Meaning

[Wsne]

Hi everyone! I need your help with some kind of translation. Let me explain.. In the animated Frozen movie (2013) there is a scene where a snowman Olaf goes through an icy cave and gets impaled on an icicle. Then he says: "I've been impaled!". The thing is that I come from an european country and I don't know English very well. So my question is: is there any another translation of the sentence "I've been impaled" except the literal one? I mean this scene is funny for you guys 'cause your basic language is English but I really don't know the other, funny in this case meaning of the sentence. Producers of animated movies like Frozen sometimes play with words and some simple sentences mean something else. I like to watch movies in English but in this case it's really hard to understand why this scene is so funny. I hope you've seen this film and you can help me. Thanks!

[Obiter]

Can't help you, except to say that for someone who claims not to know English very well your post is in perfect English. Many native English speakers could not write as well as you do.

[jourdain2]

I can't think of another meaning of 'I've been impaled!'. Some sub-culture or other may use it as a synonym for rape, I suppose, but if so I've never heard of it.

[hc4361]

I think it's funny because there is a delay between the impaling and him saying it - he didn't notice and his feet carried on walking.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Frozen+-+I%27ve+been+impaled&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a&channel=fflb&gfe_rd=cr&ei=oh4XVN2LJvHH8gf4jYK4BA

[hc4361]

I meant to add, there is no double meaning to 'I've been impaled', it isn't slang for anything else.

[Peter Pedant]

I have been impaled = I have been spiked

I have been spiked has an obscene meaning and is unsuitable for a cartoon.
Impaled is very closely associated with Vlad the Impaler ( Bracula ) and that is pretty advanced for cartoons.

happens in all European languages.

[Obiter]

I have never heard the expression 'I've been spiked', nor do I understand the obscene connection.

[Mamyalynne]

I agree with HC,it's the comedic delay and also the casual way the remark is said.


One other angle is that he (so to speak) is made of frozen water - as is an icicle.

[Wsne]

Thank you guys for your answers. I thought there is the other meaning. I come from Poland and in Polish version Olaf says "Dobra wróżba, będę nadziany" which literally means "A good omen, I will be impaled" but in this case the word "impaled" means he will be rich someday (like his pockets will be impaled with money) and it makes this scene kinda funny. Thank you anyway ;)

[jno]

"impaled" is a fairly formal word and not one you'd normally expect a person (let alone a snowperson) to say out loud; you're more likely to find it in written English.