“Screech is basically bad Jamaican rum.”
Por qué es buena
A folk ritual described like a wine review.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
This cocktail is basically juice with a kick.
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00:00 / 05:49
The Screech-In Ceremony, Explained
Come from Away · 2021
Capítulo 17 de 22 · 5'49"
The bar has filled with stranded passengers, and the night turns into a Newfoundland initiation. Locals bring out instruments, then a ceremony: newcomers must drink Screech and "kiss the fish" to be made honorary Newfoundlanders. Two of them, not even married, get teased into a proposal on the spot: "Well, would you like to be?"
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 3:25–4:26
❝ Monólogo · 6 frases Screech, Then Kiss the Cod
60s
The Screech-In Ceremony, explained
What happens
By eight, the bar is packed with people from around the world, trading stories while staff keep bringing drinks. Locals pick up fiddles and accordions, and the night builds to a Screech-In: to become honorary Newfoundlanders, the visitors drink Screech and kiss a cod. A couple who are not married are asked how their relationship works, and the question turns into a proposal.
What's really going on
The scene is a party that becomes a ritual, and the ritual is how the town turns strangers into neighbours. The details are deliberately silly - bad Jamaican rum, an ugly stick, a fish you have to kiss - but the ceremony is doing real work: "Let's make these people honorary Newfoundlanders!" It gives everyone in a room full of frightened travellers something to be part of, and the absurdity is the point. The comedy peaks when a Texan woman and her English boyfriend are asked how their marriage works, discover they are not married, and get the question turned back on them: "Well, would you like to be?" One beer too many does the rest. The scene is funny about it, but the offer underneath is serious: you are welcome here, and you can belong.
Key lines & what they mean
- “Screech is basically bad Jamaican rum.”
- The blunt truth about the local ritual drink: it's cheap, rough rum, and the joke is that it's treated as sacred.
- “So don't be dumb Just take the plunge”
- The ceremony's advice, and the town's whole attitude: stop hesitating and take the risk of joining in.
- “I am not kissing a fish!”
- A flat refusal that makes the cod-kissing tradition sound as absurd as it looks, and gets everyone laughing.
- “And you'll be a Newfoundlander”
- The refrain of the song: the reward for taking part is a new, borrowed identity for the night.
- “Diane had had two beers by then, so it was probably the alcohol talking.”
- A wry aside admitting the engagement may have been the beer, which makes the moment both funny and real.
Theme
- Identity — A ceremony hands strangers a new label, honorary Newfoundlanders, and with it a place to belong for the night.
- Trust — The town invites frightened travellers into its own rituals, and the joke and the invitation both say: you are safe here.
Qué aprendes en este capítulo
Puntos de enseñanza
Repasa justo después de verMi nivel1/4
A1–C2 es la escala MCER. Las tarjetas por encima del nivel elegido se atenúan y la reproducción no se pausa en ellas.
Puntos de lengua
Toca una tarjeta para saltar a ese momentoFrases de oro
Una gran frase en sí misma: por qué y cómo usarla“So don't be dumb Just take the plunge”
Por qué es buena
Peer pressure set to a tune.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
Don't be silly, just take the plunge and sign up.
“I am not kissing a fish!”
Por qué es buena
One person refusing to join the ritual, flatly.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
I am not singing in front of the whole office!
“And you'll be a Newfoundlander”
Por qué es buena
An identity granted by refrain.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
And you'll be one of the team by Friday.
“Diane had had two beers by then, so it was probably the alcohol talking.”
Por qué es buena
A bold choice blamed on the alcohol.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
He asked her out at midnight, so it was probably the wine talking.
Monólogo
Un personaje sostiene la escena: practícalo entero❝ How Screech got its name
Ladies and gentlemen, this is Screech. Back in World War II, an officer was stationed here and was offered some of this stuff. All the locals were tossing it back with nar' a quiver, so he does too and lets out an ear-piercing… Everybody comes to see what's happened and says… "What was that ungodly screech?"
A war joke nails the rum's name, and the laugh finishes the initiation.
Siguiente · 18Don't be a strangerLa escena: Gander Says Goodbye to the VisitorsPreguntas frecuentes
La pregunta, luego la fraseWhat is a Screech-In?
It's a Newfoundland initiation ceremony in which visitors drink Screech rum, kiss a cod and are declared honorary Newfoundlanders.
Why do the locals hold the ceremony?
To welcome the stranded travellers and turn a room of strangers into a community, using a silly ritual everyone can join.
What does "take the plunge" mean?
It means to finally do something you have been hesitating about. In the song it's the push to stop stalling and join the ceremony.
What happens between the Texan woman and the Englishman?
The host assumes they are married, learns they are not, and asks if they would like to be; a few beers later, they agree.
How do the travellers react to the ceremony?
Most of them play along, kissing the fish and drinking the rum, even as some joke about how awful Screech tastes.