Sitcom English Lesson
THE BIG BANG theory
Learn English through comedy scenes.
Sheldon Figures Out Howard's Magic Trick
Howard Wolowitz performs a simple card magic trick that completely mystifies his genius, hyper-logical friend, Sheldon Cooper. Incapable of accepting that he cannot see through a basic illusion, Sheldon goes to extreme scientific lengths—including using thermal imaging, supercomputers, and trying to acquire nuclear materials—to reverse-engineer the "magic," while Howard and Raj secretly enjoy messing with his mind.
Sheldon Cooper - An incredibly smart theoretical physicist who lacks street smarts and hates being outsmarted.
Howard Wolowitz - An aerospace engineer and amateur magician who loves messing with Sheldon.
Raj Koothrappali - Howard's best friend and accomplice in keeping the magic trick a secret.
Leonard Hofstadter - Sheldon's roommate who tries to warn him about committing federal crimes.
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Scene 1: The Lab Overkill
Howard: "Pick a card, Sheldon. Now look at it and put it back in the deck. Do you remember your card?"
Sheldon: "Well, of course I do. I have an eidetic memory."
Leonard: "What's up with the infrared cameras?"
Sheldon: "I'm measuring residual heat levels on the playing cards to determine which one's been touched... I'm using Oak Ridge National Laboratory's supercomputer to analyze shuffling patterns."
Leonard: "Sheldon, hacking into it is a federal crime!"
Scene 2: High-Tech "Showmanship"
Sheldon: "I figured out your magic trick. In fact, I improved upon it... Pick a card. Bippity boppity boo."
Howard: "What's with the wand and the beep?"
Sheldon: "The wand is called showmanship, and the beep is none of your business. Oh, look, my dry cleaning's ready—and your card was the five of spades! Ta-da!"
Howard: "These cards have barcodes on them. The wand is a reader transmitting to your phone. That's pathetic. Let me show you how a real magician does it."
Scene 3: Getting Caught
Leonard: "Why so glum, chum?"
Sheldon: "Apparently, you can't hack into a government supercomputer and then try to buy uranium without the Department of Homeland Security tattling to your mother."
Howard: "Want me to tell you how to do it?"
Sheldon: "No! I'll show you one more time, Raj, but hang on... this time do it with me so I can make sure there's no monkey business."
Howard: "Two of hearts."
Sheldon: "I hate you."
Listen to the scene and fill in the missing words correctly.
- Eidetic (Memory)
- Residual
- Reverse-engineer
- Pathetic
- Showmanship
- Transmitting
- Tattling
Useful Phrases
"Reverse engineering" means taking something apart to see how it works in order to duplicate or modify it.
"None of your business" is an informal, direct way to tell someone that they do not need to know certain information and shouldn't ask about it.
"Why so glum, chum?" is a playful, rhyming expression used to ask a friend why they look sad, disappointed, or downcast.
"Tattling to [someone]" means reporting someone's wrongdoings or secrets to an authority figure (like a parent or teacher) to get them into trouble.
"Monkey business" is an idiom meaning mischievous, deceitful, or dishonest behavior.
Who did the Department of Homeland Security contact after tracking Sheldon's suspicious online activities?
How did Howard instantly figure out Sheldon's "improved" magic trick?
- Sheldon is a genius physicist, but he falls for a very simple prank because he overcomplicates it. Why do highly intellectual people sometimes struggle with simple, everyday scenarios?
- Howard tells Raj that he might explain the trick to Sheldon "when it stops being fun—so never." Is it harmless fun to trick a friend like this, or does it cross the line into being mean?
- Sheldon resorted to using a government supercomputer and looking for radioactive materials on Craigslist to solve a problem. Have you ever gone to ridiculous lengths to solve a minor problem or win an argument?
