Line #28 Main/FiveFingerFillet


1	%%
2	%%
3	%%
4	%%
5	%%
6	%% This list of examples has been alphabetized. Please add your example in the proper place. Thanks!
7	%%
8	%%
9	%%
10	%%
11	%%
12	%%
13	[[quoteright:300:[[Film/{{Aliens}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aliens_knife_game1.jpg]]]]
14	[[caption-width-right:300:[[https://youtu.be/fI-2VZoxYnQ ''Oh, I have all my fingers, the knife goes chop, chop, chop, if I miss the spaces in between, my fingers will come off...'']]]]
15
16	->'''Bronn:''' There's a Braavosi knife game I can teach you.\
17	'''Tyrion:''' Does it involve loss of fingers?\
18	'''Bronn:''' Only if you lose.
19	-->-- ''Series/GameOfThrones''
20
21	The Five-Finger Fillet is when a character places their hand palm-down on a table, spreads their fingers, and begins stabbing between them with a knife, trying to go as fast as possible without hurting themselves. Screwing this up, which gets easier as the "game" goes on, can certainly result in {{fingore}}.
22
23	This can be a way to establish a character as a hardened criminal or a PsychoKnifeNut, or just [[MachoMasochism generally badass]]. However, if the work is farther to the silly side on the SlidingScaleOfSillinessVersusSeriousness, it's more likely to be done by a character who doesn't fit the usual stereotypes, playing the contrast for humor.
24
25	This game is also called "the knife game", "nerve", "[[WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill stabscotch]]", and "[[{{Film/Aliens}} bishop]]".
26
27	Needless to say, '''DontTryThisAtHome''', at least with anything serious. See DexterityGame for a better way to test your hands.
28
29	----
30	!!Examples:
31
32	[[foldercontrol]]
33
34	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
35	%%* ''Literature/{{Baccano}}'': Claire Stanfield does this for fun with Chic's scissors in "Drugs & Dominoes".
36	* ''Manga/{{Parasyte}}'': When Shinichi first tries to confirm whether his right hand has been taken over by an alien, he places his palm on the table and prepares to stab a knife between his fingers, reasoning that it will dodge of its own volition if it isn't his. That's how he meets his parasite, Migi.
37	[[/folder]]
38
39	%%[[folder:Fan Works]]
40	%%* ''Fanfic/LiveAHeroMHA'': Izuku demonstrates this in one chapter, at Kirisima's request. The rest of his classmates respond with a MassOhCrap.
41	%%-->'''Iida:''' ''[wide-eyed]'' Wait, you’re not going to—\
42	%%'''Izuku:''' ''[singing]'' Oh, I have all my fingers—\
43	%%'''Iida:''' NO, NONONONO.\
44	%%'''Izuku:''' —The knife goes chop chop chop—\
45	%%'''Iida:''' I DO NOT CONDONE THIS BEHAVIOR, MIDORIYA!\
46	%%'''Izuku:''' —If I miss the spaces in between my fingers will come off—\
47	%%'''Iida:''' STOP OH JEEZ PLEASE DON’T—\
48	%%'''Izuku:''' Oh, chopchopchopchopchpochopchop I’m picking up the speed—\
49	%%'''Iida:''' MIDORIYA NO!
50	%%[[/folder]]
51
52	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
53	* ''Film/{{Aliens}}'': In the cafeteria scene, [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bgPnYoTk1ww Hudson asks Bishop to do the trick]]. Bishop puts his hand on the table at first, but Drake grabs Hudson and puts Hudson's hand on the table. Bishop then puts his hand on top of Hudson's and starts the trick, with Hudson yelling in terror the entire time while the other Marines cheer Bishop on. Bishop actually thanks Hudson once he stops, and a thoroughly freaked-out Hudson says "That wasn't funny, man!" as Bishop and Drake walk back to their seats. This leads to Bishop's RoboticReveal when he notices that he nicked one of his fingers and is "bleeding" white fluid.
54	%%* ''Film/DrowningMona'': Jeph is seen doing this in a flashback scene. In the present day, he's missing his entire hand [[spoiler:although he lost it in a different way.]]
55	%%* ''Film/TheHangoverPartII'': [[spoiler:Teddy lost his right ring finger attempting this; it was then claimed by a drug-dealing monkey. Fuckin' UsefulNotes/{{Bangkok}}.]]
56	* ''Film/KnifeInTheWater'': The young hitchhiker does this, intimidating the middle-aged man that picked him up. The middle-aged man is jealous and tries to do it himself, but can't manage very well. This is part of an escalating spiral of tension that evolves into a LoveTriangle and violence between the young man, the middle-aged man, and the middle-aged man's younger and very good-looking wife.
57	%%* ''Knucklebones'': Subverted; the summoned demon does this to Travis and deliberately mutilates his hand in the process, dismissively observing that it was never very good at that.
58	%%* ''Film/{{Populaire}}'': Louis Echard does this to himself in order to convince his ex-girlfriend to give piano Lessons to Rose Pamphyle. [[spoiler: He is later seen bandaging his hand with the help of Rose.]]
59	%%* ''Film/SurvivingPicasso'': As in RealLife, Picasso becomes attracted to Dora Maar when she cuts her fingers doing this.
60	* ''Film/{{Ted}}'': During a party, Ted does this with a guy and eventually stabs the man's hand, causing him to scream in agony.
61	-->'''Ted:''' Well, you never shoulda trusted me, I'm on drugs!
62	* ''Film/TheWorldsEnd'': Discussed. Andy has a scar on his middle finger from a failed attempt to re-enact the scene from ''Film/{{Aliens}}'', back when he, Gary, and the others were schoolboy friends hanging out. Andy reveals this scar to prove that [[spoiler:unlike Bishop, he is ''not'' a robot (by this point the gang has figured out that aliens have invaded the town and replaced most everyone in it with android doubles)]].
63	[[/folder]]
64
65	%%[[folder:Gamebooks]]
66	%%* ''Literature/FightingFantasy'': Done in a couple of the books.
67	%%** ''Literature/{{City of Thieves\|1983}}'': You can be challenged by a brigand in a tavern to play this game. You lose 5 Gold coins if you accidentally stab yourself and if you win, you gain a Silver Bracelet that can repel giant insects.
68	%%** ''Literature/{{Deathmoor}}'': Winning this game against your sworn [[TheRival rival]], Fang-Zen of Jitar, is a ''must'' if you were to complete the gamebook. Fail this game or pass up the challenge (which happens really early in the book) and you'll lose an essential item, rendering your quest unwinnable.
69	%%[[/folder]]
70
71	[[folder:Literature]]
72	* ''Literature/{{Neverwhere}}'': A variation occurs when Mr. Croup places his hand against a wall and throws several razor blades at it, landing in the spaces in between. Mr. Vandemar is unimpressed with the fact that he [[ComicallyMissingThePoint missed all his fingers]].
73	* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': The Ironborn have a game in which they catch an axe thrown at them. This has a tendency to result in missing fingers.
74	[[/folder]]
75
76	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
77	* ''Series/{{Barry}}'': Subverted. In "The Show Must Go On... Probably", when Burmese mafia kingpin Esther pulls out a knife and lays her hand on the table to intimidate Chechen gangster [=NoHo=] Hank, Hank rolls his eyes and says he's seen this trick before. Esther instead just stabs herself in the hand without flinching or expressing discomfort.
78	* ''Series/BoardwalkEmpire'': Jimmy expertly plays the game with his old trenchknife in "Family Limitation", establishing him as a PsychoKnifeNut who's still not over the war, and also establishing his usefulness to the gangsters he's trying to join. Capone's unfamiliarity with the game tips Jimmy off that he wasn't really in the war.
79	%%* A sketch by Brazilian comedy group Casseta & Planeta had a prison inmate doing this with himself, and then demonstrating on another who asked. The other's fingers are notably skinnier afterwards.
80	%%* ''Series/EerieIndiana'': In "Heart on a Chain", Devon does this in the classroom. When Marshall tells him to slow down, Devon replies, "Live fast, die young, leave a good-looking corpse." After Devon's heart is transplanted into her body, Melanie does the five-finger fillet herself in the World O' Stuff and uses the same phrase.
81	%%* ''Series/{{Fearless}}'': The unaired pilot has a bad guy do this to Gaia, in order to get some reaction out of her. Presumably fear, but this is Gaia we're on about.
82	%%* ''Series/InsideNo9'': In the episode "The Bill", the game used to settle the bill when things really escalate out of control. Namedropped along with [[IHaveManyNames a number of other names the game goes by]].
83	* ''Series/GreatNews'': PlayedForLaughs when a drunk Carol, who is 60 years old and a prim, proper suburban mom, does this at the office party in "Snowmageddon of the Century".
84	%%* ''Series/TheITCrowd'': Moss does this with a screwdriver in one episode with surprising skill, while connected to a machine that measures stress levels.
85	%%-->'''Moss:''' The needle is flipping out!
86	%%* ''Series/NewGirl'': Nick recalls a time when one of his old girlfriends did this to his hand. He wasn't pleased about it one bit.
87	%%* ''Series/RedDwarf'': In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment in the opening episode, Chen can be seen doing this (badly) with a pen.
88	%%* ''Simon Schama's Power of Art'' (a BBC documentary series): Pablo Picasso meets his future mistress Dora Maar when she cuts her fingers doing this.
89	%%* ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'': Xena does this to a con man in order to make him fess up about a con on one of her friends. The speed of which she did it is beyond that of any normal human being.
90	* ''Series/{{Wayne}}'': The titular character is apprehended for trespassing by the groundkeeper of a golf course, and the groundskeeper's Vegan Satanist girlfriend challenges Wayne to a game of stabscotch, stabbing the spaces between her fingers and telling him to do what she does "faster and better." His interpretation of this instruction is... [[ImpaledPalm creative to say the least]].
91	[[/folder]]
92
93	[[folder:Video Games]]
94	* ''VideoGame/AliensInfestation'': As a shout-out to the film ''Film/{{Aliens}}'', there is a playable mini-game where you get to imitate Bishop and stab a knife in the spaces between your fingers.
95	%%* ''VideoGame/ApexLegends'': One of Fuse's unlockable banner poses has him apparently playing this with his own hand - only for him to finish the act by revealing that the hand actually belonged to [[ButtMonkey a very nervous-looking Mirage]].
96	%%* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedBrotherhood'': In the thief's guild, a thief plays this at one of the bar tables. Sometimes he wins and admires his hand and other times he loses and licks his wound.
97	* ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon'': A Grave Robber under the Masochistic affliction may try to challenge the other heroes to "a round of stabscotch" during camping, which will stress them out.
98	%%* ''VideoGame/FarCry3BloodDragon'': In the spinoff and crossover title ''VideoGame/{{Trials}} of the Blood Dragon'', Roxanne does this in the menu screen.
99	%%* ''VideoGame/FullThrottle'': A hidden minigame.
100	%%* ''VideoGame/HorizonForbiddenWest'': A random character plays this on a table during a cutscene. Petra, who Aloy is taking with at the time, gets annoyed by the noise he's making and tells him to "put the knife down or I'll come over there and show you how the game ends!" He wisely stops.
101	* ''VideoGame/LaterAlligator'': One of the minigames is a three-fingered variation of this that plays like a SimonSaysMiniGame. In the first round, the player character and Bobby Blue Eyes use spoons, and in the second round, the player character switches to a knife. [[spoiler:In round three, the player character uses a scary-looking combat knife, which unnerves Bobby to the point his first move in round four was hitting his finger with the spoon, making the player automatically win after they put a Band-Aid on his "fingey".]]
102	%%* ''VideoGame/MondayNightCombat'': In ''Super Monday Night Combat'', the Sniper and Assassin have this as one of their taunts. The Assassin uses her iconic dagger, while the Sniper uses a sub-machine gun. While doing a one-hand-stand. And while spinning.
103	%%* ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'': One of Mileena's special moves has her do it with her sai while putting her hand on the opponent's face.
104	%%* ''VideoGame/Rage2011'': It's a Simon-says mini-game.
105	%%* ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption'' and ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption2'': Offered as an optional RhythmGame, complete with wagers. While it is possible to miss and accidentally stab a finger, the worst that happens is there's a new spot of blood on top of the already-dried bloodstains, but the player character's fingers are none the worse for wear afterwards.
106	* ''[[VideoGame/{{Manhunter}} Manhunter: New York]]'': A variation of this, where the player and an informant toss knives in between each other's fingers. The informant goes first to demonstrate, then the player has to do likewise to get a clue out of them. If they miss, then the informant crushes their skull.
107	%%* ''VideoGame/TalesOfMonkeyIsland'': In chapter 4, a minor character can be seen doing this at a local bar.
108	%%* ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt'': a villager can be seen doing this in the Tavern at White Orchard.
109	%%* ''VideoGame/WorkTimeFun'': One of the minigames.
110	%%* ''VideoGame/Yakuza0'': A subquest has Majima hook up a man looking for a counterfeit necklace with a Chinese forger. Unfortunately, the forger forgot to tell his Triad associates about the deal, so when the man arrives at his office, they wind up doing this to him until Majima intervenes.
111	[[/folder]]
112
113	[[folder:Web Animation]]
114	%%* Webanimation/Eltorro64Rus: This kicks off ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2a0Ht01qA8 Scout's Amazing Adventures]]'', where [[VideoGame/TeamFortress2 Scout]] attempts this on himself with a Spy-cicle after chugging some Bonk. It doesn't end well.
115	%%* ''WebAnimation/PlanetDolan'': In one of the ''Dolan True Stories'' videos of the channel, one of the rednecks used this trope as a distraction while his friends pilfered two of the beer kegs from a party.
116	* ''WebAnimation/SpookyMonth'': In "Deadly Smiles", [[PerversePuppet Dexter the Happy Fella]] suggests playing "The Knife Game" to Skid and Pump, pulling out the kitchen knife he stole earlier and stabbing it on the floor between his fingers to demonstrate. In actuality he's using it as a ruse to kill the two, but Pump's older sister Susie barges into Pump's room before he's able to.
117	[[/folder]]
118
119	[[folder:Web Comics]]
120	* ''Webcomic/EnnuiGo'': Max is seen playing this game this with Vanitas in "Scary Monsters". It's PlayedForLaughs and matches with both their violent natures; additionally, Max's mom (well used to this sort of behavior from him) doesn't try to stop him from playing, merely telling him to use a coaster so he doesn't nick her coffee table.
121	%%* ''Webcomic/CampWeedonwantcha'': Spoofed in [[http://campcomic.com/comic/knife-trick this]] strip.
122	%%* ''Webcomic/CwensQuest'': One of the new villains shows off by performing this on a [[http://www.cwensquest.com/?comic=chapter-11-page-19-cutting-edge fairy]].
123	%%* ''Webcomic/{{Gnoph}}'': Abbey injures her fingers doing this and laments that she used to be able to do it perfectly.
124	%%* ''Webcomic/ManlyGuysDoingManlyThings'': The Commander plays this game with [[VisualNovel/DreamDaddy Robert]]. Robert loses.
125	%%-->'''Commander:''' Look, Jones, I gotta take this guy to the ER, you might not wanna wait up.\
126	%%'''Jones:''' Okay! [[ItMakesSenseInContext Have fun trying not to marry him!]]\
127	%%'''Robert:''' You think it'll help preserve it if I put the finger in whiskey?
128	%%* ''Webcomic/{{Marilith}}'': When Dim and Vics are introduced, Vics stabs himself while doing this.
129	[[/folder]]
130
131	%%[[folder:Web Videos]]
132	%%* Rusty Cage's ''Knife Game Song'' ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fI-2VZoxYnQ full version]]) has gone viral and was followed by many copycats singing the song while playing the game.
133	%%[[/folder]]
134
135	[[folder:Western Animation]]
136	%%* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'': A candy person is seen doing this with a spoon.
137	%%* ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead'': Beavis can be seen briefly doing this in an episode. Naturally, he ends up poking himself.
138	* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': In the episode "Be Careful What You Fish For", one of the kids at Stewie's [[SuckySchool horrible daycare center]] does this and some other kids bet on whether or not he can pull it off.
139	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': In the episode "How the West Was 1010001," Roberto plays a game of five-finger fillet, but instead of stabbing the space between his fingers with a knife, he uses a revolver that fires knives to shoot between his fingers.
140	* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': In the episode "The Last Mabelcorn", a gnome is seen playing it with an acorn instead of a knife.
141	%%* ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'': One episode brings up the game, with a prison inmate saying that he doesn't know what it's called. Peggy suggests the name "Stab Scotch".
142	* ''Franchise/{{Madagascar}}'': All the penguins are "psychotic" (as Alex says in the original film), but the short ''WesternAnimation/TheMadagascarPenguinsInAChristmasCaper'' has one of Rico's earliest moments of real characterization, showing him as one of the ''most'' psychotic, doing a variant of stabscotch in their base with the visual gag that 1, as a penguin, it's really more of a one-flipper fillet; and 2, he's using a ''plastic'' knife. Skipper tells him to stop as this is inappropriate behavior for the dinner table, so he grudgingly does, but takes a moment to rub his flipper over the serrated edge of the knife [[FunnyBackgroundEvent when he makes sure no one is looking]].
143	* ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'': "How Poopy Got His Poop Back," after the gang does a bunch of drugs, Birdperson pulls out a knife and rapidly stabs the space in between his fingers. Squanchy then grabs the knife and immediately stabs himself in the center of his hand.
144	%%* ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'': Occurs in the episode "Jack versus Mad Jack". Two people in a BadGuyBar engage in the game with money on the line. Of course, since this is a cartoon, instead of a knife they use a...[[RuleOfFunny plastic spork.]]
145	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Homer attempts this in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS11E21ItsAMadMadMadMadMarge It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Marge]]", and manages to stab every single finger.
146	-->'''Marge:''' Homer! No knife games on the kitchen table!\
147	'''Homer:''' [[{{Fingore}} I didn't hit your precious table.]]
148	%%* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': An episode has one fish doing this to another fish. The first fish ends up going faster and faster while the fish holding his hand out starts sweating bullets. Eventually, he lands on a finger, although he acts like he won whatever they were doing.
149	%%* ''WesternAnimation/StressedEric'': A man in the hospital queue does this with his hand resting on his thigh. He seems quite happy to repeatedly stab his thigh but screams in pain when he misses and hits his finger.
150	[[/folder]]

Context Main / FiveFingerFillet