Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[erik19283]

Hello,

In the second XXX movie, near the end when Samuel L. Jackson is in the helicopter just after the president has been rescued, he tells the president that he thinks someone deserves a presidential commendation. The president answers something like "yes, of course, and then some". Then, Samuel L. Jackson repeats "and then some" but with a somewhat annoyed look on his face. Why? What does "and then some" mean?

Thank you.

[cgage2]

"and then some" means "extra", "more".
The Jackson character is being sarcastic which can make the meaning a little bit subtle if you're not a native speaker. This is an interestring point since it illustrates how people in different cultures evolve their own nuances of communication. You dig?

("You dig?" was just such an example.) "You dig" means "do you understand?"
For a non-native speaker, this means "dig" like "dig a hole". A native speaker understands a number of colloquial connotations which could be humorous, sarcastic or even angry.
Learning English from movies about crime, drugs, or street life in the US could be problematic for ELL's.