“No, make a big thing out of it.”
Why it's great
It reverses a warning into an order, a stubborn joke that hides real dread.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
Don't make a big thing out of it. No, actually make a big thing out of it.
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Harriman Hired Men to Kill Them, Explained
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid · 1969
Chapter 9 of 12 · 2'44"
Butch and Sundance hide out with an old friend, who reads them the news: it was Lefors and Baltimore who nearly caught them. Then he names the man behind it—E.H. Harriman, who outfitted a special train and hired special employees 'just till they kill you.' The visit is a grim reminder that the chase only ends one way.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 0:02–1:21
The Friend Reads Them the News
79s - 1:48–2:04
❝ Monologue · 4 lines Butch's business logic
He turns a manhunt into a cost sheet, absurd yet perfectly consistent on its own terms.
16s
Harriman Hired Men to Kill Them, explained
What happens
Butch and Sundance are hiding at an old friend's place. Reading the papers, they learn which famous lawmen were chasing them—Lefors, Baltimore, and a long list of others. The friend explains that E.H. Harriman of the Union Pacific hired a special posse and gave them a special train. Whether the hired men are permanent gets a blunt answer.
What's really going on
On the surface this is a friendly catch-up, but the news turns it into a reckoning. The men who nearly caught Butch and Sundance were not random bounty hunters; they were assembled and funded by a railroad boss with a personal grudge, which means the pressure will not let up. The exchange about pay lands hardest: asked if the hired guns are permanent, the friend answers, 'No. Just till they kill you.' Butch keeps joking—'That's bad business!'—and the arithmetic he offers is pure self-interest dressed as reason. Even sheltering with a friend cannot hide the truth that the chase will follow them 'sooner or later.'
Key lines & what they mean
- “No, make a big thing out of it.”
- A playful reversal: instead of downplaying their narrow escape, the friend says they should celebrate it.
- “It's really sort of flattering, if you wanna think about it that way.”
- The friend jokes that being chased by such an expensive operation is a twisted compliment.
- “If he'd pay me what he's spendin' to make me stop robbin' him, I'd stop robbin' him!”
- Butch's logic: if Harriman paid him the money he's spending to stop the robberies, the robberies would simply end.
- “You probably inherited every penny you got!”
- Butch's insult aimed at the rich: the men chasing them only have money because they were handed it, not because they earned it.
Theme
- Survival — The two men learn the posse is hired to hunt them until they're dead, so hiding is only temporary.
- Money — The chase is framed as business: Harriman can outspend them, and Butch argues he'd stop robbing if paid to.
What this chapter teaches
Teaching points
Review right after watchingMy level1/6
A1–C2 is the CEFR scale. Cards above the level you pick fade, and playback will not auto-pause on them.
Language points
Click a card to jump to its moment in the videoGolden lines
A great line in its own right — why and how to use it“It's really sort of flattering, if you wanna think about it that way.”
Why it's great
Calling a manhunt flattering is dry self-mockery, the outlaw's version of dignity.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
It's sort of flattering that they called me first, if you wanna think about it that way.
“If he'd pay me what he's spendin' to make me stop robbin' him, I'd stop robbin' him!”
Why it's great
He prices out his own robbery like a contract, which is absurd and weirdly logical.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
If they gave me half the fine, I'd happily stop parking there.
“You probably inherited every penny you got!”
Why it's great
Butch sneers that inherited money, not brains, built the enemy's power.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
You probably inherited every chance you got!
Monologue
One character carrying the scene — shadow the whole passage❝ Butch's business logic
That crazy Harriman. That's bad business! How long d'you think I'd stay in operation if every time I pulled a job it cost me money? If he'd pay me what he's spendin' to make me stop robbin' him, I'd stop robbin' him!
He turns a manhunt into a cost sheet, absurd yet perfectly consistent on its own terms.
Up next · 10on the tip of my tongueThe scene: Butch Robs a Bank in SpanishTakeaways
What you walk away with- Butch answers a manhunt with a shopkeeper's arithmetic.
- The posse exists because one rich man feels wronged.
- Sundance names the trouble before Butch will admit it.
- Naming the hunters turns fear into a list.
People also search
Questions, then the linesWho is chasing Butch and Sundance?
Joe Lefors, Lord Baltimore, and a long list of other famous lawmen, assembled and paid by E.H. Harriman of the Union Pacific Railroad.
Why does Harriman want them caught?
The friend says Harriman resents the way they've picked on him, so he outfitted a special train and hired special employees to hunt them down.
What does "just till they kill you" mean?
It means the hired men aren't permanent employees; their job lasts only until Butch and Sundance are dead.
How long has the manhunt lasted?
The friend says they've spent the last two days avoiding the posse, and that it will be the same thing all over again until the men show up where they are hiding.