What's the damage?
| Jen: | Hello, I'm Jen—and with me in the studio today is Helen! |
| Helen: | Hi! |
| Jen: | Helen, just before we get started—did you get the chance to go to the farmers' market for me? I didn't have time to go myself. |
| Helen: | I did, I chose some things I thought you'd like ... Here we are ... I bought some fresh apples, some crunchy carrots, a load of onions, a loaf of fresh bread and a jar of delicious honey. |
| Jen: | Brilliant—thanks so much for doing that for me, I can't wait to try it. So what's the damage? |
| Helen: | Damage? I don't think there's any damage really. Although I suppose one of the apples is a little bit bruised and I nibbled the end of one of the carrots but it'll be fine if you just cut it a little bit. |
| Jen: | I don't mean damage to the food. The phrase "what's the damage?" can be used to ask how much money you owe someone for something. |
| Helen: | So you wanted to find out how much you owe me for the food? |
| Jen: | That's right—let's hear a couple of examples of the phrase in use.
|
| What a lovely meal—I think we should split the bill two ways though, so what's the damage? | |
| Thanks so much for fixing the brakes on my car. What's the damage for the work you've done? |
| Jen: | That's right; you might use the phrase amongst friends when you get a bill, or you might hear it if you are paying a workman to do something. Generally we use it when we don't know how much something is going to cost or if the price has been estimated beforehand. |
| Helen: | Like when I went to the market for you today! |
| Jen: | Yeah, I didn't know how much it would cost so I asked you "what's the damage?" So how much do I owe you? |
| Helen: | £12.50. |
| Jen: | £12.50?! That's pretty expensive. |
| Helen: | It's worth it when you look at the quality of the food—it's very good. |
| Jen: | Alright then, here you are—£12.50. |
| Helen: | And here YOU are. |
| Jen: | Let's have a look then ... Apples, yum ... Well, they do look a little more bruised than you mentioned ... |
| Helen: | Yes, sorry, I dropped the bag ... |
| Jen: | Look at the carrots! You said you'd nibbled them, but there are only the tops of them left! I can't cook with those! |
| Helen: | I was peckish, sorry. |
| Jen: | At least this jar of honey looks good ... it's empty! |
| Helen: | Sorry, sorry! It looked so delicious that I couldn't help it! |
| Jen: | Well, I think you should give me my money back. I'm not paying for food that's already been eaten! |
| Helen: | OK, what if we go out for a meal and I pay? |
| Jen: | Hmm ... OK ...
Later on ... |
| Jen: | I'm stuffed! The apple and honey pie was really delicious. |
| Helen: | Here's the waiter with the bill. Now don't forget, this is my treat after eating all of your food. Ooh, er ... This is embarrassing. |
| Jen: | Is it expensive? What's the damage? |
| Helen: | It's £40 for the meal but I've just remembered ... |
| Jen: | What? |
| Helen: | I left my purse at the farmers' market! Can you pay for us? |
| Jen: | Argh! |