relative clause: The phrase we can adopt shapes the meaning of the line.
- There's a baby we can adopt. - Are you serious?Mighty Aphrodite · 1995 — Chapter 2 of 15 · 3'31" · B2
Lenny and Amanda Name the Baby, Explained: put my foot down
Amanda pushes Lenny to adopt a newborn, and he answers with a flat no; then the baby arrives and he melts. Most of the scene is the couple trying on names, from Groucho and Phineas to Django and Max. "On the other hand, you wouldn't want a Supreme Court Justice called Shane" is the running joke.
What happens
Amanda tells Lenny a healthy newborn boy is available for adoption, and they must move fast. Lenny refuses on the spot. Once the baby is in his arms he changes completely, cooing over how light he is, and then the two spend the scene auditioning names for him, from jokes to heroes to family names.
Listen for
put my foot downlight as a featherGet a grip on yourselfforecloses on the mortgage
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Now
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Phrase of the scene
put my foot down
refuse to yield
They want a fast yes; he plants his foot.
I put my foot down: no weekend shifts this month.
Also in this scene
- light as a feather
extremely light
- Get a grip on yourself
pull yourself together
- forecloses on the mortgage
seize a house over unpaid loan
- The kid's not a Viking
that name does not fit this baby
- be on the lookout
watch for something
Everything marked in this scene
21 notes across 81 lines
"act quickly" is useful here.
- But we have to act quickly. - I don't want a kid.Weaken have to; land on act.
- But we have to act quickly. - I don't want a kid."get into this with you" is useful here.
Amanda, I can't get into this with you now.watch for something
Carolyn was already watching for an infant.
I told Carolyn to be on the lookout. She's experienced with adoptions.refuse to yield
They want a fast yes; he plants his foot.
Le-- Look, I-- I gotta put my foot down.Practice put my foot down with one clear stress group.
Le-- Look, I-- I gotta put my foot down.have to — Casual speech. In writing or formal talk, use have to.
Le-- Look, I-- I gotta put my foot down.extremely light
He jokes the baby is so light he needs weights.
I gotta run out and get some weights because he's really light as a feather.adverbial clause: The phrase because he's really light as a feather shapes the meaning of the line.
I gotta run out and get some weights because he's really light as a feather.Practice light as a with one clear stress group.
I gotta run out and get some weights because he's really light as a feather.pull yourself together
The blessing goes mystical; someone snaps him back.
- Get a grip on yourself. - This kid is gonna be a great kid!Practice Get a grip with one clear stress group.
- Get a grip on yourself. - This kid is gonna be a great kid!"get real" is useful here.
- Groucho? Oh, get real. - No, I'm serious."What about Phineas" is useful here.
It's a great-- You know. I-- I don't know. What-- What about Phineas? Do you like Phineas?"go with anything" is useful here.
It doesn't go with anything. Nothing goes with Weinrib."use your maiden name" is useful here.
You see, Holden is one of those things that works if we use your maiden name.conditional clause: The phrase if we use your maiden name shapes the meaning of the line.
You see, Holden is one of those things that works if we use your maiden name."On the other hand" is useful here.
On the other hand, you wouldn't want a Supreme Court Justice called Shane.participle complement: The phrase you wouldn't want a Supreme Court Justice called Shane shapes the meaning of the line.
On the other hand, you wouldn't want a Supreme Court Justice called Shane.Practice On the other hand with one clear stress group.
On the other hand, you wouldn't want a Supreme Court Justice called Shane.Lenny and Amanda Name the Baby, explained
What's really going on
The scene gets its comedy from two things happening at once: Lenny's flat refusal and his instant conversion the moment he holds the baby. His line, "If there's any greatness in my hands, let it pass into your body," is sincere and ridiculous at the same time, and it tells you exactly how quickly his resistance will fold. The name debate then becomes a portrait of the couple: Amanda wants something simple and respectable, while Lenny keeps proposing names from jazz, comedy, and sports. The best jokes are the ones that puncture a choice with an image — Eric sounds like a Viking, Phineas sounds like a man who takes your house, and no first name survives the surname Weinrib.
Theme
ParenthoodThe couple argues over a baby and then over a name, which is how this film stages the beginning of parenting.
Family loveLenny's refusal collapses the instant he holds the child, and the naming fight is really the two of them claiming him.
What you'll learn
- Use put my foot down to set a firm boundary
- Suggest options naturally with What about…
- Understand light as a feather as a vivid simile
- Catch the shift from resistance to affection
- Notice how "put my foot down" changes the exchange.
Listen for
- have to act — Weaken have to; land on act.
- put my foot down — Practice put my foot down with one clear stress group.
- light as a — Practice light as a with one clear stress group.
- Get a grip — Practice Get a grip with one clear stress group.
If there's any greatness in my hands, let it pass into your body.Lenny's over-the-top blessing of the newborn: he wants his supposed greatness to flow into the child, a joke that also reveals how seriously he takes becoming a father.
On the other hand, you wouldn't want a Supreme Court Justice called Shane.Amanda's objection to a name she mostly likes: 'Shane' sounds too casual for the dignified future she is already imagining for the boy.
- Oh, wh-- what about Eric? - Eric? The kid's not a Viking.The first failed name: Lenny suggests Eric, and Amanda dismisses it because it sounds like a warrior, not a baby.
What, he's gonna be a-a-a gin rummy champion?Amanda's answer to the plain name Ben: told that they might call the boy Ben, she teases that it would suit a card shark, not someone with a future.
It doesn't go with anything. Nothing goes with Weinrib.The running problem of the whole scene: their surname defeats every first name they try, which is the source of most of the comedy.
Questions about this scene
Why does Lenny refuse to adopt at first?
He says he does not want a child and that the conversation is not for that time and place. He even puts his foot down and answers a flat no when pushed for a quick decision.
Why does Lenny change his mind?
As soon as he holds the baby, he melts. The scene does not explain the reversal in words; it shows it, with his gushing blessing and his refusal to let go.
What does "put my foot down" mean?
It means to take a firm stand and stop giving in. Lenny uses it to say he will not agree to the adoption, at least not on the spot.
Why is the Weinrib surname a problem in the scene?
Lenny complains that no first name goes with Weinrib, so every suggestion he makes sounds wrong. It becomes the joke that defeats almost every option.
What name do they finally settle on?
Max — simple and short. Amanda likes it and Lenny agrees, though he cannot resist trying it out as Senator Max Weinrib and Rabbi Max Weinrib first.
Mighty Aphrodite · 15 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 3old passionLenny and Amanda's Hamptons Fight
Chapter 1out of left fieldLenny and Amanda Debate a Baby
Watching · Chapter 2put my foot downLenny and Amanda Name the Baby
Chapter 3old passionLenny and Amanda's Hamptons Fight
Chapter 4Let sleeping dogs lieLenny Wants to Find Max's Mother
Chapter 5in the ballparkLenny Meets Linda Ash
Chapter 6gone straightLinda Tells Lenny Her Backstory
Chapter 7long shotLenny and Linda at the Races
Chapter 8a hundred percent definiteLinda Reveals She Gave Up a Child
Chapter 9a way with wordsLinda Asks Lenny for a Favor
Chapter 10level with youLenny Negotiates With Ricky
Chapter 11gave up on youLinda Says She's Starting Over
Chapter 12killer instinctLenny Visits the Boxing Gym
Chapter 13drove me up the wallLenny Sets Linda Up With a Farmer
Chapter 14superfluousLinda and Kevin's Blind Date
Chapter 15flew off the handleKevin Blows Up at LennyChapter 2 of 15 · about 46 min to go