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Gamboler Posted 7 years ago
Vocabulary

Melon bees or mala beads

I missed just two words in this dialogue (British movie, 1958):

- Are you still at the foundry job?

- Yes, where else could I be? Night watchman. Sure it's ******** for all of us, me, Paddy and Dave too. Dave and Paddy work in the office.

I know that he means that every member of the family is working at the foundry, that they get their bread an butter (means of subsistence) working there, but he doesn't say "bread and butter", it's something that sounds like "melon bees" or "mala beads". None of these expressions make sense to me. So I wonder what he is saying.


Link to the audio of this expression (no registration needed):

https://vocaroo.com/i/s024Yn3gfmq9


Thanks in advance.

  

Top answer

The link doesn't work. But given the context and the sentence structure, it would seem that it would have to be something like: "Sure it's ... " Maybe one of the following: Sure, it's got a place for all of us...

— Anonymous

  • The link doesn't work.
  • But given the context and the sentence structure, it would seem that it would have to be something like: "Sure it's ...
  • " Maybe one of the following: Sure, it's got a place for all of us...
  • Sure, there's a piece (of it) for all of us...
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6 Answers
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The link doesn't work. But given the context and the sentence structure, it would seem that it would have to be something like: "Sure it's ... a piece/place for all of us." Maybe one of the following:


Sure, it's got a place for all of us...

Sure, there's a piece (of it) for all of us...

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Maybe also:


"Sure the mill [that is, the foundry] owns (a) piece ["mill owns (a) piece" is where you get "melon bees"] of all of us..."


"Sure the mill's a place for all of us..."

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I cut and pasted the link and listened to the clip. I can't make out what he is saying. He seems to have an Irish accent. What is the name of the movie, and where in the movie does he say it? If I can hear him talk some more or can grasp the context, I might be able to get it.

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Thanks CalifJim.

You are right, the movie is "Tread Softly Stranger". The sentence is between minutes 5 and 6 (05:44 exactly)

There's no script available online and the movie doesn't have subtitles in any language.

The name of the actor who says that sentence is Joseph Tomelty, born in Portaferry (Norther Ireland).

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Don't worry to answer.

Now I've found the word: It's Mallaby's, the name of the factory in the movie. I checked the filming locations and the imdb page says: "Park Gate Iron & Steel Mill - now demolished, Aldwarke Road, Parkgate, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, UK (Mallaby's Steel Mill in the movie)"

Sorry for the inconvenience.

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I listened to the clip and it sounds like: "Sure is Mallaby's for all of us…"

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