Today we're going to learn advanced English vocabulary with the Simpsons.
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Perpetual twilight bathed in the glow of Burns brand electricity.
Hello, lamp post.
Whatcha knowin'?
I've come to watch your power flowin'.
That's odd.
Where's Homer?
And Bart?
And Lisa?
And Grandpa?
After all these years, things are finally starting to go my way.
I feel like celebrating.
I... Oh, it's you.
What are you so happy about?
I see.
I think you'd better drop it.
I said drop it.
Get your hands off.
Where is everybody?
Hey, man.
Are you okay?
I won't dignify that with response.
Mr. Burns has been shot.
Just a minute.
This isn't Mr. Burns at all.
It's a mask.
Wait, it is Burns.
His wrinkly skin looks like a mask.
I don't think we'll ever know who did this.
Everyone in town's a suspect.
Well, I couldn't possibly solve this mystery.
Can you?
Yeah, I'll give it a shot.
I mean, it's my job, right?
In this episode of The Simpsons, Mr Burns constructs a giant disk to permanently block out the sun in the town of Springfield, forcing everyone to continuously use the electricity from his power plant.
So we hear Mr. Burns speak in a poetic way about electricity and street lighting.
Twilight is the time of day just before the night, when the daylight has almost gone, but when it is not completely dark.
Perpetual defines something that never ends, that is permanent.
So by perpetual twilight he's referring to the permanent darkness that is covering Springfield, caused by the giant disk which he is using to block out the sun.
Literally speaking, the verb to bathe means to take a bath or to wash yourself in a sea or a river, for example.
However, Mr. Burns is speaking figuratively here.
He is talking about how the streets are covered by or bathed in the glow from the lamp posts which are powered by his power plant.
What you knowing is Mr. Byrne's own informal way of asking, how are you?
This is a parody of the Simon and Garfunkel song, the 59th Street Bridge Song, Feelin' Groovy.
I've come to watch your flowers growin'
If something goes your way, it goes according to your plans.
You succeed or you feel favored by the universe, God or some high power.
Check out this example.
Oh, I'm sorry Maggie, but even at your age I'm sure you understand things can't always go your way.
So in the scene Mr Burns is referring to how his plans of blocking out the sun and making more money from all the extra power consumption are working.
So he says that things are finally starting to go his way, meaning he's finally being favored by the circumstances.
Oh, it's you.
What are you so happy about?
I see.
For example, it is commonly used by the police when confronting armed suspects.
Little bit higher.
That's better.
We cannot see what is happening with Mr Burns in the scene, but from this line we can guess he's speaking to somebody holding a gun or other weapon.
By the way, did you notice how he pronounced the word drop and it together?
This is a clear and good example of how connected speech works in spoken English.
Connected speech is the tendency we have of cutting, reducing and linking words together while speaking.
In this case, the letter P from drop simply links to the next word, which started with a vowel, it.
And that resulted in the sound we heard from Mr. Burns, drop it.
Let's listen to it and practice after him.
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Where is everybody?
Hey man, are you okay?
To dignify somebody or something is to treat them with respect and take them seriously.
So if you say that you will not dignify something with a response, that means you will not answer or respond to it because you do not think it is worth your attention or respect.
Why can't we ever have normal soup?
Just once, can we have a soup that people have heard of?
Like French onion or navy bean?
First of all, your father can't eat onions.
He's deathly allergic.
And I won't even dignify your navy bean suggestion.
Mr. Burns has been shot.
Just a minute.
This isn't Mr. Burns at all.
It's a mask.
This part of the scene makes fun of something a lot of science fiction movies and series have done.
To have a character wearing a realistic human mask which is only noticed and removed at a critical moment in the story.
The joke is that Chief Wiggum thought Mr. Burns' wrinkly skin made his face look like a mask.
His wrinkly skin looks like a mask.
I don't think we'll ever know who did this.
Everyone in town's a suspect.
Well, I couldn't possibly solve this mystery.
Can you?
Yeah, I'll give it a shot.
I mean, it's my job, right?
If you say that you will give it a shot, that means you will make an attempt to do something.
You will try to achieve it.
This is especially used when talking about something that you are not familiar with.
Son, don't ask why, but you have to lose the big race.
You want me to lose the Springfield Derby?
We've been pushing that poor horse too hard.
Maybe.
But if Duncan wins the Derby, he can spend the rest of his days as a stud.
Well, it is a good life.
Believe me.
All right.
Well, give it a shot.
Stop!
Don't shoot my dad!
He's innocent.
He wouldn't hurt a fly.
Stop telling him it was me!
I'll kill you for saying it was me!
What is the meaning of this?
Smithers, who is this beast that's shaking me?
Say it burns!
Say I never shot you!
Shot?
By you, I'm afraid not, my primitive friend.
Your kind has neither the cranial capacity nor the opposable digits to operate a firearm.
The one who shot me was... Maggie Simpson!
With the sunblocker in place and the town aghast, I was on top of the world.
So I wanted to kick up my heels and indulge my sweet tooth.
I feel like celebrating.
Oh, it's you.
What are you so happy about?
I see.
Yes.
That's the one.
Smithers had thwarted my earlier attempt to take candy from a baby.
But with him out of the picture, I was free to wallow in my own crepulence.
I think you'd better drop it.
But the old axiom was misleading.
Taking the candy proved exceedingly difficult.
I said drop it!
Stricken, I lurched forth in search of aid.
But finding only slack-jawed gawkers, I gave up and collapsed on the sundial.
Then, with your last ounce of strength, you pointed to W and S Or, from your point of view, M and S, Maggie Simpson.
What?
No.
With my last ounce of strength, I sucked out my gold fillings and swallowed them.
Those paramedics have sticky fingers.
Well, I'm just relieved that Homer's safe and that you've recovered and we can all get back to normal.
If Maggie could talk, I'm sure she'd apologize for shooting you.
I'm afraid that's insufficient.
Officer, arrest the baby.
Yeah, right, Pops.
No jury in the world's gonna convict a baby.
Maybe Texas.
A fly is this insect.
So if you say that someone wouldn't hurt a fly, that is a figurative way of saying that they are very kind and gentle and would not hurt anyone, not even a fly.
Come on people, you're safe as Sunday with me.
I wouldn't hurt a fly.
Primitive refers to something or somebody relating to very old times, like a society at a very early stage of development, with people living in a simple way, without machines or advanced technologies.
For example, primitive races colonized these islands 2000 years ago.
Mr Burns called Homer his primitive friend, meaning to insult him and call him ignorant or simple-minded.
As you may know, the noun kind refers to a group with similar characteristics or a particular type.
Is it me or are you just becoming a little bit more human?
You are the last of your kind.
In this case, Mr Burns is still referring to Homer as a primitive or prehistoric person, as if he were a caveman.
So he says that Homer does not have the cranial capacity, that is, the intelligence, nor the opposable thumbs, to handle a gun?
The one who shot me was... Maggie Simpson!
Sunblocker is what he's calling, the giant disc which was placed in front of the sun and covered the whole town from daylight.
Aghast is an adjective meaning extremely shocked or horrified.
This word is not very common.
And if you say that you feel or that you are on top of the world, you are emphasizing that you feel extremely happy and healthy.
Yeah, man, we did it.
This whole company is ours.
Oh, no, it's not.
That's mine.
It's all mine.
I'm on top of the world.
So I wanted to kick up my heels and indulge my sweet tooth.
I feel like celebrating.
Oh, it's you.
What are you so happy about?
I see.
The expression to kick up your heels means to relax and enjoy yourself a lot, for example at a party.
Now, if you say that you have a sweet tooth, you mean you have a craving or desire to eat sweet foods, especially sweets and chocolate.
So if you indulge your sweet tooth, you are allowing yourself to enjoy the pleasure of eating sweets.
I like to indulge myself on holiday with things like massages and spa treatments.
So, we are at peace once more.
Let us indulge in exaggerated displays of affection.
This guy, I love him.
Get over here.
My brother, over here.
You're my everything over here.
You color my world over here.
Yes.
That's the one.
Smithers had thwarted my earlier attempt to take candy from a baby.
To thwart somebody means to prevent them from accomplishing something.
So if you thwart a person's attempt to do something, you are stopping them from being successful.
As you know, every diabolical scheme that I've hatched has been thwarted by Austin Powers.
And why is that, ladies and gentlemen?
Mr. Burns is saying that Smithers had stopped him from taking candy from a baby before.
But now that he is out of the picture, that is, he is not present anymore, he will not be able to interfere and stop him.
Now, even though in English there is a figurative expression, to take candy from a baby, meaning to do something that is very easy and offers no challenge or resistance, here Mr Burns means it literally.
He has actually tried to take candy from Maggie, a baby.
So he says that without Smithers to stop him, he could indulge his impulses for eating sugary food.
An axiom is a statement which is regarded as being accepted or true, without the need for proof.
For example, the axiom So Mr Burns refers to taking candy from a baby being easy as a misleading axiom, saying that the task actually proved to be very difficult, which is quite humorous when we think about it.
Something considered misleading gives you the wrong idea or impression about it.
Hey!
Uh, I thought, I thought you were at table six.
Uh, no, nine.
Oh, see before you.
Uh, when you showed it to me, you held it that way which uh, which was misleading.
Stricken, I lurched forth in search of aid.
So he says that he lurched forth in search of help.
A gawker is a person who stares openly at someone or something.
For example, after a bad car accident on the highway, gawkers often slow down for a look.
A slack-jawed person is someone with their mouth open in surprise.
A sundial is a device similar to a clock that looks like this, which indicates the time of day by the position of the shadow of some object exposed to the sun's rays.
Lisa is saying that Mr Burns gathered all the energy he had left that is his last ounce of strength and pointed to the W and S letters as a way of informing who had shot him.
If you say that somebody has sticky fingers, you mean that they have an inclination or tendencies to steal.
Mr Burns is saying that he swallowed his gold teeth pieces to keep the paramedics who would help him from robbing him.
If Maggie could talk, I'm sure she'd apologize for shooting you.
I'm afraid that's insufficient.
To convict somebody of a crime is to declare them to be guilty.
This is normally done by a jury or the decision of a judge in a court of law.
Now, why does he say maybe Texas?
Culturally, many other states look at Texas as being a very conservative state.
For example, it is one of the states that still has the death penalty.
Chief Wiggum is joking that perhaps Texas would be strict enough to convict a baby of a crime.
Ah, perpetual twilight bathed in the glow of Burns brand electricity.
Hello, lamp post.
Whatcha knowin'?
I've come to watch your power flowin'.
That's odd.
Where's Homer?
And Bart?
And Lisa?
And Grandpa?
After all these years, things are finally starting to go my way.
I feel like celebrating.
Oh, it's you.
What are you so happy about?
I see.
I think you'd better drop it.
They said drop it.
Get your hands off.
Where is everybody?
Hey, Mia.
Are you okay?
Won't dignify that with response.
Mr. Burns has been shot.
Just a minute.
This isn't Mr. Burns at all.
It's a mask.
Wait, it is Burns.
His wrinkly skin looks like a mask.
I don't think we'll ever know who did this.
Everyone in town's a suspect.
Well, I couldn't possibly solve this mystery.
Can you?
Yeah, I'll give it a shot.
I mean, it's my job, right?
He's innocent!
He wouldn't hurt a fly!
Stop telling him it was me!
I'll kill you for saying it was me!
What is the meaning of this?
Smithers, who is this beast that's shaking me?
Say it burns!
Say I never shot you!
Shot?
By you, I'm afraid not, my primitive friend.
Your kind has neither the cranial capacity nor the opposable digits to operate a firearm.
The one who shot me was... Maggie Simpson!
With the sunblocker in place and the town aghast, I was on top of the world.
So I wanted to kick up my heels and indulge my sweet tooth.
I feel like celebrating.
Oh, it's you.
What are you so happy about?
I see.
Yes.
That's the one.
Smithers had thwarted my earlier attempt to take candy from a baby.
But with him out of the picture, I was free to wallow in my own crepulence.
I think you'd better drop it.
But the old axiom was misleading.
Taking the candy proved exceedingly difficult.
I said drop it!
Stricken, I lurched forth in search of aid.
But finding only slack-jawed gawkers, I gave up and collapsed on the sundial.
Then, with your last ounce of strength, you pointed to W and S Or, from your point of view, M and S, Maggie Simpson.
What?
No.
With my last ounce of strength, I sucked out my gold fillings and swallowed them.
Those paramedics have sticky fingers.
Well, I'm just relieved that Homer's safe and that you've recovered and we can all get back to normal.
If Maggie could talk, I'm sure she'd apologize for shooting you.
I'm afraid that's insufficient.
Officer, arrest the baby.
Yeah, right, Pops.
No jury in the world's gonna convict a baby.
Maybe Texas.
Besides, she didn't mean it.
It was an accident.
Awesome work today!
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Aww yeah!
