“No, and you can quote me.”
Por qué es buena
It pairs refusal with accountability: say nothing, and let it be quoted under your name.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
No, and you can print that.
00:00 / 04:02
00:00 / 04:02
Peggy Questions Stanley, Explained
The Mask · 1994
Capítulo 4 de 8 · 4'02"
A reporter asks what happened and is shut down with "No, and you can quote me." Rubbernecks are cleared. At the office, a picture of his girlfriend is called "the same as stealing," and a coworker warns she only wants "the bigger, better deal." Then Peggy Brandt arrives, asking about an '89 Civic he just denied.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 0:57–1:21
No Comment for the Press
24s - 2:20–3:48
Always After a Bigger Better Deal
88s
Peggy Questions Stanley, explained
What happens
Someone is late and begging the dog for keys. Elsewhere someone wants a proctologist standing by. A reporter is told "No, and you can quote me," and rubbernecks are ordered out. At work Stanley is scolded over a picture called "the same as stealing," then warned that one girl wants "the bigger, better deal." Peggy Brandt arrives asking about an '89 Civic.
What's really going on
The night leaks into the morning. Someone is late, coaxing a dog to drop the keys. Another one says to watch the bump and demands a proctologist "standing by." A reporter who asks what happened gets "No, and you can quote me." "It looks like a mob tactic" is mocked with "She broke the case," and the rubbernecks are pushed aside. Nobody gives a real account. At the office the story gets thinner. Someone asks where Stanley was last night, gutter included. The paper has given his girlfriend "a great review." A boss treats her picture as "the same as stealing," then asks that she be sent to his office. "A girl like that is always looking for the bigger, better deal." Someone still calls her an artist. The "down to earth" alternative, red hair and a name tag, stops being a joke when Peggy Brandt walks in asking about Ripley Auto Finishing and an '89 Civic. "It's all coming back to me" comes too late.
Key lines & what they mean
- “No, and you can quote me.”
- A reporter asking what happened gets nothing but this. The refusal is the only sentence they are allowed to print.
- “A girl like that is always looking for the b.B.D.-- the bigger, better deal.”
- A warning that she will leave the moment a richer prospect shows up. The initials are defined in the same breath as the bigger, better deal.
- “Stanley, forget her. That girl will tear out your heart, put it in a blender, and hit "frapee."”
- The same warning, pushed into a joke. She will not merely reject him; she will tear his heart out, blend it, and hit frapee.
- “That's the same as stealing.”
- Looking at the girlfriend's picture at work is treated as theft. The line is what the apology to Mr. Dickey answers.
Theme
- Secrets — A reporter is told "No, and you can quote me," while coworkers ask where he was last night, down to the gutter.
- Romance — Office talk warns that one girl wants a bigger, better deal, while someone still insists she is an artist.
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“A girl like that is always looking for the b.B.D.-- the bigger, better deal.”
Por qué es buena
It reframes romance as an upgrade cycle, and the shorthand makes the cynicism sound practiced.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
People like him are always looking for the bigger, better deal.
“Stanley, forget her. That girl will tear out your heart, put it in a blender, and hit "frapee."”
Por qué es buena
Heartbreak becomes a kitchen process, and the botched button word lands the punch line.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
That job will eat your weekends, chew up your sleep, and ask for more.
“That's the same as stealing.”
Por qué es buena
It reclassifies an act by comparison alone, which is more damning than any scolding.
Registro
Neutral
Úsala tú
Copying her design and calling it yours is the same as stealing.
Siguiente · 05beat him to the punchLa escena: Police Grill Ipkiss Over PajamasIdeas clave
Lo que te llevas- Use broke the case in the same situation
- Hear down to earth as pressure, not small talk
- Catch who the line is aimed at
Preguntas frecuentes
La pregunta, luego la fraseWhy does the reporter get "No, and you can quote me"?
Someone from the Evening Star asks what happened. The reply offers no story, only permission to print that refusal. "It looks like a mob tactic" is brushed off with "She broke the case," and the rubbernecks are ordered out.
Why does he deny having a car?
Asked if he is a Ripley Auto Finishing customer, the answer is that he does not even have a car, because cars pollute. When an '89 Civic is named, he answers "Oh, that car. Yeah" and "It's all coming back to me."
What does B.B.D. mean in the warning?
The line defines it on the spot: the bigger, better deal. It is the claim that a girl like that is always hunting a step up, which is why she should be forgotten. The blender and "frapee" image says the same thing as a joke.
Is that warning fair to her?
The lines never prove it. One voice says she wants the bigger, better deal and will tear his heart out. The answer is "You don't know that. She's an artist" and "She's sensitive." The argument stops there.
Why does Peggy Brandt walk in?
Her introduction is Peggy Brandt from the Tribune. She only wants a few questions, and they are about Ripley Auto Finishing and an '89 Civic. Red hair, a green jacket, and a name tag were someone else's description a moment earlier, not her assignment.