Quint gestures along the Orca’s deck as Brody listens at the dock.

Original artwork, not a still

Quint

Front: bow. Back: stern. Better get it right, squirt, or I throw your ass out the little round window on the side.

— Jaws  ·  1975

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

A gruff crash course in nautical vocabulary, backed by a threat. Front is bow, back is stern, and getting it wrong means being tossed out of the little round window, meaning a porthole. The comedy is the mix of basic terms and disproportionate punishment.

Context reviewed

Share this quote