Frasier: After the Spelling Bee

A spelling bee is a competition where children (or occasionally adults) take turns spelling until one of them misses a word and is eliminated.

In this clip from Frasier, Frasier's son Frederick won the spelling bee trophy, but the judges instead gave it to his rival, Warren, because Frasier was mouthing the spelling letters along with Frederick and the judges thought they had cheated.



Freddie: I can outspell you anytime, anyplace/

Warren: Oh, yeah? How about right now?

Warren's dad, John: A...an... Hold on, son. We don't have to prove anything.

Freddie: I can take you in five words.

Warren: Okay, you're on! For the trophy!

Warren's dad: Wai...wait... We already have the trophy. Crane, why don't you talk some sense into your boy there?

Frasier: Freddie

Freddie: Dad. I wanna spell.

Frasier: What's the matter, John. You scared?

John: For the trophy.

Tournament official: We have already selected an official winner. If you would like to brawl, take it someplace else.

John: Let's take it outside!

Frasier: To the street! [Group moves outside] Sudden death. Scripps-Howard rules.

John: Bring it on.

Niles: People! Stop, please! Look at yourselves! This is wrong. What are words, after all, but a way to communicate? To bring us together? But you! You're using them as weapons! Now we still have an opportunity to walk away from here as winners. And wouldn't that be the greatest "spellabration" of all?

Frasier: He's right, son. Let's go home.

John: Yeah. We're all winners. 'Cept for the two cheaters.

Warren: Hey, you know how to spell 'loser'? C-R-A-N-E.

John: You don't have to worry about ever seeing him again, son. Chances are he'll end up at a state school.

Niles: How...DARE you? [to Freddie] Can you take him?

Freddie: Yeah.

Niles: Then spell his ass off!

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Vocabulary/idioms

outspell: Spell better. The prefix "out" is often used to show that one person can do something better than another. Ex: Outdo, outclass, outrun, etc.

I can take you: I can beat you. I can win.

you're on: I accept the challenge. Usu. used for bets or competitions. One person challenges, the other agrees by saying, "You're on."

If you would like to brawl, take it someplace else: This expression was used a lot in Western movies when cowboys would start to fight in saloons/bars. It's humorous to hear it used for spelling.

talk some sense into: make him see reason, keep him from doing something bad. Ex.: My mom wants to give all her money to that preacher on TV. Can you talk some sense into her?

wanna: Want to. Common in spoken English.

Sudden death: A competition rule where the first person to miss is out. In sports, it means the first person/team to score wins.

Scripps-Howard rules: Scripps-Howard is the newspaper company that sponsors US spelling bees. Their rules are used for official spelling competitions.

Bring it on: A slang way of saying, "Let's see your best." Used mostly be younger people when one challenges another. Similar to "Show me what you've got." (Also the title of a movie about a cheerleading competition.)

Spellabration: A word Niles makes up combining "spell" and "celebration.

'Cept: Except. Used sometimes in spoken conversation.

Chances are he'll end up at a state school: For intellectual snobs like the Cranes, this is an insult. It implies that Freddie will not be smart enough to get into a high-level, private Ivy League school. (In reality in the US, many state-run schools are high-quality.)

Can you take him?: Can you beat him? Can you win?

spell his ass off!: (Vulgar -- not the kind of thing you say in front of your mother-in-law or your boss!) A slang expression that here means, "Beat him at spelling." In real life, "[verb] [someone's] ass off" is a crude way to describe things that require a lot of effort, or which one person thinks he/she can do better than another.
Ex: "My boss worked my ass off today" = "My boss made me work hard."
Or: "You think you can [verb] better than me? I can [verb] your ass off."