“Thank you very much for slicing my throat.”
Why it's great
He thanks her for ruining him, and the courtesy makes the cut deeper.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
Thanks for slicing my throat in front of the whole team.
00:00 / 03:42
00:00 / 03:42
Helen Gives Harry Two Hundred, Explained
Night and the City · 1950
Chapter 9 of 19 · 3'42"
Helen hands Harry two hundred pounds and tells him to take it to Phil, revealing she secretly owns a nightclub and wants the money to buy a license. Harry insists it has to go into wrestling, right before Mr. Kristo's solicitor arrives to warn him off the sport: "Mr. Fabian would find such a venture... unprofitable."
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 0:02–0:39
Thanks for Slicing My Throat
37s - 0:44–2:05
❝ Monologue · 5 lines Go Through the Motions
81s
Helen Gives Harry Two Hundred, explained
What happens
Helen gives Harry two hundred pounds and tells him to take it to Phil for the rest. She admits she has owned a nightclub for a year and wants the money for a license, so Harry should fake the wrestling promotion until they can open. As they talk, Kristo's solicitor arrives to warn Harry that his wrestling plan will be unprofitable.
What's really going on
The scene turns the whole film's engine over: Harry talks about money, and Helen quietly produces it. She has been holding back a nightclub all along and reveals it only when she needs Harry to do her work, telling him to "go through the motions" with the wrestling until the license comes through. Harry, who hates being handled, refuses to be small about it: "I'm through hustling for nightclubs for you or anybody else!" He wants the wrestling to be real. The last movement belongs to Kristo's polite solicitor, who warns that the venture would be "unprofitable," which is the film's way of saying the offer comes with a threat attached.
Key lines & what they mean
- “Thank you very much for slicing my throat.”
- Harry's sarcastic thanks to Helen for cutting him out, said as if she had done him a favour.
- “I know every twist and turn in your scheming brain.”
- His boast that he can read every turn of her plotting, which is exactly what she has been counting on.
- “I'm through hustling for nightclubs for you or anybody else!”
- His declaration that he is done being a tout for other people's clubs, and that the wrestling plan is his own.
- “And who do you think runs the place for him? I do. Me.”
- Helen's claim to be the real operator behind Phil's club, which settles who has been running things all along.
Theme
- Money — Helen secretly owns a business and controls the cash, and everyone in the room is trying to get it or protect it.
- Power — Kristo does not come himself; he sends a polite solicitor whose warning is really a threat about territory.
What this chapter teaches
Teaching points
Review right after watchingMy level0/8
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“I know every twist and turn in your scheming brain.”
Why it's great
It maps her scheming like a road he has already walked, and the map is damning.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
I know every twist and turn in this negotiation by now.
“I'm through hustling for nightclubs for you or anybody else!”
Why it's great
I'm through is a clean break, and the line marks the moment Harry stops working for others.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
I'm through covering for a boss who never backs me.
“And who do you think runs the place for him? I do. Me.”
Why it's great
A rhetorical question answered by two flat declarations of self, the whole grievance and the whole spine of the character.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
Who do you think wrote the report? I did. Me.
Monologue
One character carrying the scene — shadow the whole passage❝ Harry's wrestling rant
You're crazy. You don't know what I've got! I've got Gregorius! A shield! I've got Kristo stopped cold! I can control wrestling in London! I'm through hustling for nightclubs for you or anybody else! For yourself! What do you think Phil takes in an evening? Never less than 100 quid!
Harry escalates from claim to shout, selling his fantasy to himself most of all.
Up next · 10silent partnerThe scene: Harry Makes Phil His Silent PartnerTakeaways
What you walk away with- A thank-you can be the sharpest insult.
- Politeness from a lawyer is a threat.
- Phil downplays Harry to protect himself.
- Helen's money comes with strings attached.
People also search
Questions, then the linesWhere does Helen get two hundred pounds?
She has been secretly saving from the club she owns. She never tells Harry the full story, only that he should take the money to Phil and collect the rest.
Why does Helen want Harry to pretend to promote wrestling?
The money is for a nightclub license she cannot yet use, so the wrestling plan is a cover until she can open. She tells Harry to go through the motions.
Why does Harry refuse to keep working for nightclubs?
He is tired of being a tout for other people's businesses and wants the wrestling venture to be his own. His line about being 'through hustling' is the moment he stops being an employee.
Why does Fergus Chilk visit?
He is Kristo's solicitor, sent to warn Harry that Kristo does not want him promoting wrestling. The warning is polite on the surface and a threat underneath.
What does "flights of fancy" mean?
It means unrealistic, imaginative ideas. The solicitor uses it to describe Harry's plans, which makes the warning sound even more condescending.