LEONARD:
Sheldon, this is superfluid helium. Put this in your mouth, your tongue will freeze and break off.

SHELDON:
Does it smell like blueberries?

LEONARD:
No.

SHELDON:
Then we’re probably okay.

HOWARD:
Hey, your paper got mentioned on the Quantum Diaries physics blog.

LEONARD:
Really? What’d they say?

HOWARD:
It’s basically a summary of the theory, but there’s a bunch of positive comments on the message board.

LEONARD:
Let me see. Let me see.

LEONARD:
One calls it “insightful and innovative.” We’re insightful and innovative.

SHELDON:
Ooh, nice to meet you, Mr. Insightful.

LEONARD:
Oh, the pleasure is mine, Mr. Innovative.

LEONARD:
Another one says, “The concept shows some real out-of-the-box thinking.”

LEONARD:
Do you hear that, Mr. Out-Of-The?

SHELDON:
I do, indeed, Mr. Box-Thinking.

HOWARD:
How are you today, Mr. Can-You-Believe-These-Jackasses?

RAJ:
Just dandy, Mr. I-Wish-I-Was-Better-At-Improv.

SHELDON:
Read another one.

LEONARD:
Okay, okay. Um…

“The analogy between space-time and a supercooled fluid is either meaningless or false.”

“I wish this blog would devote itself to real science instead of wasting our time with crackpot, wannabe theoreticians in a rush to publish.”

SHELDON:
Who wrote that?

LEONARD:
It’s anonymous. Username, “General Relativity.”

SHELDON:
Well, I’m responding to it.

LEONARD:
Uh, don’t lower yourself to their level.

SHELDON:
Look, I am simply going to defend our work, scientist to scientist. And failing that, suggest that his mother enjoys a string of both human and non-human lovers.

LEONARD:
Sheldon, my name’s on that paper, too. There’s no upside to doing this.

SHELDON:
He just left another comment.

RAJ:
What does it say?

LEONARD:
“Upon review, I’ve changed my mind about the Cooper-Hofstadter hypothesis that space-time is like a superfluid. In fact, it’s inspired me to come up with my own theory.”

“Maybe space-time is like two clowns with their heads in a bucket, much like Cooper and Hofstadter.”

SHELDON:
Can I respond now?

LEONARD:
Do it.

SHELDON:
You mess with the bull, you get the horns. I’m about to show this guy just how horny I can be.

LEONARD:
Somebody else do it.

RAJ:
Did he respond yet?

LEONARD:
No, not yet.

RAJ:
Maybe we shouldn’t have sunk to his level.

LEONARD:
It wasn’t that bad.

RAJ:
Read it back one more time.

SHELDON:
My good sir, we are neither crackpots nor wannabes. In fact, we are experts in our fields, and while you hide behind your anonymity, we stand behind our paper and later tonight, your mother..

LEONARD:
You don’t think that’s too rough?

SHELDON:
We’re just standing behind her. We’re not going to say “boo” and scare her.

VOCABULARY

• superfluid helium = hélio superfluido
• tongue = língua
• freeze = congelar
• break off = quebrar / se desprender
• paper = artigo científico
• mentioned = mencionado
• summary = resumo
• positive comments = comentários positivos
• insightful = perspicaz / cheio de ideias
• innovative = inovador
• out-of-the-box thinking = pensamento fora da caixa
• message board = fórum / quadro de mensagens
• meaningless = sem sentido
• false = falso
• crackpot = excêntrico / maluco
• wannabe = alguém que quer parecer algo que não é
• anonymous = anônimo
• username = nome de usuário
• defend = defender
• work = trabalho
• respond = responder
• horns = chifres
• improv = improvisação
• field = área / campo de atuação
• anonymity = anonimato

____________________________________________________

EXPRESSIONS & PHRASES

“Let me see.”

Meaning: Deixa eu ver.

Uma expressão extremamente comum usada quando queremos ver algo que outra pessoa está mostrando ou falando.

“Do you hear that?”

Meaning: Você está ouvindo isso?

Aqui Sheldon usa a expressão de maneira irônica para brincar com o comentário positivo que acabaram de receber.

“There’s no upside to doing this.”

Meaning: Não há vantagem em fazer isso.

Upside = vantagem / aspecto positivo de uma situação.

“Don’t lower yourself to their level.”

Meaning: Não se rebaixe ao nível deles.

Uma expressão usada quando alguém está se comportando mal e você aconselha outra pessoa a não fazer o mesmo.

“You mess with the bull, you get the horns.”

Meaning: Se você mexer com o touro, vai levar uma chifrada.

É uma expressão idiomática usada para dizer que quem provoca uma situação perigosa deve esperar as consequências.

Sheldon ainda faz um trocadilho com horns / horny, o que torna a fala engraçada no contexto.

“I’m about to…”

Meaning: Estou prestes a…

Estrutura usada para falar de algo que vai acontecer muito em breve.

I’m about to show you.
= Estou prestes a mostrar a você.

• What is Leonard working with at the beginning of the scene?
• What happened to Leonard and Sheldon’s paper?
• Where was their paper mentioned?
• What did the first comments say about their work?
• What did the anonymous user criticize?
• What username did the anonymous user use?
• Why does Leonard tell Sheldon not to respond?
• What does Sheldon threaten to do?
• What analogy does the anonymous user make about space-time?
• What does Sheldon mean when he says, “You mess with the bull, you get the horns”?