THE BIG LEBOWSKI

Ethan and Joel Coen

USA 1998

This iconic and beautifully made film by the Cohen brothers celebrates the shifting fortune of arch anti-hero the Dude in a sharp parody of life in California at the end of the last century. As with all great movies, The Big Lebowski anticipates many of the issues that have a significant bearing on our sorry world today. A quarter of a century on, this innovative movie has lost none of its irony and quirky sense of humor.

Language level:

Despite the funny colloquialisms, the film is easy to follow. Halfway through the film, the Dude is reproached for his excessive use of bad language: you cuss too much, comments a barroom stranger.

Mark

Key words and expressions:

Urban achiever

ROTC

To micturate

Forehead

Nihilist

Show dog

Conscientious objector

It contravenes a number of by-laws

Competitors bested!

Soiled rug

Creep

I didn’t watch my buddies face down in the muck so that fucking strumpet….

Undies

To settle for

Krout

Shabbat

Car trunk

To stink to high heaven

Nympho

To bang

To take for a ride

Rash

Beverage

To blather

Tenfold

Johnson

Vagrant

To work (in) shifts

Park ranger

Buck-up!

To cheer-up

Cross words

Pad

Smart business

Jerk-off

To mingle

Uptight