Cutlass Between the Teeth: Difference between revisions

[[File:zoro.jpg|link=One Piece|frame| Even when gnawing the hilt of his sword, [[Talking Is a Free Action|no sentence is a mouthful]] for Zoro.]]

 

 

Taking disregard for the old saying "[[Runs with Scissors|Don't run with scissors]]" to a whole new level, the '''Cutlass Between the Teeth''' is the tendency for usually Badass characters to run around with the handle (or blade, if they're feeling really tough) of a sword or knife clenched between their teeth. Can have its uses, at most earning a free hand, but its true purpose is to make the character doing it [[Rule of Cool|look even cooler]]. One would think you'd only attempt this on something with a blade with an edge on just ''one'' side...

 

Compare [[Now That's Using Your Teeth]].

{{examples}}

== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==

* Kyuzo does this twice in ''[[Samurai 7]]''. With two swords, it's easy to run out of hands.

 

== [[Literature]] ==

* There's a famous magazine cover by Kelly Freas for Murray Leinster's story "The Pirates of Ersatz" depicting a [[Space Pirate]] climbing aboard a rocket with a ''[[Zeerust|slide rule]]'' in his teeth. [http://michaelmay.us/09blog/06/0605_piratesersatz390.jpg See it here.]

* Referenced in ''[[Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas]]'' when Raoul Duke describes a particularly bad trip in which you might see your grandmother climbing up your pantleg with a knife between her teeth.

* Shows up in [[The Pyrates]], of course. Most of the characters are too [[Genre Savvy]] to actually try it, except for [[The Brute|Firebeard]]. Fortunately for him, he gets distracted trying to remember whether the sharp edge is supposed to face in or out.

 

* In the ''[[Lost]]'' episode "All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues", Kate climbs a tree with a knife between her teeth in order to cut Charlie down.

* ''[[Kamen Rider Kiva]]'' features a particularly extreme example, with the eponymous hero's [[Our Werewolves Are Different|werewolf-themed]] [[Fragile Speedster]] form uses a [[Playing with Fire|fire-elemental]] Cutlass Between the Teeth slash as its [[Finishing Move]]. If that doesn't sound too extreme, you should also know that Kamen Rider costumes consist of [http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/kiva/rider/garuluform.html full helmets], meaning Kiva's mask has to ''sprout a mouth'' just to perform its finisher.

* In ''[[Tsukihime]]'', Shiki does it during Ciel's route. The writer probably didn't do this to try to be cool; Shiki probably realizes that doing that is completely impractical and just plain dumb. However, {{spoiler|since he lost both his arms and the situation really called for him to do something, it was do it or die.}}

* Sora in ''[[Kingdom Hearts II]]'' carries his keyblade in his mouth while in his Lion form in the [[The Lion King|Pridelands]].

* Also used in ''[[Shinobi]]'' (the [[PlayStation 2]] remake); one variety of enemy is essentially an [[Goddamned Bats|armored ninja dog]] that holds a two-bladed sword in its mouth.

* In ''[[Phantom Brave]]'', four-legged phantoms (called beasts) use this in a non-badass way because they have no arms to hold items with.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Pirate Tropes]]

[[Category:Sword Fight]]

[[Category:Sword Tropes]]

[[Category:Weapons and Wielding Tropes]]