coming for you,” he means something like, “Don’t give up even though it might be difficult; I’ll save you.”
Hang on. = Wait for a short time.
Example: Hang on a minute – I’ll be with you in a moment!
tripwire = a wire stretched low above the ground that operates an explosive device, like in this case a cannon
If someone touches the wire, the cannon goes off.
Example: The tripwire around their camping area failed to activate.
cannon = a large, powerful gun, usually attached to wheels, that was used in the past to fire heavy stone or metal balls
Example: The cannon was positioned on the field of battle.
rod = a long, thin pole made of wood or metal
Example: He was given a fishing rod for his birthday.
resurrection = the act of bringing something that had disappeared back into use or existence
In Christian belief, the Resurrection is the event in which Jesus Christ came to life after he had been killed. Now, Raj wants to come back to life in the game, too, so that he can continue to play Dungeons and Dragons with his friends.
The funny thing here is that Raj says it in conjunction with “rod,“ which conveys kind of a sexual connotation. That’s why Stuart said, “ Okay, you need to say these things in your head before you say them out loud.”
pumps (mainly US) = a type of shoes with a raised heel
Please note that this use of the word “pumps“ is mainly American English. In Britain, you would more likely mean flat shoes – like ballet dancers’ shoes – when you say “pumps.“
Penny also used the term Leopard Print. This is a print that imitates the markings of a leopard’s skin. So, it’s an imitation. They do not use actual leopard skin to make this type of shoes.
rack-tastic = having a fantastic set of breasts
When Penny says “Bernadette’s wearing a rack-tastic red dress,” she’s saying that the dress accentuates her body perfectly and that she looks astonishing in it. By the way, the word accentuate means to emphasize a particular feature of something or to make something more noticeable.
Forever 21 = a multinational fashion retailer headquartered in Los Angeles, California.
In America, you have to be 21 to legally drink alcohol and go to certain bars at night, so 21 is a special age. And it’s also an age when you are most likely inclined to party all night. Obviously, Penny is referring to that and that Bernadette looks awesome in her dress, as if she were only 21 years old.
At the same time, Penny refers to Amy’s clothes as “Forever 63,” suggesting that she looks old-fashioned in them.
number = a piece of clothing, especially a dress, that you admire
Example: She was wearing a stylish Dior number.
speeding ticket = a ticket issued for driving above the speed limit
Example: It was a speeding ticket generated by one of the automatic cameras on the outskirts of the town.
jury duty = civic duty to serve on a jury
In a court of law, the jury is the group of people who have been chosen from the general public to listen to the facts about a crime and to decide whether the person accused is guilty or not.
Example: She has been called up for jury duty.
rhetorical point = concernced with effect rather than content
Sheldon implies that Penny wants to make a certain point by showing their dresses rather than by saying something, and he doesn’t really get that point. As Sheldon has no real interest in women (at least not at this point in the series), he does not understand what Penny wants to accomplish here.
Step 4: Watch without Subtitles
Step 5: Take the Test
Scene taken from Season 6, Episode 11 of The Big Bang Theory: The Santa Simulation | Definitions and example sentences in the video are partly taken from the Cambridge and Collins Dictionary.
