Thread: Tan

Is it possible that the phrase "You think this is a tan?" could mean "You think I am lying?"

Originally Posted by alexsms

Is it possible that the phrase "You think this is a tan?" could mean "You think I am lying?"

Not in American English.

And not in British English

"You think I am fibbing" would be another way of saying "you think I am lying?"

The only possible way "You think this is a tan?" could mean "Do you think I'm lying?" would be если "белый" человек загорел, чтобы выдать себя за светлокожого негра! (If a white person had gotten a suntan for the purpose of trying to pass as a light-skinned black.)

Originally Posted by Throbert McGee

The only possible way "You think this is a tan?" could mean "Do you think I'm lying?" would be если "белый" человек загорел, чтобы выдать себя за светлокожого негра! (If a white person had gotten a suntan for the purpose of trying to pass as a light-skinned black.)

!!!!!! This is actually from a conversation in HOUSE M.D. series. The conversation is between two African-Americans (doctor and patient); the patient doesn't believe the doctor. Here is the excerpt:

Patient: What kind of studies you talking about? What kind of studies are there?

Dr. Foreman: They get some patients. They give them some drugs.

Patient: I've had white people lying to me for 60 years.

Dr. Foreman: You think this is a tan? You think they tell you everything? The trouble
with us black folk, we can't tell the difference anymore between racism and everybody gets screwed.

So as I understood Foreman means: "Do you think I am lying? That I am white, and this is a tan?"
Is that what you mean Throbert?

Is it possible that what he really says is "scam", not "tan"?

it's tan, i have the official subtitles (and actually Throbert McGee had somehow figured out that African-Americans are involved even before i posted subtitles here)

In that case, he is referring to his skin colour, and the fact that he is Black.
So it's an American style, sarcastic joke.He's essentially saying: "Do you think I am a white person with a tan? You realise that I am black, don't you?" Implicitly, "I know what you are talking about, because I am black and I am familiar with this topic".

It always take me an eternity to understand this type of American sarcastic humour. And I think I have heard the joke with black Americans referring to having a "tan" before...
That's definitely what is going on then. There is no other explanation.

It's just a part of the whole dialog, which basically refers to racism and whites lying to blacks. I just wouldn't place the whole dialog here cos it's too long.

Duh, I think Hanna has it right. He probably points at himself and asks "Do you think this is a tan?"

Originally Posted by alexsms

So as I understood Foreman means: "Do you think I am lying? That I am white, and this is a tan?"
Is that what you mean Throbert?

Actually, I was thinking more of a scenario like Robert Downey Jr. (from Ironman) playing a white actor who's playing a black soldier in Tropic Thunder. But your understanding of the dialogue in House ("Do you think I'm only pretending to be black?") seems to be totally correct.

An analogous situation could happen between (for example) a Japanese-American patient and a Korean-American doctor:

PATIENT: White people don't understand me! They have no idea what it's like to be a racial minority in America!
DOCTOR: [указывая свои глаза] Um, HELLO?! Do you think I'm only squinting because of the bright lights in here?!

("to squint" = жмуриться, I think)

Or between a female patient and a female doctor:

PATIENT: Men just don't understand women's bodies -- the entire medical industry ignores the special needs of women!
DOCTOR: [указывая свои груди] Do you think I'm smuggling a pair of contraband grapefruits under my shirt?!

So, the "real meaning" is: "Look at who I am -- is it really possible that I could be unfamiliar with your problems?"