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Interstate 60 · 2002 — 第 14 / 22 章 · 3'30" · B2

Neal Goes to Work for Bob Cody, Explained：call the shots

A rich stranger named Bob Cody hires Neal to drive him, on one condition: he pays, so he gives the orders. "When I hitchhike, I'm at the mercy of the driver" is his explanation; paying makes him the employer instead. The contract spells out gas, radio, and honesty.

あらすじ

Neal takes the motel room but refuses the three-hundred-dollar finder's fee. The next day he meets Bob Cody, a man who does not drive and will not hitchhike: paying for the ride makes him the employer, he says, so he gives the orders. Cody hires Neal on a strict contract, and their first stop will be Renburg.

Job interviewNegotiationBargainingPromisingBoss & employeeB2mediumamericanClean
IMDb ↗

注目の表現

at the mercy ofcall the shotson payrollcheck out

00:00 / 03:30
Space 再生 · ← → セリフ移動 · R リピート
いま
  24. ❝ 独白Neal's highway voice-over4 行練習ページ ↗
  44. ❝ 独白Cody's contract terms8 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

call the shots

be in control

Cody insists that paying makes him the employer, so he calls the shots.

In this kitchen, she calls the shots.

このシーンの他の表現

  • at the mercy of

    powerless under someone

  • on payroll

    officially employed

  • check out

    go and look at

  • play straight with

    be honest with someone

  • finders fee

    a payment for a referral

このシーンのメモ一覧

67 行のセリフに 22 件のメモ

表現 · B2a finders fee

a payment for a referral

Because Neal brought Susan to town, the official offers him a three-hundred-dollar finders fee.

Plus, you get.a 300 dollars finders fee.
表現 · B2increase the labor pool

the available workforce

You've just increased our labor pool.
表現 · B1the rest of something

what is left of it

I never got the rest of the 53 bucks, but, given the dynamics of Interstate 60, I wasn't concerned.
文法 · B2given the dynamics of Interstate 60

given phrase: Given plus a noun phrase means considering, and it frames the reason for his calm.

I never got the rest of the 53 bucks, but, given the dynamics of Interstate 60, I wasn't concerned.
スラング · A2bucks

dollars — Casual for dollars; use dollars in formal talk.

I never got the rest of the 53 bucks, but, given the dynamics of Interstate 60, I wasn't concerned.
文法 · C1What did concern me, was whether

subject clause: The what-clause is the subject, and did adds emphasis before the whether-clause.

What did concern me, was whether something else was inevitable.
表現 · B2be quite the character

quite a memorable person

The inevitable something down the road, was 20 miles ahead, and he was quite the character.
文法 · B2he was quite the character

quite the noun: Quite the character is an idiomatic way to call someone memorable or odd.

The inevitable something down the road, was 20 miles ahead, and he was quite the character.
スラング · A1Hey

hi there — Casual greeting; use hello in formal talk.

Hey, Bob Cody.
表現 · B2be at the mercy of someone

powerless under someone

Cody explains why he never hitchhikes: it leaves him at the mercy of the driver.

When I hitchhike, I'm at the mercy of the driver.
発音at the mercy

The in at the is reduced and barely voiced.

When I hitchhike, I'm at the mercy of the driver.
表現 · B2call the shots

be in control

Cody insists that paying makes him the employer, so he calls the shots.

But when I pay for the ride, I'm the employer, and I call the shots.
発音call the shots

Run call the shots together as one unit.

But when I pay for the ride, I'm the employer, and I call the shots.
表現 · A2work for someone

be employed by me

So, you wanna work for me?
スラング · A2wanna

want to — Everyday speech; avoid it in writing.

So, you wanna work for me?
表現 · B1be on someone's way

on the same route

- Good, I'm going to Renburg, it's on your way.
表現 · A2pay for something

cover the cost of

You pay for gas, pay for your meals.
表現 · B2be on payroll

officially employed

Cody lists his terms, banning alcohol for as long as Neal is on payroll.

No alcohol while you're on payroll.
表現 · B2play straight with someone

be honest with someone

Cody closes the contract with a fair-deal promise: be straight with me and I will be straight with you.

You play straight with me, I'll play straight with you.
発音straight with

The final t in straight often drops before with.

You play straight with me, I'll play straight with you.
スラング · B1You got it

sure, will do — A casual yes; too loose for formal settings.

- You got it, sir.
表現 · A2check out something

go and look at

Once Cody heads to Renburg, Neal knows he has to check out the Museum of Art Fraud there.

I knew then that I'd had to check out that museum.

「Neal Goes to Work for Bob Cody」を読み解く

What's really going on

The chapter is about the little ethics of the road. Neal refuses the finder's fee because the money came from turning a woman's trouble into profit, and the refusal costs him sleep rather than pleasing him. Then Cody enters with the opposite philosophy: he pays so that he can command, and he is honest about it — "When I hitchhike, I'm at the mercy of the driver." His contract is absurdly detailed, down to the radio and who speaks first, because control is the only thing he really bought. The two men are a study in contrasts: one refuses an advantage out of conscience, the other pays to make sure no one ever has an advantage over him.

Theme

MoneyCody's contract turns money into control: whoever pays calls the shots, and he wants every detail decided in advance.
TrustNeal refuses money he did not earn, while Cody writes honesty into a contract before trusting anyone.

このチャプターで学べること

  • Cody turns a car ride into a business deal.
  • Neal refuses the reward that treats a person as goods.
  • The voice-over makes coincidence sound like a law.
  • Every clause Cody lists is really about power.

発音のポイント

  • at the mercy — The in at the is reduced and barely voiced.
  • call the shots — Run call the shots together as one unit.
  • straight with — The final t in straight often drops before with.
When I hitchhike, I'm at the mercy of the driver.

Cody's reason for never hitchhiking: without paying, the passenger has no control over where or how the trip goes.

But when I pay for the ride, I'm the employer, and I call the shots.

His whole philosophy in one line: money buys the right to decide, which is why he hires Neal instead of riding along.

You play straight with me, I'll play straight with you.

The honesty clause of the contract: he expects no tricks and offers none, which is as close as Cody comes to trust.

Somebody offers you an advantage. take it.

The advice Neal is given after turning down the finder's fee: the road is telling him to accept what comes, which he cannot bring himself to do.

このシーンについての質問

Why does Neal refuse the finder's fee?

The money was paid because he brought a new worker to the town, turning a woman's trouble into profit. He keeps the room but cannot accept the cash.

Why won't Bob Cody drive or hitchhike?

He wants to be in control. Driving himself is one way; if he rides, he pays, because paying makes him the employer who calls the shots.

What does "call the shots" mean?

It means to be the one who makes the decisions. Cody uses it to explain why he pays for rides: the payer gives the orders.

What are the terms of Cody's contract?

Neal pays for his own gas and meals, drinks no alcohol while employed, lets Cody choose the radio and start conversations, and is paid ten dollars an hour plus mileage.

Where are Neal and Cody going?

To Renburg, which suits Neal because the Museum of Art Fraud is there. Grant had already told him to visit it, so the stop feels inevitable.

Interstate 60 · 全 22 章

すべて見る →
次のチャプター · 第 15 章safety valveCody Explains the Frontier Theory
第 1 章take a shine to someoneThe Legend of O.W. Grant第 2 章take that to the bankNeal's Dad Hijacks His Birthday Lunch第 3 章be wiredNeal Takes the Card Test第 4 章make a big dealNeal's Fortune Cookie Is Blank第 5 章not give a moment's thoughtOtis Says Life Is Like High School第 6 章here's the dealRay Offers Neal a Job第 7 章happily ever afterNeal Meets O.W. Grant第 8 章buy itNeal Argues About Interstate 60第 9 章long shotsThe Diner Eating Bet第 10 章joker in life's deckGrant's Joker in the Deck Speech第 11 章drove me nutsNeal Picks Up Laura第 12 章at all costsNeal Picks Up Susan第 13 章pay the priceA Mother Tries to Reclaim Her Son再生中 · 第 14 章call the shotsNeal Goes to Work for Bob Cody第 15 章safety valveCody Explains the Frontier Theory第 16 章hold someone to somethingCody Makes a Panhandler Work第 17 章a breath of fresh airDying Adman Confesses to Neal第 18 章roll over in one's graveThe Museum of Art Fraud第 19 章fall on your shouldersNeal Gets Trapped in Morlaw第 20 章a railroad jobCody Pulls Dynamite in Court第 21 章too good to be trueLynn Tests Neal With the Princess Test第 22 章take it to the bankPolice Box In the Wrong Man
第 14 / 22 章 · 残り約 28 分