Line #10 Headscratchers/Snatch


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4	!!Why doesn't Brick Top just bet on Mickey to win and have his own fighter take the dive?
5	He'd obviously make a lot more money betting on a total unknown and winning than he would betting on the overwhelming favourite.
6	* There's a few reasons I can think of. Firstly, the fixes have probably been arranged well in advance -- certainly, in the first fight Mickey's standing in for another fighter who was supposed to be taking the fall, so it's probably something similar in the second fight as well. It's probably too late for Bricktop to change who he's betting on without it looking even more suspicious, particularly if he's taking all his money off an established fighter to put it all on some unknown. Since the purpose of fixing the fight is to make sure as few people know about it as possible (so that they put money on the fight in the belief that it could go either way, whereas if it's widely known that the fix is on they either won't put money on at all, will all put money on the one they know is going to win, will get very pissed off ''en mass'' if they do or will contact the police / fight authorities), he wants to keep suspicions low -- if he suddenly puts all his cash on some unknown quantity, people are going to get suspicious. Also, IIRC these are Bricktop's fighters Mickey's going up against, so that brings in issues of pride and respect; Bricktop probably doesn't like the idea of his fighters losing (hence the fix), especially not to some unknown 'pikey' who lays them out with one punch. His rather psychotic pride is getting in the way.
7	** The short answer is that Brick Top wouldn't be able to bet ''against'' his own fighter. No one would take the bet because it's a clear admission of a fix.
8	* In a similar vein, isn't Brick Top over-reacting somewhat to Gorgeous George not being available to fight? I know that he's a disagreeable chap (or "an 'orrible cunt") as it is, but surely athletes being injured and therefore unable to participate is just part of sport and happens all the time.
9	** Sure, but cancelling fights means you've wasted money setting up a fight and won't see any of your expected return. It affects your bottom line. A big legitimate company like, say, the UFC is very unhappy to cancel a fight. When an unbalanced gangster has to cancel a fight, possibly putting him in financial hardship, the heads that roll will may be literal -- and we do see Brick Top himself being threatened by two guys who are presumably ''even worse than him''. In Gorgeous George's case, it wasn't some freak accident or random illness that made him pull out. It was the poor decisions of Turkish and Tommy, so Brick Top has someone to directly blame and punish for costing him money.
10	** As demonstrated by the robbery at the bookies, all bets are off. Brick Top has already lost money on Gorgeous George having to pull out, since he's had to refund all the money, hence why there's nothing for Sol and Vinnie to steal.
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12	!!Why does Brick Top call himself a cunt?
13	From what I heard "cunt" is pretty much the worst thing one could be called. Why would Brick Top call himself this?
14	* Probably Brick Top making himself out to be an absolute bastard.
15	* This is exactly the point. Brick Top is emphasizing just how nasty he is for the benefit of the people he's speaking to.
16	* The English use cunt differently. It's still the worst thing you can call a female but it is used amongst males more liberally, particularly lower-class people like gangsters. Australians use it much like American blacks use nigga.
17	* It's basically the same as calling yourself "a bad motherfucker". You're not actually saying you fuck your own mother.
18	* Basically, it's a form of InsultBackfire. Brick Top is admitting, even taking pride in, the fact that he is the kind of person you would use that word to pejoratively describe.
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20	!!Why remove the teeth?
21	From Brick Top's monologue about pigs. He says that before feeding the corpse to pigs, you have to knock it's teeth out, or else you'd have to get them out of the pig shit afterwards. Why would you want to do that? Why do you need the teeth?
22	* You don't. The idea is to prevent identification via dental records.
23	* You don't want to have do dig through pig shit, but if the cops suspect you've been feeding people to pigs, they're more than willing to. Hair and teeth would be a clear giveaway, so those need to be disposed of elsewhere.
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25	!!Doug and Judaism
26	How is Doug the Head a "fake Jew" even though his surname is Jewish and his cousin is obviously -- ahem -- kosher? Is Turkish referring to him being ethnically Jewish but not practicing?
27	* That's possible; it's also possible he took the name Denovitz to add to his faux Jewish persona (though this seems unlikely since Avi has the same name). Alternatively, if I recall correctly, "Jewishness" is passed on maternally. So if he had a Jewish father from whom he got his surname, but a Gentile mother, he wouldn't be considered Jewish by birth and would have to convert when he comes of age.

Context Headscratchers / Snatch