Question
Updated on
19 Dec 2014
- Japanese
-
English (US)
-
Simplified Chinese (China)
Question about English (US)
What does Raj mean in his last several lines?
Raj: Sorry. I lost my cool.
Leonard: So, what's going on?
Raj: Okay, here's the deal, six months ago, my research testing the predicted composition of trans-Neptunian objects ran into a dead end.
Howard: So?
Raj: So, my visa's only good as long as I'm employed at the university, and when they find out I've got squat, they're going to cut me off. By the way, when I say squat, I mean diddly-squat. I wish I had squat.
What does Raj mean in his last several lines?
Raj: Sorry. I lost my cool.
Leonard: So, what's going on?
Raj: Okay, here's the deal, six months ago, my research testing the predicted composition of trans-Neptunian objects ran into a dead end.
Howard: So?
Raj: So, my visa's only good as long as I'm employed at the university, and when they find out I've got squat, they're going to cut me off. By the way, when I say squat, I mean diddly-squat. I wish I had squat.
Raj: Sorry. I lost my cool.
Leonard: So, what's going on?
Raj: Okay, here's the deal, six months ago, my research testing the predicted composition of trans-Neptunian objects ran into a dead end.
Howard: So?
Raj: So, my visa's only good as long as I'm employed at the university, and when they find out I've got squat, they're going to cut me off. By the way, when I say squat, I mean diddly-squat. I wish I had squat.
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- English (US)
It means he doesn't have anything to show for his work and will be fired and lose his visa
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- Japanese
Does "I've got squat." happen to have other meanings than Raj first meant?
- English (US)
- Simplified Chinese (China)
Not really. It just means "I have nothing." Diddly is just an intensifier here.
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- Japanese
So how does the very last sentence by Raj make sense? In my understanding, Raj wish he had some results. Doesn't that contradict his last sentence?
- English (US)
- Simplified Chinese (China)
With the last sentence he's just making a play on words. Something like:
"Now I really have absolutely nothing. I wish I had nothing."
He's just emphasizing how screwed he is.
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- Japanese
You couldn't learn this kind of thing from any material other than if I actually ask native speakers. Thanks a lot.
- English (US)
This is heavy slang. You're right, the last line "I wish I has squat," doesn't really make sense, but native English speakers would understand that to mean "I wish I had something." This is like how some say "I don't got nothing," which grammatically means "I have something," but the person really means "I don't have anything." Hope that's not too confusing! Just know that diddly squat is heavy slang that few people actually use.
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- English (US)
- Simplified Chinese (China)
Also it's really old-fashioned slang. I can't recall a single person I know of my generation using it before.
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- English (US)
Haha love that show, if you ever need help understanding Sheldon feel free to ask :P
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- Japanese
There are lots of Japanese expressions anyone knows that nobody uses. Maybe diddly squat is the same type.
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