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shootout

English translation: option, chance

03:51 Apr 30, 2005
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Cinema, Film, TV, Drama / subtitle
English term or phrase: shootout
Again in a movie dialogue:

When you finish work....
Give you a little lift home.

Well, you were my last shootout
for the night.

What does "shootout" here mean?
Yohanes Sutopo
Local time: 07:02
Selected answer:option, chance
Explanation:
a couple of options

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Note added at 6 mins (2005-04-30 03:57:31 GMT)
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I\'m sure
Selected response from:

David Hollywood
Local time: 21:02
Grading comment
3
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
5 +1option, chance
David Hollywood
3possibly 'customer' (in this context)
Ken Cox
1See comment below...
Tony M


Discussion entries: 6





  

Answers


2 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
option, chance


Explanation:
a couple of options

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 mins (2005-04-30 03:57:31 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I\'m sure

David Hollywood
Local time: 21:02
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 28
Grading comment
3

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Robert Donahue (X): OK, I'm game. How about an example? Something cited somewhere? I've never heard it used that way. If I say it means "chicken sandwich" and give it a confidence level of 5 will that work too?
1 min
  -> sure, and that's what it means
agree  Refugio: but I think it should be written "my last shoot out of here", or even possibly "my last chute out of here" (as in my last parachute out).
2 hrs
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 1/5Answerer confidence 1/5
See comment below...


Explanation:
As others have said, the use of this word seems curious, and on the face of it possibly erroneous, here.

The only thing I can imagine is that it is being used ironically, if for example, this is referring to a waiter/waitress, who is tired after a long evening's work, and regards every interaction with tiresome customers as a kind of 'shootout' [= gun battle] --- having done the job myself, I can certainly empathize! However, even in this case, this word would be an odd choice... I suspect it might be being used mean 'table of several customers', rather than just a single 'customer'.

Unless the waiter has constant battles with the chef --- that's another source of tension that can lead to a near-shootout --- sort of 'food rage' :-))

Tony M
France
Local time: 02:02
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 79
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17 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
possibly 'customer' (in this context)


Explanation:
Given the context of your related questions (with cowboy, draw, etc.) it sounds like the entire dialogue revolves around an extended cowboy metaphor; possibly the bar (or its customers) favours a cowboy theme. In the US, 'cowboy' is often used ironically or humorously to refer to someone who is tough (or likes to think he is), and cowboy-theme bars are not uncommon (including in urban areas far removed from any real cowboys).

'Give you a little lift home' is a classic pickup line, but it could also be intended as a friendly gesture if the two people know each other. I imagine this conversation occurs between a customer (first speaker) and a bartender (second speaker), and 'well, you were my last shootout for the night' may mean 'well, you were my last customer tonight'. To me, it sounds like an indirect agreement to the proposal.

As a further general comment, it's very difficult to suggest translations for dialogue such as this (with lots of allusions, metaphors, and abbreviated sentences) without reading the entire dialogue (and seeing the scene would be even better...).


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Note added at 1 day 1 hr 54 mins (2005-05-01 05:45:19 GMT)
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Afterthoughts:

1. That should read \'to suggest interpretations for...\'.
2. A more general interpretation of \'shootout\' would be \'transaction\', but you would have to decide from the overall dialogue what short of transaction is meant.

Ken Cox
Local time: 02:02
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8
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