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Another Year · 2010 — 第 16 / 25 章 · 3'24" · B2

Mary Recounts Her Car Disaster, Explained：cut your losses

Mary arrives with a saga: the car would not start, was broken into, and has been one failure after another. Tom's advice is blunt — "Cut your losses, Mary. Get rid of it" — but she cannot let go, because of how much she has already spent on it.

あらすじ

Mary comes in and immediately tells the story of her car: it would not start, so she took the tube; it was broken into and her toilet rolls were stolen; it has had three punctures, a lost exhaust and a failed carburettor. Tom tells her to cut her losses and get rid of it, but Mary refuses because she has spent so much.

PartiesSmall talkComplainingSuggestingFriendsB2fastbritishClean
IMDb ↗

注目の表現

Bastardscut your lossesbroken intoa catalogue of disaster

00:00 / 03:24
Space 再生 · ← → セリフ移動 · R リピート
いま
  50. ❝ 独白Mary's catalogue of car woes8 行練習ページ ↗
セリフをタップするとそこから再生

このシーンの表現

cut your losses

quit before you lose more

Tom tells Mary to stop pouring money into a car that keeps failing.

If the app never finds users, cut your losses and shut it down.

このシーンの他の表現

  • Bastards

    a rude word for nasty people

  • broken into

    forced open by thieves

  • a catalogue of disaster

    one failure after another

  • sank to the bottom

    all dropped to the base

  • chill out

    relax and unwind

このシーンのメモ一覧

73 行のセリフに 24 件のメモ

表現 · A2come on the tube

to travel by Underground The tube means the London Underground.

Yeah, it's a nightmare. I had to come on the tube.
発音on the tube

Link on and the, then stress tube at the end.

Yeah, it's a nightmare. I had to come on the tube.
表現 · B1get broken into

forced open by thieves

Mary adds that the car was broken into the night before, piling bad news on bad news.

And it got broken into last night.
表現 · A2nice and early

bright and early

I went nice and early, so it wouldn't be dark when I got back.
文法 · B1so it wouldn't be dark when I got back

purpose clause: The so-clause gives the purpose of going early.

I went nice and early, so it wouldn't be dark when I got back.
発音nice and early

The d in and often disappears: nice an' early.

I went nice and early, so it wouldn't be dark when I got back.
文法 · B2I must have left

modal perfect: Must have plus a past participle marks a confident guess about the past.

I brought three bags in, but I must have left the fourth one on the front seat.
発音must have

Must have reduces to must've in fast speech.

I brought three bags in, but I must have left the fourth one on the front seat.
表現 · B1chill out

relax and unwind

With the shopping done, Mary looks forward to chilling out over a glass of wine.

I got in. I thought, that's great, that's done, I can chill out now and have a nice little glass of wine.
表現 · B2claim for something

to ask insurance for money

I know. At least you'll be able to claim for your window.
表現 · B1sit yourself down

take a seat and settle

Go on. Sit yourself down, Mary.
表現 · B1put the kettle on

boil water for tea

- Put the kettle on, Tom. - Yeah, yeah. Good idea.
表現 · B2a catalogue of disasters

one failure after another

Mary sums up her car's endless failures with an exaggerated, half-joking phrase.

This car's been a catalogue of disaster, hasn't it?
表現 · B2cut one's losses

quit before you lose more

Tom tells Mary to stop pouring money into a car that keeps failing.

Cut your losses, Mary. Get rid of it.
表現 · B1get rid of something

to throw or sell it away

Cut your losses, Mary. Get rid of it.
表現 · B1be fed up with something

tired and annoyed by

I'm fed up with it, to be honest, Tom.
表現 · A2take something back

to return it to the shop

You can't take it back to the guys you got it from?
表現 · B1points on a driving licence

a licence record of offences

So, I've got nine points on my driving licence.
表現 · B1break down

to stop working on the road

I broke down on the motorway on the way to Brighton and I got towed to Crawley, which is the last place I want to go, because I grew up there and I hate it.
表現 · A2on the way to somewhere

travelling towards a place

I broke down on the motorway on the way to Brighton and I got towed to Crawley, which is the last place I want to go, because I grew up there and I hate it.
文法 · B2which is the last place I want to go

relative clause: The which-clause explains why Crawley is the last place she wanted.

I broke down on the motorway on the way to Brighton and I got towed to Crawley, which is the last place I want to go, because I grew up there and I hate it.
スラング · B2touch me up

to grope someone — British slang for groping; not for polite company.

So, I had to get the train home and then the train back to Crawley the next day and the guy kept trying to touch me up.
表現 · B1be supposed to be

was meant to be

That was supposed to be my summer holiday.
表現 · B2in someone's honour

as a tribute to you

Well, the good news is, Mary, I've made a cake in your honour.

「Mary Recounts Her Car Disaster」を読み解く

What's really going on

The comic catalogue of the car is also a portrait of Mary's life: everything she touches costs more than it should and piles up in the wrong direction. The scene lets her be funny about it, but the pattern is real — she keeps paying into something that is only going to get worse. Tom names the trap plainly: 'Cut your losses, Mary. Get rid of it.' Her reply, 'I can't just sell it now,' is the logic of anyone stuck in a bad investment, and it is the same logic she applies to her past. The kindness at the end, the cake baked 'in your honour,' cuts both ways: it welcomes her, and it quietly underlines the gap between her disasters and their settled, orderly home.

Theme

MoneyMary keeps pouring money into a car that only gets worse, and cannot stop because of what she has already spent.
Dark humorThe runaway list of breakdowns and fines is played for comedy while showing how badly her life is running.

このチャプターで学べること

  • Cut your losses means quit before losing more
  • A catalogue of disaster is endless bad luck
  • On the tube is British for the Underground
  • Fed up with means tired and annoyed

発音のポイント

  • on the tube — Link on and the, then stress tube at the end.
  • nice and early — The d in and often disappears: nice an' early.
  • must have — Must have reduces to must've in fast speech.
Cut your losses, Mary. Get rid of it.

Tom's blunt advice: stop adding money to a losing car and get out before it costs more.

But I've spent so much on it, Tom. I can't just sell it now.

The sunk-cost logic that keeps Mary trapped: she has paid so much that selling now feels like defeat.

But if you keep it, it's only going to get worse.

Tom's warning that the car is a downward spiral, not a temporary problem.

This car's been a catalogue of disaster, hasn't it?

Tom's summary of the whole saga: the car has produced one problem after another.

このシーンについての質問

Why does Mary refuse to sell the car?

She has already spent a lot of money on it, so selling now feels like admitting the loss. As she says, she cannot 'just sell it now,' even though Tom says it will only get worse.

What does "cut your losses" mean?

It means to stop investing in something that is failing before you lose even more. Tom tells Mary to cut her losses and get rid of the car.

What has gone wrong with Mary's car?

It would not start, was broken into, and had toilet rolls stolen; it has had three punctures, a fallen exhaust, a broken carburettor, nine licence points, nine parking tickets and a breakdown on the motorway.

Why is the broken window important to the plot?

It shows what Mary left behind: she rushed out because her toilet rolls were on the car's front seat. The stolen rolls and smashed window are the comic peak of her run of bad luck.

Who is Katie, and how does she react?

Katie is a guest at the gathering, and she is friendly to Mary. She asks to swap cake recipes, and the offer, along with Gerri's cake 'in your honour,' softens the scene.

家族の庭 · 全 25 章

すべて見る →
次のチャプター · 第 17 章a mean curryMary Meets Joe's Girlfriend Katie
第 1 章taken your timeA Woman Asks for Sleeping Pills第 2 章the boot on the other footJanet Rates Her Happiness第 3 章a sight for sore eyesMary Confides in Gerri Over Drinks第 4 章raring to goSupper Talk and a Court Case第 5 章middle-aged spreadMary Arrives for Dinner第 6 章had you down asMary's Car and the Eco Debate第 7 章onwards and upwardsMary Confesses Her Old Love第 8 章knackeredJoe Comes Home on Sunday Morning第 9 章same old, same oldKen Visits Tom and Gerri第 10 章stuck in a rutKen Breaks Down at Dinner第 11 章crossed my mindMary Arrives Late With a New Car第 12 章the making ofMary Shows Up in Her New Car第 13 章the world's your oysterMary's Tipsy Talk With Joe第 14 章got carried awayKen Makes a Pass at Mary第 15 章call a spade a spadeJoe Introduces Katie to His Parents再生中 · 第 16 章cut your lossesMary Recounts Her Car Disaster第 17 章a mean curryMary Meets Joe's Girlfriend Katie第 18 章a dark horseTom and Gerri Discuss Joe's Girlfriend第 19 章be glad whenVisiting Ronnie Before the Funeral第 20 章turned upCarl Arrives After the Funeral第 21 章out of the blueAfter the Funeral, Back at Ronnie's第 22 章one of those thingsCarl Confronts Tom at the House第 23 章on the spur of the momentMary Turns Up Unannounced第 24 章bits and bobsMary Visits for a Cup of Tea第 25 章give you a handMary Keeps Ronnie Company
第 16 / 25 章 · 残り約 28 分