Okay it's not Chinese, but what does 'scruth' mean? by TenthCrewMember

FIREFLY CHINESE TRANSLATIONS

Okay it's not Chinese, but what does 'scruth' mean?

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POSTED BY: TENTHCREWMEMBER
UPDATED: Sunday, December 4, 2011 07:25
SHORT URL: http://bit.ly/t83TfO
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Saturday, October 23, 2004 10:03 AM

TENTHCREWMEMBER

Could you please just make it stranger? Stranger. Odder. Could be weirder. More bizarre. How about uncanny?

I was fiddling and doing screen caps with Ariel last night, and for fun I turned on the subtitles.

Now I never quite understood what Mal said all those times I've watched it, but after he mentions the foolproof plan to Jayne, he says " 'Scruth' you might say."

Aroo? Scruth is in quotes, so I assume it is a slang/made up word. What is it supposed to mean?

Thanks!

TCM

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Saturday, October 23, 2004 11:11 AM

HELL'S KITTEN

Quote:
Originally posted by TenthCrewMember:
I was fiddling and doing screen caps with Ariel last night, and for fun I turned on the subtitles.

Now I never quite understood what Mal said all those times I've watched it, but after he mentions the foolproof plan to Jayne, he says " 'Scruth' you might say."

MAL: Seems to me we had a solid plan. Smooth, you might say.

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Saturday, October 23, 2004 4:53 PM

WYDRAZ

Yeah. I think sometimes that those subtitles were written by someone with bad hearing or sumpin'. No offense to anyone at all, but I'd suggest listening to your ears instead of your eyes when it comes to those subtitles.

Oh, and play Strange Adventures in Infinite Space. http://digital-eel.com/sais

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Saturday, October 23, 2004 6:25 PM

TENTHCREWMEMBER

Could you please just make it stranger? Stranger. Odder. Could be weirder. More bizarre. How about uncanny?

"Smooth" is what I thought too at first, but then after seeing the subtitle I played it over again, and maybe it's planted in my subconscious now, but it LOOKS and SOUNDS like he says "scruth". Screwy truth? maybe...hell, I ain't gonna let this eat at me, but I was curious.

que sera.

Cilantro!
TCM

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Saturday, October 23, 2004 6:54 PM

JEBBYPAL

It's just the way he says it w/ an almost long o sound i thing..."smuth" instead of nice concise "smooth". Can't be enunciating like Simon now can he?

The Strawberry Monkey who defends tight pants everywhere!

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Sunday, October 24, 2004 12:05 AM

PURPLEBELLY

Sc'ruth? S'truth!

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Monday, November 1, 2004 4:59 PM

NEUTRINOLAD

I think what he's saying is an abbreviated form of foolproof, altered for space. As in, a space massage is a spassage. In space, if it's foolproof, it's sproof.
That's what it sounds like to me.

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Monday, November 1, 2004 6:33 PM

PUMAMANREDUX

according to british slang strewth! means Exclam. An exclamation of surprise, annoyance or frustration. Derived from God's truth. Also spelt struth. {Informal}.

if that helps you folks .. great

>> Mike

'Trust me - I know what I'm doing!' - Sledge Hammer

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Monday, November 1, 2004 8:23 PM

TENTHCREWMEMBER

Could you please just make it stranger? Stranger. Odder. Could be weirder. More bizarre. How about uncanny?

Sounds like it could be! thanks!

Cilantro!
TCM

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AND
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Monday, November 1, 2004 11:04 PM

SOUPCATCHER

Quote:
Originally posted by PumamanRedux:
'Trust me - I know what I'm doing!' - Sledge Hammer

Off Topic...

Sledge Hammer!!!!!!

I loved that show.

There are three kinds of people: fighters, lovers, and screamers.

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Tuesday, July 4, 2006 10:02 AM

GUYWHOWANTSAFIREFLYOFHISOWN

for me It's always been "scruth"

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/llama.php
-try it out, I dare you

98% of teens have smoked pot, if you are one of the 2% that haven't, copy this into your signature

I'm so into Firefly, my butt glows in the dark.

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Tuesday, July 4, 2006 10:47 AM

CYBERSNARK

Quote:
Originally posted by wydraz:
Yeah. I think sometimes that those subtitles were written by someone with bad hearing or sumpin'.

"You're a rabbit, Mal!"

-----
We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

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Tuesday, July 4, 2006 11:07 AM

DAVESHAYNE

Quote:
Originally posted by Hell's Kitten:
MAL: Seems to me we had a solid plan. Smooth, you might say.

That's how I heard it as well but after listening again I'm hearing scruth. Weird.

Edit to completely change what I had said.

David

"Not completely as well as the series of Firefly..." - From a review of Serenity at amazon.de

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Saturday, July 15, 2006 10:32 PM

PHOENIXROSE

You think you know--what's to come, what you are. You haven't even begun.

Watching it again on Sci-fi

I have to say I heard "smooth" but there's a hitch in the middle of the word, I think because he was leaning back as he said it so maybe his breathing hitched a little or something. It sounded almost like "srooth" but was still quite recognizable as "smooth".
Looks like most folk here agree with me, I just wanted to post...

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Monday, July 24, 2006 10:40 AM

CRUITHNE3753

Makes you wonder why the hell didn't the subtitle people work from the scripts?

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Monday, July 24, 2006 11:00 AM

CALLMESERENITY

Well, according to the transcript here:

http://firefly.shriftweb.org/scripts/108.shtml

it's "smooth".

The scene's different in the shooting script and that line isn't in it.

I agree it sounds like scruth and I'd like it to be scruth. And I'd like scruth to be a word that is a combination of "smooth" and "truth" because that's how it sounds.

Can't believe I'm getting involved.

Oh well, my 2 cents.

Serenity,
First Officer of Destiny
President of The Juggled Gosling Chatroom
Bride8

http://callmeserenity.livejournal.com/

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Sunday, July 30, 2006 6:51 PM

SLAYED

If you listen closely (put it on repeat) Mal is saying "schmooth" (rhymes with vermouth) - not sure why. Like a Jewish slang version of smooth (like schmuck).

I can't explain why it is in the script differently. Maybe they were having fun on the set that day?

If you Google schmooth, you'll find many hits. Here's a fun one from the novel "Without A Home" by E.P. Roe. In that novel the character who says schmooth (the astronomer) is speaking English with a heavy German accent (very Faulkneresque).

There was nothing in her nature which led her to share in his almost fierce delight in the far-away disturbances, and he suddenly stopped and said kindly, "Vy I vrighten you mit sooch pig gommotions? You shust von leedle schild off a voman; und I likes you pegause you haf prain so you see und know vat I say. You see him too mooch, und so you dremble. Dot's goot. If you vas silly you vould giggle. Der schpots ish a goot way offen, und vill nefer virl you away; und next dime I dells you someding schmooth und britty."

So maybe it's German slang? Neither Jewish nor German make sense since Joss has setup an American/Chineese culture. I'm not aware other references in the series to other cultures.

Again, I believe this line was changed on set by the actors or the director. I don't believe that Nathan simply slurred his line.

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Friday, August 11, 2006 5:46 AM

ARAGLAS

Okay, weird theory. Methinks "Scruth" is slang for "inscrutable"

I know it sounds weird, but I'm almost positive it's there on purpose (if only because it makes my teenoid senses tingle).

This is what going mad must feel like...
... No, this is what going mad must feels like!

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Sunday, August 13, 2006 7:52 PM

NOSADSEVEN

I think Nathan did slur the line, but not randomly.

As Mal, he gets that low, gravelly, slurred tone when he's dangerously pissed. Like in the movie when he confronts Simon, "And you never did ask," before throwing him on the table. Nathan acts with his whole body, so maybe it's something about the set of his jaw when he's seriously angry... I've always liked the nuance of it.

In Ariel his tone was a bit brighter, since he was playing with Jayne a bit. But that deep, dangerous anger was right there, and thus, I vote for "smooth".

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ain't. We. Just.

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Sunday, March 28, 2010 8:18 AM

OUTFROMARIEL

Scruth seems to be a druidic term (google "druid" and "scruth"), but beyond this, Not a clue. :)

"Live horse, a pile of panic."

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Sunday, December 4, 2011 7:25 AM

FIREFLYPASSENGER

Just for the record I hear "scruth" too. I googled it and found this as the top link.

However I have replayed it several times and maybe Nathan just kinda mispronounced it.

Instead of saying smooth like booze,
he said sssmmm-uth with the th sounding softer and lighter like truth so we hear "scruth".

Just my 2 cents years later as I just finished watchinging Ariel.

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