Time Prank
The Office (2005)
YouTube captions are often inaccurate. The transcript below is verified for accuracy.
Characters
Dwight
Pam
Erin
Jim
Michael
Transcript
[Erin]
Dunder Mifflin, this is Erin. He's not available right now. Uh-huh. Yes. Sure, I'll give him the message when he gets up— Gets back!
[Jim]
Michael had chicken pot pie for lunch. Actually, let me rephrase that. Michael had an entire chicken pot pie for lunch. Let me be more specific. Michael ate an entire, family-sized chicken pot pie for lunch and then he promptly fell asleep. So we're all trying to be very quiet so as to not wake him up before five PM, which actually should be in about... Ten minutes.
Okay, I'm gonna go in there and change the computer. Are you sure you can change his watch?
[Pam]
I can do it.
[Dwight]
What do you need from me?
Normally I don't condone leaving early, but I have an appointment with the horse doctor. How that horse became a doctor, I don't know. No, I'm kidding. He's just a regular doctor who shoots your horse in the head when its leg is broken.
Like clockwork.
[Michael]
What's so funny?
[Pam]
You had to be there.
[Michael]
Oh okay, geography joke. Oh my—oh wow, okay. Alright, let's all go home. Come on. See you all tamale.*
See you later!
[Dwight]
Goodbye, Michael!
*This is a play on words. He is saying 'see you all tomorrow' and playfully replaced 'tomorrow' with the Spanish word 'tamale'.
Clip Context
Michael ate a very big lunch and needed a nap. While napping, the office crew decides to play a prank on him so they can leave work early.
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Vocabulary
Read each word out loud.
prank
/pɹæŋk/
noun
a practical joke; a trick that can be amusing, playful, or malicious
Example:
I played a prank on my friend by filling her wine glass with soda.
you had to be there
/ju hæd tə bi ðɛɹ/
expression
used to say that something was funny, interesting, or special, but it’s hard to understand or feel it if you weren’t there to experience it yourself
Example:
It was hilarious when he took a picture with the cow and... Never mind, you had to be there.
promptly
/ˈpɹɑmptli/
adverb
with little or no delay; immediately
Example:
I ordered food from a nearby food truck, and it arrived promptly without any wait.
like clockwork
/laɪk ˈklɑkwɝk/
expression
happening in a very regular, precise, and predictable way (often easily and without problems)
Example:
The train arrives at exactly 8:00 every morning, like clockwork.
condone
/kənˈdoʊn/
verb
to accept or allow bad behavior to continue
Example:
The school does not condone cheating during exams.
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Conversation Practice
Working with a tutor? Try asking or answering these questions out loud with them.
Working alone? Try speaking your answers out loud or write them in the lesson discussion below.
1. Have you ever played a prank on your boss before?
2. Do you get along well with your coworkers?
3. What is one thing you cannot condone in the workplace?
4. Does public transportation run like clockwork in your city or is it always behind schedule?
5. Are you a prompt person or are you always late?
Lesson updated:
November 5, 2026
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