In this week’s English lesson, you can watch Sheldon and his friends losing a bet against Will Wheaton and Stuart Bloom (= the owner of the comic book store). As a result of their loss, they have to dress up as female superheroes.
For optimal learning results, I recommend following the five steps in exactly this order:
- Watch the complete scene with Subtitles
- Read the full Transcript
- Learn the Vocabulary and Phrases
- Test yourself by watching the whole scene again (this time without subtitles)
- Test yourself with some quiz questions
Step 1: Watch with Subtitles
Step 2: Read the Transcript
(SCENE 1)
Stuart: So, we’re all clear on the bet and the stakes?
Sheldon: Oh, yes. The losers will be publicly humiliated in a fashion to be chosen by the victor. FYI, I plan on having you publish a scientific paper expounding the discredited Velikovsky hypothesis.
Stuart: Ouch again.
Will: Hey, Sheldon, I just wanted you to know that I’m really looking forward to wiping the floor with you.
Sheldon: Oh, yes? Well, before I respond, let me ask you a question. Is your mother a good or poor bowler?
Will: After you.
Sheldon: No, after you, as we are currently crushing you, Wesley.
Will: It’s customary for the player on the right-hand lane to bowl first.
Sheldon: All right.
Will: It’s a custom, not a rule.
Sheldon: I so loathe you.
Will: That’s right, Sheldon. Embrace the dark side.
(SCENE 2)
Sheldon: Be the ball, Howard.
Howard: Leave me alone, Sheldon.
Sheldon: You weren’t the ball.
(SCENE 3)
Stuart: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, yeah, I’m telling you, the Match.com chicks are much looser than on eHarmony. You know, I, I gotta call you back. I won a bet, and it’s time to collect.
Raj: I don’t know about you, but I feel empowered.
Step 3: Learn the Vocabulary
to be clear on something = to have a good understanding of something; to be perfectly clear about something
Stuart used this phrase to ensure there were no misunderstandings about the consequences of their bet.
Please note: Another interesting idiom with a similar meaning would be “to be on the same page,” which means to agree about something.
Example: Try to get employees and clients on the same page.
stake = something that you risk losing in a bet or in an activity that can succeed or fail
Example: How much was the stake (= How much did you bet)?
to humiliate = to make someone feel ashamed or lose respect for himself or herself
Example: How could you humiliate me by questioning my judgment in front of everyone?
victor = the winner of a game, competition, or bet
Example: The victor in the 1960 US presidential election was John F. Kennedy.
FYI = short for “for your information”: used when you tell someone something you think they should know
Example: FYI, tomorrow’s staff meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m.
to expound = to give a detailed explanation of something
Example: She uses her newspaper column to expound her views on environmental issues.
to discredit = to give people reason to stop believing someone or to doubt the truth of something
Example: The old Soviet economic model has been thoroughly discredited.
Velikovsky hypothesis = Immanuel Velikovsky was a Russian-American psychoanalyst, writer, and catastrophist. His theories were rejected by the academic community. (taken from Wikipedia)
ouch = used in answer to something unkind that someone says (Stuart used it in a humorous way, though.)
Example: “I really think you’re much too fat.” > “Ouch, that was mean.”
to wipe the floor with someone = to defeat someone very easily
Example: “I hear Italy beat Andorra in the semifinals last night.” > Beat them? They wiped the floor with them.”
bowler = someone who bowls
Bowling is a game played inside, in which you roll a heavy ball down a track to try to knock down a group of pins.
Example: I go bowling for relaxation.
to crush someone = to defeat someone completely
Please note: Sheldon uses the word “to crush” because Will Wheaton once played a character in Star Trek called Wesley Crusher. So, it was also a play on words.
Example: France crushed Wales by 36 to 3 in last Saturday’s match in Paris.
customary = used to describe things that people do in particular circumstances
Example: It is customary to offer a drink or a snack to guests.
bowling lane / bowling alley = a long narrow wooden track down which the ball is rolled in bowling
to loathe someone = to hate someone
Example: From an early age the brothers have loathed each other.
someone’s dark side = the parts of a person that are unpleasant, evil, or harmful
Example: He plays a police chief who gets results despite his dark side and personal faults.
to leave someone alone = to not annoy someone
Example: This little girl won’t leave Uncle Steve alone on the phone.
chick = a young woman
Please note: Many women consider this word offensive, so please be careful when using it in conversation.
Example: She is a hot chick. (slang)
Match.com and eHarmony = online dating services
loose = having low morals; sexually free
If someone describes a person or their behavior as loose, they more or less disapprove of that person because they think she or he has sexual relationships with too many people.
Example: Her neighbor calls her a loose woman.
Another example: He is a young man of loose morals.
gotta = have got to
Example: I gotta go now.
to feel empowered = to feel confident and in control
Example: Educators should feel empowered to try out new teaching strategies.
Step 4: Watch without Subtitles
Step 5: Take the Test
Scene taken from Season 3, Episode 19 of The Big Bang Theory: The Wheaton Recurrence | Definitions and example sentences are primarily taken from the Cambridge, Collins, Merriam-Webster, and Oxford Dictionary.
