Original artwork, not a still
I’ll tell you what, you can get a good look at a t-bone by sticking your head up a bull’s ass, but I’d rather take the butcher’s word for it.
— Tommy Boy • 1995
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is a proverb that falls over halfway through: the idea (trust an expert rather than inspect everything yourself) is sound, but Tommy's delivery turns it into a disaster. It sums up the character, an earnest man doing his best with borrowed wisdom, and fans quote it as the standard way to botch an analogy. The cleaner version belongs to his late father.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Tommy BoyShow the scene
Tommy Boy (1995). Tommy Callahan and Richard Hayden are on the road trying to sell a stack of Callahan Auto brake pads to save the family firm after Big Tom's death. In a sales meeting with a prospective buyer, Mr. Brady, Tommy tries to use a folksy saying his father used to deliver: you can inspect a steak by crawling up a bull, but you would rather trust the butcher. He scrambles the comparison, tries to patch it with a remark about the bull, and Brady is left at a loss for words. Tommy quits mid-pitch and Richard hands over a business card to rescue the meeting.
Sources (2)
- Tommy Boy (1995) - WikiquoteOthers and sales-call transcript sectionsReference checked
- Tommy Boy - WikipediaPlotReference checked
Context reviewed
