“Then I think I saw it right behind your ear.”
Why it's great
It plays the prank deadpan, which is exactly what makes it funny.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
Look, I think your coin is right behind your ear.
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00:00 / 02:17
Ted Meets Mary's Family, Explained
There's Something About Mary · 1998
Chapter 3 of 24 · 2'17"
Ted arrives to take Mary to the prom and is immediately teased by her father. Trying to win over Mary's brother Warren, Ted reaches behind the boy's ear as if producing a baseball, not knowing Warren is sensitive about his ears. The prank sets off a shoving match that wrecks the living room.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 0:04–0:49
Ted's Baseball Trick Backfires
45s - 0:51–1:42
The Living Room Descends Into Chaos
51s
Ted Meets Mary's Family, explained
What happens
On prom night Ted comes to Mary's house to pick her up. Her father needles him, and Mary introduces her brother Warren, a boy Ted wants to please. Trying to be friendly, Ted pretends to find a baseball behind Warren's ear, which frightens and enrages him. The living room is wrecked, and Mary slips upstairs to fix her dress.
What's really going on
The scene is a comedy of good intentions in a house that runs on teasing. Ted is already on the back foot when he arrives, and Mary's father makes sport of him; Mary has to check him — 'You haven't been busting Ted's chops, have you?' Ted's attempt to charm Warren goes wrong for the most ordinary reason: he does not know the boy. The baseball trick, meant as a gift, touches the one thing Warren cannot stand — 'He has a thing about his ears' — and the room explodes into chaos. What the sequence shows is that Ted's earnestness keeps colliding with a family whose affection is expressed through mockery and roughhousing, so his politeness reads as awkwardness. By the end, the date has barely begun and the house is already wrecked.
Key lines & what they mean
- “Then I think I saw it right behind your ear.”
- The baseball gag in one line: Ted pretends the ball is hidden behind Warren's ear, a friendly trick that turns out to be the worst possible move.
- “Dad. You haven't been busting Ted's chops, have you?”
- Mary steps in to protect her date, calling out her father's teasing in the family's own language rather than scolding him.
- “Don't make me have to open a can of whup-ass on you.”
- The father's mock threat, all bluster and comedy, showing the household's style of affection through exaggerated menace.
- “Ted, I should have told you. He has a thing about his ears.”
- Mary's late warning names the exact trigger Ted stumbled onto, explaining why the innocent trick blew up.
Theme
- Family conflict — Ted's well-meant trick collides with Warren's sensitivity, turning a polite introduction into a shoving match that wrecks the house.
- Romance — The prom date hardly gets started before family chaos interrupts it, testing whether Mary and Ted can ever get their evening on track.
What this chapter teaches
Teaching points
Review right after watchingMy level6/7
A1–C2 is the CEFR scale. Cards above the level you pick fade, and playback will not auto-pause on them.
Language points
Click a card to jump to its moment in the videoGolden lines
A great line in its own right — why and how to use it“Dad. You haven't been busting Ted's chops, have you?”
Why it's great
One tag question protects the guest and calls out her dad at once.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
You haven't been picking on my brother, have you?
“Don't make me have to open a can of whup-ass on you.”
Why it's great
The mock-threat is so over the top it lands as comedy, not menace.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
Don't make me have to come up there.
“Ted, I should have told you. He has a thing about his ears.”
Why it's great
A whole disaster explained by a forgotten quirk, delivered as an after-the-fact apology that is funnier for being so calm.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
I should have told you, my aunt has a thing about her age.
Up next · 04pull off a Band-AidThe scene: Ted Gets His Zipper StuckTakeaways
What you walk away with- Compliments and teasing come through the same doorway.
- A harmless gift backfires over one sensitive ear.
- Charlie talks big but rarely means the threat.
- Family chaos here is played for laughs, not menace.
People also search
Questions, then the linesWhy does Ted give Warren a baseball?
To make a good impression on Mary's family. Ted has brought the boy a baseball and uses a magic-style trick to produce it, hoping to win him over before the prom.
Why does Warren get so upset?
Because he is very sensitive about his ears. Ted reaches behind the boy's ear as part of the trick without knowing this, and the touch sets Warren off.
What does 'busting chops' mean?
It means teasing or needling someone. Mary asks her father whether he has been busting Ted's chops, which shows the family's habit of mocking the people they like.
Why does Mary go upstairs?
Because the strap of her dress breaks during the chaos. She excuses herself for two minutes to fix it, leaving Ted alone in the wrecked living room.
Is Mary's father really angry at Ted?
Not really. His threats are comic bluster; he even admits he was only joking with Ted. The household expresses itself through rough jokes rather than politeness.