Who's beating our time?
This is a question posed by Archie to Reggie (two teenage boys) when they discover that neither of them is with Veronica (a girl they both go on dates with).
Basically, he's wondering who's spending time with Veronica that they should be spending with her. I'm not really "up" on this phrase as it is likely was more in use several decades ago, but it definitely implies that the third unknown boy is not welcome in this arrangement (apparently, in this story, Archie and Reggie are kinda okay with the idea that either of them might be spending time with Veronica). Basically, this other fellow is horning in.
Is there some Spanish phrase that captures this sentiment?
3 Answers
1) "beating our time" was not a normal expession even 50 years ago
2) you can't use "bogart" in this sense
If i understand well...
More than a sentiment, i would be say a situation.
Maybe the most clear Spanish phrase for this mess is:
Un triangulo amoroso confuso, donde ningún chico se quedó con Veronica, ya que otro chico ingresó en la escena y se llevó a la chica.
A confusing love triangle, where neither boy has Veronica, because other guy enter in the escene and take the girl.
In few words:
Un Chascarro. Les arrebaraton la chica y no se dieron cuenta.
A Joke. The third guy seized the girl and anybody did realized.
Nothing comes to mind directly as a possible equivalent for "beating one's time"... heck, I don't even remember using that phrase and I grew up with the Archie comics...perhaps from back East or the Midwest... anyway, another storyboard turned animation for TV did come to mind, namely Beavis and Butt-head. Sad, I know, but I remember the Butt-head character using the term bogart in one episode and thought I would look into it for Spanish equivalents:
ser ávido, no compartir, guardar para uno mismo
Still it doesn't quite relay the complete meaning we're looking for, does it? This 3rd guy is in a sense sharing Vero's time with the other two dunderheads, but when he's with her, he's apparently very protective of that time, not sharing it in particular, saving & savoring it for himself...
Merriam-Webster does offer a definiton for bogart - 2: to use or consume without sharing... so just an observation of this odd word... Bogart is a very familiar term. Yes, it used to be associated with marijuana smoking only but nowadays it is used for everything. It means to not share or to be greedy or keep it for yourself, usually with something that is precious to everyone involved, in this case Veronica Lodge!
