To shine the direct

In the movie Red State, someone asks another person:

Why did you shine the direct?

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I don't know what this means. My best guess that it means, "Why did you ignore the orders?", or, "Why did you not kill him?". This is just based on the answer that he gives him in response. However, I'm not sure.

Can someone help me out?

Thanks.

Are you sure that is exactly what was said?

5jj said:

Are you sure that is exactly what was said?

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Yes, that is the exact quote.

Hey, Joe. Really... why did you shine the direct?

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Sorry, I have no idea. I notice that one or two other people have been asking about this in other sites. Nobody seems to know.

I can't verify it from here, but my guess is that you're reading the subtitles, and they have been incorrectly transcribed.

BobSmith said:

I can't verify it from here, but my guess is that you're reading the subtitles, and they have been incorrectly transcribed.

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You're guess is wrong. How can you make this assumptions? These were the exact words that came out of his mouth.

Chicken Sandwich said:

You're guess is wrong. How can you make this assumption[STRIKE]s[/STRIKE]? These were the exact words that came out of his mouth.

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Try not to be so sensitive. It is not uncommon for us to work on 'quotes' from films, only to find out that the quote was from subtitles. Subtitles can contain some appalling versions of what was actually said. Bob's guess was not unreasonable - and it was a guess only.

5jj said:

Try not to be so sensitive. It is not uncommon for us to work on 'quotes' from films, only to find out that the quote was from subtitles. Subtitles can contain some appalling versions of what was actually said. Bob's guess was not unreasonable - and it was a guess only.

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You're right, it's just that I was surprised by such a response.

I rarely rely on subtitles, unless, on rare occasions the dialogue is not clear due to background noice. In this case however, the dialogue was very clear, and I'm 100% positive that I got the phrase down right.

Chicken Sandwich said:

In this case however, the dialogue was very clear, and I'm 100% positive that I got the phrase down right.

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Other people appear to have heard the same, and to be just as puzzled.

5jj said:

Other people appear to have heard the same, and to be just as puzzled.

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Okay thanks, glad to hear I'm not the only one :-D

Chicken Sandwich said:

You're guess is wrong. How can you make this assumptions? These were the exact words that came out of his mouth.

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I'm glad one of us is infallible.

I can make this guess because of your claim "Yes, that is the exact quote." As a native speaker, I would only use this level of certainty (and in a follow-up reply no less) if I saw it in print, as one might in a subtitle. Also, as a native speaker, I often catch very strange transcriptions in subtitles, especially in modern action thrillers such as Red State, where the dialog can be very quick. Ergo, I guessed you were quoting a subtitle.

BobSmith said:

I'm glad one of us is infallible.

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Obviously I could be wrong, but it seems unlikely. I've listened to the dialogue multiple times, and I don't see what else he could have said. Moreover, the subtitles on the bluray disc also indicate the same phrase.

Now that I'm thinking of it, perhaps "direct" is short for "direction", just as "deets" in AmE is short for "details". I could be wrong though.

I think we have gone as far as we can go in this thread, so I am closing it. If anyone has a convincing explanation for 'shine the direct', they can PM me, and I will re-open the thread.