See that smell, just sort of travels everywhere

[NamelessKing]

I'm unsure that I heard this correctly (4:53)


See that smell, just sort of travels everywhere

If I did, would it be better to use sense or 'perceive' instead of 'see'?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ba0ZtkXu9R4&t=1s

Cheers.

 

[jutfrank]

You heard correctly.

I don't think Gordon should have said Perceive that smell, no. That's not a natural way of speaking. He might however have said Smell that smell, but even that sounds a bit awkward. It's clear from this that Mr Ramsey doesn't plan his sentences quite as carefully as his barbecues.

 

[GoesStation]

The video isn't available to me, but I wonder if he's actually saying See, that smell just sort of travels everywhere.

 

[jutfrank]

See, that smell just sort of travels everywhere.

Actually, you're half right about this. What actually happens here I believe is that he mixes up two different thoughts, and as a result neither one comes out properly. You might write these two thoughts as each consisting of two pairs of sentences:

1) See that smell? [It] Just sort of travels everywhere.
2) See? That smell just sort of travels everywhere.

He pronounces the first three words (see that smell) in very quick succession and then makes a long pause before continuing.

I strongly suspect that he started out trying to say the first part of thought 1 and then, during the pause, probably realising that the idea of 'seeing' a smell doesn't make a lot of sense, attempted to repair the sentence by predicating what was previously the object of the sentence (that smell) to become the subject of a new sentence, i.e., thought 2.

If you pause the video at 4:55, you can actually see this reparation happening. He releases eye contact from the girl he's talking to, and for a split second his eyes defocus and go down and to the right—clearly entering 'search mode' as I would call it. He's monitoring his speech here. It's only as he raises his eyes to lock eye contact again that he proceeds with the newly repaired sentence.


GS—if you're interested, you could try this different video: go to 5:26.

 

[GoesStation]

Thanks for finding this version of the video. I can hear it as I punctuated it above. He sounds like he's drawing out smell for emphasis, with a little pause after the word to give him a chance for another little sniff.

I like my interpretation because it would be so unnatural to say See that smell?

 

[NamelessKing]

Thanks for finding this version of the video. I can hear it as I punctuated it above. He sounds like he's drawing out smell for emphasis, with a little pause after the word to give him a chance for another little sniff.

I like my interpretation because it would be so unnatural to say See that smell?

Is "catch that smell" correct?

 

[GoesStation]

Is "catch that smell" correct?

I'm afraid that doesn't work.

 

[jutfrank]

He could have just said Smell that.

 

[emsr2d2]

Or, to quote my favourite cartoon (TrapDoor), "Sniff that!"

 

[GoesStation]

Is "catch that smell" correct?

I'm afraid that doesn't work.

You can, however, say that you caught a whiff of an aroma (in American English). It means you were just able to smell something.

 

[emsr2d2]

You can, however, say that you caught a whiff of an aroma (in American English). It means you were just able to smell something.

That works in BrE too. In fact, just a couple of weeks ago, I took part in this exchange:

Mum: Do your neighbours smoke dope?
Me: Why?
Mum: Oh, I just caught a whiff of weed as I walked past their door.
Me: Yup. It pretty much smells of that all the time.

 

[Yankee]

I would prefer, "Do you detect that odor?".

 

[jutfrank]

That works in BrE too. In fact, just a couple of weeks ago, I took part in this exchange:

Mum: Do your neighbours smoke dope?
Me: Why?
Mum: Oh, I just caught a whiff of weed as I walked past their door.
Me: Yup. It pretty much smells of that all the time.

Blame it on the neighbours—nice one. ;-)