Just A Flesh Wound

About

"Just a Flesh Wound" and "'Tis But a Scratch" are popular lines spoken by the Black Knight character from the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail upon having his arms chopped off by King Arthur, refusing to give up their duel. The line has since become a popular catchphrase online, often used ironically to downplay a type of damage and deny someone or something's advantage over them.

Origin

On April 3rd, 1975, Monty Python and the Holy Grail released in the U.K., becoming a cult classic film over time. In one scene, King Arthur faces off against the Black Knight in the woods. Arthur expects the knight to give up after he cuts his arm off, but instead, the knight says, "'Tis but a scratch" and continues fighting. After his second arm is cut off, he says, "Just a flesh wound," and continues the fight with his legs (shown below).

The scene became one of the most popular in the film over time, with "Just a flesh wound" and "'Tis but a scratch" becoming highly quoted in real life and in media. According to John Cleese, the scene is a polemic against the saying, "If you never give up, you can't possibly lose."^[1] The phrase is used as a comedic way to brush off types of damage or pain as lesser than they really are.

Spread

The phrase has been popular online since the early-to-mid-2000s, with some of the earliest examples of it used in Demotivational Posters. For example, on September 11th, 2006, Something Awful^[10] user Tekky "Jumpman16" Andrew-Jaja posted a meme collection including a Demotivational Poster with a screenshot of Arthur cutting the knight's arm off (shown below).

On December 24th, 2007, eBaum's World^[11] user gravitytank posted a similar demotivational poster, garnering over 900 views in 14 years (shown below).

On February 22nd, 2008, cartoonist Gary Brookins^[12] made a comic strip about a democratic debate between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton featuring the phrase and imagery from the film (shown below, left). On May 14th, Free Republic^[13] user pineapple posted a similar meme imagining Obama and Clinton in these roles, highlighting Clinton's refusal to give up (shown below, right).

The phrase, as well as "'Tis But A Scratch," are also used on their own as a catchphrase, often as a final comment similar to True Story or in reaction to various content. Users often attach it to images that somewhat resemble the scene, showing people taking damage but seeming to act unscathed, or ironically in general reference to it (examples shown below, left and right).

One of the most popular images associated with the phrase shows The Black Knight without one arm, bleeding (shown below). The TV Tropes^[8] entry for "Only a Flesh Wound" describes the trope of characters going on seemingly unharmed after non-lethal yet serious injuries.

Over 40 years after its release, the scene remains a popular point of reference online.

On August 21st, 2018, YouTuber^[14] big boss posted an edit of the scene to make it look like a Fallout: New Vegas interaction, garnering over 1.6 million views in three years (shown below).

References In Popular Culture

Video Games

The line is often referenced in video games, either in dialogues or in achievement titles. Some of the most famous examples are listed below.

• "Just a flesh wound" achievement in Rage ^[2]
• "'Tis but a flesh wound!" achievement in Dead Island. ^[3]
• A reference in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, where Ema comments on Goodman's death saying, "It's only a mere flesh wound". ^[4]
• "Just a flesh wound" quest in World of Warcraft ^[5]
• An elite shout in Guild Wars ^[6]
• Quest in The Secret World ^[7]
• Reference in The Witcher 2 ^[9]

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References