"absolutely great for you" is useful here.
I met a guy this afternoon that I think would be absolutely great for you.Mighty Aphrodite · 1995 — Chapter 13 of 15 · 4'13" · B2
Lenny Sets Linda Up With a Farmer, Explained: drove me up the wall
Lenny has found Linda the perfect man: a young, strong, healthy boxer who wants to quit and become an onion farmer. She is not convinced. Later, Lenny pitches Linda to the boxer in the gym, describing her as a hairdresser, a church girl, and practically a virgin. The set-up is absurd on both sides.
What happens
Meeting Linda in the rain, Lenny excitedly pitches a man he met at the gym: young, strong, healthy, a retiring boxer who now wants to be an onion farmer. Linda is appalled at the idea of moving to a small town. Later, Lenny sells Linda to the boxer Kevin as a hairdresser, a church girl, and practically a virgin.
Listen for
dicking aroundoff your fucking rockerpractically, incidentallydrove me up the wall
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Phrase of the scene
drove me up the wall
irritated me past endurance
The ex is remembered as a climb up the wall.
The notifications drove me up the wall.
Also in this scene
- dicking around
wasting time; also a penis joke
- off your fucking rocker
completely crazy
- practically, incidentally
almost a virgin, said as a side note
- have her pick of
can choose anyone she wants
- dough
money, especially lost money
Everything marked in this scene
38 notes across 86 lines
relative clause: The phrase that I think would be absolutely great for you shapes the meaning of the line.
I met a guy this afternoon that I think would be absolutely great for you.Practice He's young, he's strong with one clear stress group.
- Yes. He's young, he's strong, he's healthy. - What does he do?wasting time; also a penis joke
Farming is named as dicking around; she hears the organ.
H-H-He's, you know, like, dicking around in agriculture.Practice you know, like with one clear stress group.
H-H-He's, you know, like, dicking around in agriculture.goofing off; wasting time — Crude; friends or a put-down.
H-H-He's, you know, like, dicking around in agriculture.Practice What the hell is with one clear stress group.
What the hell is an onion farmer doing at the gym?"meet the right girl" is useful here.
H-He's-- He wants to meet the right girl and be a farmer.parallel gerunds: The phrase you're hairdressing and, and raising kids shapes the meaning of the line.
A small town, and you're-- y-you're hairdressing and, and raising kids."rich in American heritage" is useful here.
I-I-It's a place rich in American heritage.completely crazy
The match is refused as insanity.
Are you off your fucking rocker?"for once" is useful here.
Just do what I'm telling you. Just listen to me for once.Practice Just listen to me with one clear stress group.
Just do what I'm telling you. Just listen to me for once.done with dating women for now — Casual guy talk; skip it in polite rooms.
Oh, no, no, no. I'm off the girls, Lenny.done with dating women for now — Casual guy talk; skip it in polite rooms.
Oh, no, no, no. I'm off the girls, Lenny."cheated me out of" is useful here. His last girl took all his money.
I mean, the last girl I was with she cheated me out of all my dough, man.money — Informal; say money in formal talk.
I mean, the last girl I was with she cheated me out of all my dough, man."a big buildup" is useful here.
I gave you a big buildup.can choose anyone she wants
He inflates her market value to sell the date.
This girl could have her pick of any guy she wants.parallel object clauses: The phrase that you're a great athlete; that you're gifted, bright shapes the meaning of the line.
I told her you were handsome, a good-looking guy; that you're a great athlete; that you're gifted, bright."touches her heart" is useful here.
I told her, but what touches her heart...relative clause: The phrase that has a love of the soil shapes the meaning of the line.
This is a girl that has a love of the soil, I promise you."get the hell outta" is useful here.
I wanna go back up there 'cause I wanna get the hell outta this city.Practice get the hell outta with one clear stress group.
I wanna go back up there 'cause I wanna get the hell outta this city."goes crazy" is useful here. Not losing control: onions light her up.
That's perfect! You mention onions to Linda, she goes crazy!Practice mention onions to Linda with one clear stress group.
That's perfect! You mention onions to Linda, she goes crazy!"goes nuts" is useful here.
She goes nuts, you say "onion."cold and distant — Slightly critical of someone unfriendly.
Linda. It's a pretty name. What are you so, so, so standoffish-- - Is that with an "E-R" or a "U-R"? - Is what with an "E-R" or-- - "Linder"? - Linda. Linda with an "A." Linda.a slur for promiscuous women — Highly offensive; do not use it.
I want a nice church girl; I don't want one of these fast New York sluts."all that kind of thing" is useful here.
I want a nice, homely girl who likes to raise a family and dogs and all that kind of thing.plain and homey, not flashy — US can mean simple, not 'pretty'.
I want a nice, homely girl who likes to raise a family and dogs and all that kind of thing.relative clause: The phrase who is practically, incidentally, a virgin shapes the meaning of the line.
This is a girl who is practically, incidentally, a virgin."level with you" is useful here.
I wanna level with you-- sh-she's slept with one or two guys in her life.Practice I wanna level with with one clear stress group.
I wanna level with you-- sh-she's slept with one or two guys in her life."first ones to land" is useful here.
You know, they were the first ones to land at Anzio.present perfect: been in some films: past work still attached.
I'm telling you-- You said she was an actress? She's been in some films?Practice They were tough motherfuckers with one clear stress group.
- They were tough motherfuckers. - Yeah, all right.tough bastards — Vulgar; informal only.
- They were tough motherfuckers. - Yeah, all right.Lenny Sets Linda Up With a Farmer, explained
What's really going on
The scene is about the gap between how Lenny sees people and who they really are. He decides a boxer-turned-onion-farmer is Linda's ideal match, and she rejects it because the life he describes is not hers at all: 'I'm gonna go marry an onion farmer and do hair in Wimpsville?' Then he does the same thing in reverse, dressing Linda up for the boxer as a church-going hairdresser who is 'practically, incidentally, a virgin,' and inventing dead boyfriends for her. The comedy comes from how confidently Lenny lies on everyone's behalf, and how the exaggerations keep collapsing. His one real plea is simple: 'Just listen to me for once.'
Theme
DeceptionLenny spins elaborate lies about Linda to the boxer, inventing a church background and dead boyfriends to make her fit.
IdentityHe keeps deciding who people should be, and both Linda and the boxer only half fit the roles he writes for them.
What you'll learn
- Use goes crazy for an intense reaction
- Understand dough as informal money
- Catch puns, profanity, and ironic euphemisms
- Build a persuasive matchmaking introduction
- Notice how "dicking around" changes the exchange.
Listen for
- He's young, he's strong — Practice He's young, he's strong with one clear stress group.
- you know, like — Practice you know, like with one clear stress group.
- What the hell is — Practice What the hell is with one clear stress group.
- Just listen to me — Practice Just listen to me with one clear stress group.
I met a guy this afternoon that I think would be absolutely great for you.Lenny's opening pitch to Linda: he is certain the man he found is her perfect match, though he barely knows her life.
Just do what I'm telling you. Just listen to me for once.Lenny's impatient push: he wants Linda to trust his plan without arguing, which sums up how he treats her.
That's perfect! You mention onions to Linda, she goes crazy!His over-the-top sales line to the boxer, claiming Linda's love of onions will seal the match.
What the hell is an onion farmer doing at the gym?Linda's baffled question, pointing out how little sense Lenny's supposedly perfect match actually makes.
I wanna go back up there 'cause I wanna get the hell outta this city.The boxer's motive for farming: he simply wants to escape the city, not the romantic life Lenny is selling.
Questions about this scene
Why does Lenny think the onion farmer is perfect for Linda?
He focuses on the man being young, strong, and healthy, and on wanting a quiet farm life. He never asks whether that life is what Linda actually wants.
Why does Linda reject the match?
The life described — a small town, doing hair, raising kids — is not hers. She makes it clear she does not want to be sent off to the countryside.
Why does Lenny lie to the boxer about Linda?
He wants the match to work so badly that he reshapes her into what the boxer hopes for: a church girl, a hairdresser, and almost a virgin.
What does the boxer really want?
He wants to leave the city and go back to his brother's onion farm. His goal is escape, not the romance Lenny is selling him.
Why has the boxer sworn off women?
He says the last woman he was with cheated him out of all his money, so he has decided he is done with girls for now.
Mighty Aphrodite · 15 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 14superfluousLinda and Kevin's Blind Date
Chapter 1out of left fieldLenny and Amanda Debate a Baby
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
Watching · 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 13 of 15 · about 9 min to go