police — Informal for police; avoid in official writing.
You cops? You look like cops.Rounders · 1998 — Chapter 17 of 26 · 2'18" · B2
Mike Vouches for Worm, Explained: good for it
Worm needs more time on a debt, and a friend tries to make the case for him. The talk is about a payment plan, but the real question is who will be left holding the risk. "If you think he's good for it, it's on you too."
What happens
Two men visit a lender to discuss an overdue debt. One asks for a plan; the lender refuses and names a tighter deadline. When a friend vouches for the debtor, the lender turns the guarantee back on him, and the scene ends with a new number and a five-day window.
Listen for
do the talkingsquare this thingput him on a planThe Money Store
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Phrase of the scene
good for it
able to pay what is owed
Someone vouches for the debtor, and the creditor immediately turns that guarantee back on him, forcing him to share the risk.
Don't vouch for him unless you're sure he's good for it.
Also in this scene
- do the talking
let me handle the talking
- square this thing
settle the debt
- put him on a plan
set him up on a payment plan
- The Money Store
a consumer finance company
- fifteen large
fifteen thousand dollars
Everything marked in this scene
27 notes across 38 lines
sense something will go wrong
- You sure about this? I got a bad feeling. - That's all right. Just...a clever idea
Hey, Worm. It's good you came. That's real smart thinking.subject clause: It is a placeholder; the real subject is you came.
Hey, Worm. It's good you came. That's real smart thinking.bring someone with you
So, did you bring him along to help carry all my money?modal existential: There's gotta be means there must be; gotta is spoken grammar.
No money? There's gotta be some money.Squeeze outta into two quick syllables and let the t blur into here.
Come on. Get outta here.take the remaining amount Here it means the remaining debt.
You owe 25. I'll take the rest in five days.keep the interest running Juice here means the interest on a loan.
- Five grand in a week, and you keep the juice going... - Shh. Quiet.a thousand dollars — Money slang; write thousand in formal contexts.
- Five grand in a week, and you keep the juice going... - Shh. Quiet.catch someone doing it
You gotta catch 'em in the act.Run catch into 'em without a pause; let the t tap lightly.
You gotta catch 'em in the act.insulting term for a woman or dog — Highly insulting; never use it in formal settings.
Get in your hole, you bitch!do wrong and avoid punishment
You can't let 'em get away with it or else they think they run the place.be in charge here Here it means they think they are in charge.
You can't let 'em get away with it or else they think they run the place.or-else clause: Or else introduces the consequence, and they think... is the clause inside it.
You can't let 'em get away with it or else they think they run the place.what were we discussing
- So, where were we? - Five grand.regard this as
No one's saying you're not the man. Just think of this as a business decision.nested negation: Two negatives do not make a simple positive; they soften the demand by protecting face.
No one's saying you're not the man. Just think of this as a business decision.Keep of light, link this as, and put the stress on business.
No one's saying you're not the man. Just think of this as a business decision.have just got out of something Here it means he has only just been released.
Look, he just got out. Let's put him on a plan.how the system operates
We're not negotiating here. I tell you how it works.ask for a small break Grace here means a break, not elegance.
So, you're looking for a little grace, Lester, some charity?the responsibility is yours too
If you think he's good for it, it's on you too.Keep for light, almost fer; stress good and on you.
If you think he's good for it, it's on you too.Stress Fifteen and large, then rush five days a little.
- Fifteen large, five days, or I start breaking things. - I hear ya.get out, extremely rudely — Extremely rude; only in anger or very close banter.
Get the fuck outta here.Mike Vouches for Worm, explained
What's really going on
The conversation keeps pretending to be about terms, but every proposal is really a test of who will carry the debt. A request for a plan is dismissed; a plea for a little grace is answered with mockery. The sharpest turn comes when one side says, "If you think he's good for it, it's on you too." At that point the debt stops belonging only to the man who owes it. The reply, "Then it's on me too," turns a negotiation into a personal guarantee, and the final number makes the cost concrete. Even the dog interruption changes nothing: the terms return to the man who sets them.
Theme
MoneyThe scene turns a personal debt into hard terms: a plan, a deadline, and a final number.
TrustA friend's guarantee is accepted only by shifting the risk onto the person who speaks for the debtor.
Listen for
- Get outta here — Squeeze outta into two quick syllables and let the t blur into here.
- catch 'em — Run catch into 'em without a pause; let the t tap lightly.
- think of this as — Keep of light, link this as, and put the stress on business.
- good for it — Keep for light, almost fer; stress good and on you.
You gotta catch 'em in the act.You have to catch them while they are doing it; 'em is a casual form of them, and the line is about not letting bad behavior slide.
You can't let 'em get away with it or else they think they run the place.If you ignore bad behavior, they will act as if they control the place.
No one's saying you're not the man. Just think of this as a business decision.The speaker is not insulting the other man's status; he is asking him to treat the terms as a practical choice.
If you think he's good for it, it's on you too.If you vouch that he can pay, the responsibility for the debt becomes yours as well.
Questions about this scene
Why does the lender reject a payment plan?
The reply is "This isn't The Money Store" and "We're not negotiating here. I tell you how it works." The terms are meant to be set by the lender, not discussed.
Why does the friend end up responsible for the debt?
Because he says the debtor is good for it. The answer is "If you think he's good for it, it's on you too," and he accepts: "Then it's on me too."
What does fifteen large mean?
It means fifteen thousand dollars. The line "Fifteen large, five days" sets both the amount and the deadline.
Rounders · 26 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 18wait someone outCigar Talk at the Poker Table
Chapter 1make a run at itBuying Into Teddy KGB's Game
Chapter 2represent that you have somethingPoker Night With the Judges
Chapter 3read his hand blindReading a Hand Starts a Fight
Chapter 4get cleaned outMike Picks Up an Old Friend
Chapter 5crack the gameMike and Worm Fleece a Private Game
Chapter 6cut this room upMike and Worm at the Card Game
Chapter 7shear a sheepSlow Roll at the Russian Game
Chapter 8the juice is still runnin'Grama Threatens Worm
Chapter 9tight, but aggressiveMichael and the Professor Discuss Poker
Chapter 10can't run from who we areThe Prodigy Who Left the Yeshiva
Chapter 11the rakeMike Gets Dumped Outside
Chapter 12tellsMike Returns to the Card Room
Chapter 13juiceA Friend's Debt Comes Due
Chapter 14throw in your cardsMike Fumbles Oral Arguments
Chapter 15run someone upPetra Visits Mike About Worm's Debt
Chapter 16in hockMike Finds Worm at the Gym
Watching · Chapter 17good for itMike Vouches for Worm
Chapter 18wait someone outCigar Talk at the Poker Table
Chapter 19total fishPitching the Binghamton Game
Chapter 20let the cards do the talkingMike Joins the Police Poker Game
Chapter 21get outta DodgeTwo Men Argue Over Skipping Town
Chapter 22go into hockKnish Refuses to Lend Mike Money
Chapter 23put it all on the lineThe Johnny Chan Story
Chapter 24vouch forMichael Asks for a $15,000 Loan
Chapter 25let it rideHeads-Up With KGB
Chapter 26alligator bloodA Poker Player Doubles the BlindChapter 17 of 26 · about 26 min to go