“Money talks and bullshit takes the bus.”
Por qué es buena
A crude, balanced couplet that sums up exactly why the trip will work.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
Money talks, so the loudest bidder wins again.
00:00 / 05:03
00:00 / 05:03
Jordan Visits Aunt Emma in London, Explained
The Wolf of Wall Street · 2013
Capítulo 20 de 30 · 5'03"
Jordan flies to London to hand Aunt Emma a great deal of cash, and she sees right through him. She notes that he is sweating in the cold and says, "Sometimes I wonder if you let money get the best of you, my love." He admits to it all.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 0:32–0:56
Aunt Emma Sees Through Jordan
24s
Jordan Visits Aunt Emma in London, explained
What happens
Jordan takes a suitcase of cash to London and asks his favorite aunt to hold it for him. Aunt Emma sees how wired he is and teases him about risk, money, and his appetites, and Jordan ends up confessing his addictions. She agrees to help, as long as he takes care of her niece.
What's really going on
The scene is a family visit doing the work of a money laundering plan. Jordan needs Aunt Emma because she is respectable, European, and trusted, and he plays the loving nephew while she does the actual hiding. She is not fooled for a second. She reads his sweat, names his appetites, and lands the real question: "Sometimes I wonder if you let money get the best of you, my love." He answers by confessing everything, which is both a joke and the truth. The warmth between them is real, but so is the transaction underneath it: care and crime in the same conversation.
Key lines & what they mean
- “Money talks and bullshit takes the bus.”
- A crude way of saying money decides everything: those with cash get what they want, and everyone else is left behind.
- “I've bitten off more than I can chew, you know.”
- Jordan admits he has taken on more than he can handle, a rare moment of honest self-assessment.
- “Risk is what keeps us young, isn't it, darling?”
- Aunt Emma turns danger into charm, hinting that the thrill is part of why Jordan lives the way he does.
- “It's chilly, darling, and you're sweating bullets.”
- She reads his body before his words: the cold room and his sweat tell her exactly what he is on.
- “Sometimes I wonder if you let money get the best of you, my love.”
- Her gentle warning: the money may be running him rather than the other way around.
Theme
- Money — The visit is really a laundering errand: family affection and cash are handled in the same breath.
- Family love — Aunt Emma's teasing and her willingness to help show a bond that survives even Jordan's worst habits.
Qué aprendes en este capítulo
Puntos de enseñanza
Repasa justo después de verMi nivel4/7
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“I've bitten off more than I can chew, you know.”
Por qué es buena
An eating metaphor makes a confession of overload sound casual instead of dramatic.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
I bit off more than I could chew with three projects.
“Risk is what keeps us young, isn't it, darling?”
Por qué es buena
It reframes recklessness as youth and ends on a teasing tag question.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
Travel is what keeps us curious, isn't it?
“It's chilly, darling, and you're sweating bullets.”
Por qué es buena
Cold weather against cold sweat: one contrast exposes exactly how nervous he is.
Registro
Neutral
Úsala tú
It's freezing in here and you're sweating bullets about the review.
“Sometimes I wonder if you let money get the best of you, my love.”
Por qué es buena
A gentle idiom for being consumed by something, delivered as caring rather than judgment.
Registro
Neutral
Úsala tú
Don't let the pressure get the best of you this month.
Siguiente · 21give me a passLa escena: Fight Over a Briefcase of CashIdeas clave
Lo que te llevas- The aunt's flirtation is a trap, and Jordan half enjoys it.
- Money talks is less a boast than a summary of how the trip works.
- His confession gives the aunt exactly the opening she wants.
- The scene keeps flipping between intimacy and business.
Preguntas frecuentes
La pregunta, luego la fraseWhy does Jordan go to London to see Aunt Emma?
To hide money. He can't keep so much cash himself, and his aunt lives abroad with a respectable name, so he asks her to hold it.
Does Aunt Emma realize Jordan is using her?
She understands far more than he says. She teases him about sweat, risk, and his appetites, which shows she knows what he is and still chooses to help.
What does "Money talks" mean?
It means money gets results and buys influence while everyone without it is ignored. Aunt Emma uses it to sum up how the world treats the rich.
Who helps move the money out of the country?
Brad, a drug dealer with European connections, and his wife Chantalle, who was born in Switzerland. Their passports make them useful for transporting the cash.