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Mighty Aphrodite · 1995 — Chapter 7 of 15 · 4'18" · B2

Lenny and Linda at the Races, Explained: long shot

Lenny takes Linda to the track and bets her a 60-to-1 long shot named Eager Beaver, joking that the odds make it a long shot. The horse trails and finishes last, and Linda, who badly wanted to win, takes it hard. Lenny refuses to gloat, calling it a lesson in being a graceful loser.

What happens

Lenny brings Linda to the racetrack and lets her keep the winnings if his pick comes in. He chooses Eager Beaver, a 60-to-1 outsider, admitting it is a long shot; she treats the name as a sign. The horse fades and finishes last. She is crushed, and though Lenny teases her, he also tells her to be a graceful loser.

First datesComforting a friendComplainingComfortingCoupleB2fastamerican
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doughlong shotgraceful loserHere's one

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Phrase of the scene

long shot

an unlikely bet

Last place is filed as what he already named.

Getting the visa in a week was a long shot.

Also in this scene

  • dough

    money, especially winnings

  • graceful loser

    someone who loses without a scene

  • Here's one

    here's an example

  • state-of-the-art fellatrix

    a cutting-edge sex worker, said as praise

  • fucking

    an intensifier for anger

Everything marked in this scene

34 notes across 94 lines

Phrase · B1bet on a horse

"bet on a horse" is useful here.

I'm gonna bet on a horse, and if it wins you can keep the dough.
Phrase · B1keep the dough

"keep the dough" is useful here.

I'm gonna bet on a horse, and if it wins you can keep the dough.
Grammar · B1if it wins

conditional clause: The phrase if it wins shapes the meaning of the line.

I'm gonna bet on a horse, and if it wins you can keep the dough.
Soundgonna bet on

Practice gonna bet on with one clear stress group.

I'm gonna bet on a horse, and if it wins you can keep the dough.
Slang · A2gonna

going to — casual speech; write going to on paper

I'm gonna bet on a horse, and if it wins you can keep the dough.
Slang · B1dough

money — chat slang; say money in formal talk

I'm gonna bet on a horse, and if it wins you can keep the dough.
Grammar · B1who find drunk Girl Scouts in the woods

relative clause: The phrase who find drunk Girl Scouts in the woods shapes the meaning of the line.

about these Boy Scouts who find drunk Girl Scouts in the woods.
Soundit's a 60-to-1

Practice it's a 60-to-1 with one clear stress group.

- 'Cause it's a 60-to-1. - Oh, yeah. No, I know it's the one. No!
Phrase · B2Famous last words

"Famous last words" is useful here.

All right, all right. Famous last words.
Phrase · B1got a hunch

"got a hunch" is useful here.

- You know. - I got a hunch.
Soundgot a hunch

Practice got a hunch with one clear stress group.

- You know. - I got a hunch.
Slang · B1hunch

a gut feeling — when you have no proof, only instinct

- You know. - I got a hunch.
Phrase · C1take that under advisement

"take that under advisement" is useful here.

I mean, my attorney friend would take that under advisement.
Grammar · B2when a guy comes over your house and pays you

time clause: The phrase when a guy comes over your house and pays you shapes the meaning of the line.

Are you ever frightened that when a guy comes over your house and pays you...
Grammar · B2that he's gonna maybe, like tie you up and kill you?

object clause: The phrase that he's gonna maybe, like tie you up and kill you? shapes the meaning of the line.

that he's gonna maybe, like tie you up and kill you?
Phrase · B1paid in advance

"paid in advance" is useful here.

Oh, no. I always get paid in advance.
Phrase · B1drop back

"drop back" is useful here.

- Eager Beaver continues to drop back. - Oh, shit! Oh, Beaver!
Slang · B1shit

damn — bursts out in shock or anger; skip it in polite rooms

- Eager Beaver continues to drop back. - Oh, shit! Oh, Beaver!
Phrase · B2by a head

"by a head" is useful here. a horse-length, not a person's head

- Oh! Beaver! - It's Autumn Daisy by a head.
Phrase · B2a long shot

"a long shot" is useful here.

You know, it's not so terrible. I told you it was a long shot.
Slang · B2fucking

damn, for emphasis — vulgar intensifier for anger or defeat

I never won a fucking thing in my entire life! Nothing! Never!
Phrase · B2a graceful loser

"a graceful loser" is useful here.

Will you stay calm? You gotta learn to be a graceful loser.
SoundYou gotta learn

Practice You gotta learn with one clear stress group.

Will you stay calm? You gotta learn to be a graceful loser.
Phrase · B1win so badly

"win so badly" is useful here.

I don't care about the money. I just wanted to win so badly.
Soundwanted to win

Practice wanted to win with one clear stress group.

I don't care about the money. I just wanted to win so badly.
Soundwanted to impress you

Practice wanted to impress you with one clear stress group.

- You gotta-- - 'Cause I wanted to impress you.
Phrase · B1pick a winner

"pick a winner" is useful here.

What-- You don't have to impress me. I'm-- Yeah, but I wanted to show you I could pick a winner.
Grammar · B2I could pick a winner

object clause: The phrase I could pick a winner shapes the meaning of the line.

What-- You don't have to impress me. I'm-- Yeah, but I wanted to show you I could pick a winner.
Phrase · B1come in third

"come in third" is useful here.

Well, he was a heavy favorite, you know, and I bet him to come in third.
Phrase · B2heavy favorite

"heavy favorite" is useful here.

Well, he was a heavy favorite, you know, and I bet him to come in third.
Grammar · B1to come in third

infinitive complement: The phrase to come in third shapes the meaning of the line.

Well, he was a heavy favorite, you know, and I bet him to come in third.
Slang · B2fuck

sex, crude — adult slang; never in formal talk

I feel I owe you a great fuck.
Phrase · A2do me a favor

"do me a favor" is useful here.

Hey, do me a favor. Go upstairs, rest your ulcer, stay in tonight.
Phrase · B1Slow night

"Slow night" is useful here.

Six dates. Slow night for you, right?

Lenny and Linda at the Races, explained

What's really going on

The date is built on a bet Lenny can't lose and a wish Linda can't win. He picks a hopeless horse so that, whichever way it goes, he looks generous; the money is never the point, as Linda says when it's over: 'I don't care about the money. I just wanted to win so badly.' For her the race was a chance to prove she had luck, and its loss confirms the story she tells about herself. Lenny's answer — 'You gotta learn to be a graceful loser' — is kindly meant and a little patronizing, and the evening ends the way it has to: he goes home to his wife and child, and she asks, half-hoping, whether he will call.

Theme

LonelinessA man with a family spends an evening with a woman who wants connection, and neither can offer what the other needs.
MoneyLenny stages the bet so money never matters, while Linda's real wish is to win at something, not to be paid.

What you'll learn

  • Use long shot for unlikely success
  • Understand graceful loser after a loss
  • Follow 60-to-1 horse-racing odds
  • Hear the wish to impress someone
  • Notice how "dough" changes the exchange.

Listen for

  • gonna bet on — Practice gonna bet on with one clear stress group.
  • it's a 60-to-1 — Practice it's a 60-to-1 with one clear stress group.
  • got a hunch — Practice got a hunch with one clear stress group.
  • You gotta learn — Practice You gotta learn with one clear stress group.
You know, it's not so terrible. I told you it was a long shot.

Lenny's consolation after the loss: he had warned her the odds were bad, so she shouldn't be surprised or ashamed.

I don't care about the money. I just wanted to win so badly.

Linda's real feeling — the bet was never about cash, but about proving her luck could change.

All right, all right. Famous last words.

Lenny's dry response to her certainty about the horse — the classic line for a claim that is about to be proven wrong.

You know, you only talk about me. You never talk about yourself.

Linda's parting observation: Lenny keeps the conversation on her so he never has to reveal anything about his own life.

Questions about this scene

Why does Lenny pick such a hopeless horse?

Eager Beaver is a 60-to-1 long shot, so a win would be exciting and cheap to him, and a loss costs him almost nothing. The gesture is generous without risk.

Why is Linda so upset about losing?

She says she does not care about the money; she wanted to win because she has never felt lucky. The loss confirms her belief that nothing ever goes her way.

What does 'a graceful loser' mean?

It means someone who can lose without complaining or making a scene. Lenny says Linda should learn to be one after she keeps insisting she never wins.

Does Lenny go into Linda's apartment at the end?

No. He says he has a wife and child and has to go home, then promises to call her, which leaves their relationship unresolved.

What does Linda notice about their conversation?

She points out that Lenny only talks about her and never about himself, which is a sign of how carefully he keeps his own life hidden.

Mighty Aphrodite · 15 chapters

All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 8a hundred percent definiteLinda Reveals She Gave Up a Child
Chapter 1out of left fieldLenny and Amanda Debate a BabyChapter 2put my foot downLenny and Amanda Name the BabyChapter 3old passionLenny and Amanda's Hamptons FightChapter 4Let sleeping dogs lieLenny Wants to Find Max's MotherChapter 5in the ballparkLenny Meets Linda AshChapter 6gone straightLinda Tells Lenny Her BackstoryWatching · Chapter 7long shotLenny and Linda at the RacesChapter 8a hundred percent definiteLinda Reveals She Gave Up a ChildChapter 9a way with wordsLinda Asks Lenny for a FavorChapter 10level with youLenny Negotiates With RickyChapter 11gave up on youLinda Says She's Starting OverChapter 12killer instinctLenny Visits the Boxing GymChapter 13drove me up the wallLenny Sets Linda Up With a FarmerChapter 14superfluousLinda and Kevin's Blind DateChapter 15flew off the handleKevin Blows Up at Lenny
Chapter 7 of 15 · about 28 min to go