to take a very long time
God. This takes ages.Belfast · 2021 — 第 7 / 14 章 · 3'01" · B2
Buddy Learns to Game the Odds, Explained：benefit of the doubt
An old man turns Buddy's maths homework into a lesson in odds: scribble the numbers so the teacher gives him the benefit of the doubt, and bet on more than one horse. Buddy objects there is only one right answer, and gets the film's coldest reply: "people wouldn't be blowing themselves up all over this town."
あらすじ
At the kitchen table, an older man helps Buddy with long division, then teaches him how to game his schoolwork: make the figures illegible and hope the teacher gives him the benefit of the doubt, which he calls spread betting. Buddy protests that there is only one right answer. Later Buddy prays to marry Catherine and win at football. He ends up second at school.
注目の表現
long divisionbenefit of the doubtspread bettinglook for trouble
00:00 / 03:01Space 再生 · ← → セリフ移動 · R リピート
いま
このシーンの表現
benefit of the doubt
to trust someone despite doubts
Pop tells Buddy to smudge his numbers so the teacher may lean his way.
I'll give you the benefit of the doubt this time, but bring the notes tomorrow.
このシーンの他の表現
- long division
long division, and a pun on how long it takes
- spread betting
a fancy rebrand of cheating
- look for trouble
to invite a fight or problem
- kill crazy
obsessed with killing, murderous
- can't be bothered
cannot be bothered to do something
このシーンのメモ一覧
53 行のセリフに 23 件のメモ
it is no surprise that
No wonder they call it long division.Run call and it together; the t stays light.
No wonder they call it long division.to check that something is done
And now just make sure y-your numbers aren't very clear to read.to trust someone despite doubts
Pop tells Buddy to smudge his numbers so the teacher may lean his way.
She might give you the benefit of the doubt if your seven looks like a one with a fancy tail, right?to leave someone uncertain
Right? Keep her guessing.Gets and you merge; it can sound like get-cha.
And if it gets you moved up by one seat to bask in the light of her glory, then you're off to the races.subjunctive conditional: Were instead of was marks an unreal condition, so the line denies the boy's simple view.
If that were true, son, people wouldn't be blowing themselves up all over this town.dad, in Irish speech — Irish dialect for dad; keep it among family.
I think my da wants us to leave Belfast.to say one's evening prayers
when I say my prayers, I ask God if he'd fix it so that when I wake up in the morning,noun clause: The if-clause after ask God reports exactly what the boy prays for.
when I say my prayers, I ask God if he'd fix it so that when I wake up in the morning,to become an adult
And then I also ask him as well that when I grow up, can I marry Catherine.to invite a fight or problem
In the western on TV, a man needles Doniphon with a blunt, are-less challenge.
You looking for trouble, Doniphon?obsessed with killing, murderous
In the gunfight on screen, a character damns a whole town as murderous in one shouted line.
Everybody in this country kill crazy?!an exasperated oath — An annoyed exclamation; may offend the devout.
Well, I can't come home every weekend, for God's sake.cannot be bothered to do something
Ma tells Da that if he will not make the effort, he should not blame her later.
Well, if you can't be bothered, well, then don't blame me -for what them boys get up to. -That's not what I'm saying.to do something mischievous
Well, if you can't be bothered, well, then don't blame me -for what them boys get up to. -That's not what I'm saying.The t in can't often drops before b; practise can' be.
Well, if you can't be bothered, well, then don't blame me -for what them boys get up to. -That's not what I'm saying.guys, mates — Casual address to a group of men.
Right, that's 6:00 a.m., fellas.you, plural, in dialect — A dialect plural of you; not for writing.
That's youse done.a slow, dawdling person — A teasing word for someone slow.
Come on, Mr. Slowpoke.instead of, in place of
Reading out the results, the teacher wraps a small favour in official language and gets a laugh.
Well, Mr. Buddy, you may not have improved your handwriting in maths, for which this once, in lieu of your intensified efforts, we will be willing to give you the benefit of the doubt,prepositional relative clause: For which links the reason back to the main clause instead of starting a new sentence.
Well, Mr. Buddy, you may not have improved your handwriting in maths, for which this once, in lieu of your intensified efforts, we will be willing to give you the benefit of the doubt,「Buddy Learns to Game the Odds」を読み解く
What's really going on
The charm of the scene is how gently it smuggles in a brutal idea. A man teaching a child to bluff a teacher — "Make sure your numbers aren't very clear to read" — is really teaching him that truth is negotiable and that the house always wins if you spread your bets. Buddy pushes back with the moral clarity of a child: "But sure there's only one right answer." The reply cuts straight to the point: "If that were true, son, people wouldn't be blowing themselves up all over this town." In a city where the same God is claimed by both sides, even arithmetic becomes a lesson in odds, identity, and survival. The scene never says the man is wrong — only that certainty is a luxury Belfast cannot afford.
Theme
Coming of ageA child is taught that rules are negotiable, then tests that lesson in school and in prayer.
IdentityIn a divided city, even a maths answer becomes a question of which side you are on.
このチャプターで学べること
- One right answer is a child's idea of fairness
- Pop rebrands cheating as spread betting
- The boy's prayer is really a wish list
- Smudged numbers buy a second chance
発音のポイント
- call it — Run call and it together; the t stays light.
- gets you — Gets and you merge; it can sound like get-cha.
- can't be — The t in can't often drops before b; practise can' be.
But sure there's only one right answer.Buddy's objection: arithmetic has a single correct answer, so why bother gaming it? The man's reply turns this into the scene's real question.
If that were true, son, people wouldn't be blowing themselves up all over this town.The lesson's dark punchline: if there were one right answer, Belfast's sectarian killing would make no sense. Certainty, the scene suggests, is what people die for.
What right do you have to interfere?A blunt challenge to someone stepping into a fight that isn't theirs: what gives you the right to get involved?
I have to keep those boys where I can see 'em.A parent's reason for wanting control: if the boys are not watched, they will be drawn into the street's violence. The line explains the household's anxiety.
このシーンについての質問
Why does the man tell Buddy to make his handwriting unreadable?
He is teaching Buddy to game the odds: an ambiguous figure lets the teacher give him the benefit of the doubt instead of marking it wrong. It is the same logic as betting on several horses at once.
What does the 'people blowing themselves up' line mean?
It is the scene's answer to Buddy's belief in one right answer. If certainty were enough, the man argues, Belfast's bombing campaign would not exist — people kill precisely because everyone is sure they are right.
Is Buddy really second in his class?
Yes. The school announcement puts him in second position after praising his improved score. It lands as a small, funny echo of the odds lesson: he improved without becoming good.
What does Buddy pray for?
Every night he asks God to make him the best footballer in the world and to let him marry Catherine when he grows up — even if she still loves Ronnie Boyd. It shows how he tries to bargain with fate.
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次のチャプター · 第 8 章cut out forBuddy and Moira Steal Chocolate
第 1 章keep your head downBuddy Caught in a Street Riot
第 2 章none of your businessBelfast Builds the Barricades
第 3 章kick with the left footBelfast Family Argues About Religion
第 4 章double-bluffBilly Clanton Threatens the Family
第 5 章drowning in debtPa and Ma Argue About Leaving Belfast
第 6 章what's yours is mineBuddy's School Crush
再生中 · 第 7 章benefit of the doubtBuddy Learns to Game the Odds
第 8 章cut out forBuddy and Moira Steal Chocolate
第 9 章in the clearThe Tax Letter Backfires
第 10 章bet the houseThe Family Debates Moving to Australia
第 11 章welcome us with open armsDa Asks Ma to Move to England
第 12 章money's a bit tightGrandpa Tells Buddy Who He Is
第 13 章paving the way forBuddy Gets Pulled Into the Riot
第 14 章one last timeThe Family Remembers Grandpa第 7 / 14 章 · 残り約 22 分