Original artwork, not a still
I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Bilbo can speak politely while leaving the audience uncertain whether it has been praised. The tangled fractions make affection and irritation coexist in the same toast.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the RingShow the scene
At his birthday party in The Fellowship of the Ring, Bilbo gives the guests a farewell speech whose arithmetic they struggle to untangle. The polished compliment may also contain an insult. His imminent disappearance gives the party’s host one last opportunity to unsettle Hobbiton.
Sources (4)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring — scene and wording reference 1Selected line and its sceneReference checked
- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring — scene and wording reference 2Selected line and its sceneReference checked
- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring — scene and wording reference 3Selected line and its sceneReference checked
- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring — scene and wording reference 4Selected line and its sceneReference checked
Context reviewed
