Smashing a bottle on someone...or...?

thethinker42 · Dec 20, 2008

No, we're not hitting the bottle, we're hitting someone WITH a bottle.

Let's say someone hits someone else with a wine bottle. The person doing the hitting is a small woman of average strength.

Would this be enough to smash the bottle? If so, how much damage would it do to the person's skin (it would be striking some skin that's exposed, some that's covered by a shirt)?

Ideally, I'm looking for something a person can grab in a kitchen and strike someone else, causing numerous lacerations (enough to require stitches, leave scars, etc.), but not a knife. OR it can be something that's thrown, but I want to do some damage to his skin.

Any help would be much appreciated.

mscelina · Dec 20, 2008

Bartender speaking here.

First break the bottle on the edge of a counter or table--then hit the person with it. guaranteed lacerations that way. A beer bottle would be better; a wine bottle is usually heavy enough that if you hit a person with it without breaking it first, it would just bounce off the person's head. It would hurt, but there's a chance you wouldn't get cuts from it.

thethinker42 · Dec 20, 2008

mscelina said:
Bartender speaking here.

First break the bottle on the edge of a counter or table--then hit the person with it. guaranteed lacerations that way. A beer bottle would be better; a wine bottle is usually heavy enough that if you hit a person with it without breaking it first, it would just bounce off the person's head. It would hurt, but there's a chance you wouldn't get cuts from it.

Duly noted. I hadn't thought of a beer bottle.

Now, obviously with the wine bottle she should hit it against a counter first, but does the same apply to the beer bottle?

mscelina · Dec 20, 2008

Works better that way.

A beer bottle is constructed to stay sort of connected if it breaks. It's better to grab the bottle by the neck and rap it against a hard edge first. Then you have a jagged-edged weapon and it it guaranteed to cut. If your hitter is a small woman, the chances are better the bottle will break against the edge of a bar, for example, than on a person's head--especially if she's reaching up to hit--like a guy, for example. Trust me; I've broken up lots of bar fights. The bottle only breaks on the head fifty percent of the time if it's a little woman using it. If you hit the edge of the bar with it first, you've got a 90 percent chance of it breaking.

thethinker42 · Dec 20, 2008

mscelina said:
Works better that way.

A beer bottle is constructed to stay sort of connected if it breaks. It's better to grab the bottle by the neck and rap it against a hard edge first. Then you have a jagged-edged weapon and it it guaranteed to cut. If your hitter is a small woman, the chances are better the bottle will break against the edge of a bar, for example, than on a person's head--especially if she's reaching up to hit--like a guy, for example. Trust me; I've broken up lots of bar fights. The bottle only breaks on the head fifty percent of the time if it's a little woman using it. If you hit the edge of the bar with it first, you've got a 90 percent chance of it breaking.

Good to know.

She's a psycho, this one...

Don · Dec 20, 2008

Note to self. NEVER cross Celina. That is all.

thethinker42 · Dec 20, 2008

Don said:
Note to self. NEVER cross Celina. That is all.

I'm the one asking what does the most damage. Would suggest not crossing me either.

Don · Dec 20, 2008

thethinker42 said:
I'm the one asking what does the most damage. Would suggest not crossing me either.

True, but you DID have to ask.

thethinker42 · Dec 20, 2008

Don said:
True, but you DID have to ask.

Which should let you know that I'm plotting evil and painful things.

And...bear in mind, there are plenty of similar such things I didn't ask. Why? Because I already know them.

NeuroFizz · Dec 20, 2008

All coments on broken bottles are good ones. When this kind of scene comes up, it usually takes place in a bar or some place where alcohol fuels the duel. That's why beer bottles are most frequently used (and can become cliche). If this scene takes place in a kitchen, wouldn't it make more sense (and be more realistic) if the bottle was for some kind of food-related liquid? And it could even be somewhat symbolic for the character, for the tone of the scene. Maybe have her break a bottle of extra virgin olive oil and cut the dude with it. It could even be a vase, which might smash better it she wasn't savvy enough to first break the bottle on a counter to get the jagged edges. In a panic situation, people rarely think that clearly unless they have experience. Does this character have any experience with this kind of (or any kind of) fight?

An additional thought. Beer and wine are frequently kept in the refrigerator or in a pantry wine rack. Will the character have time to go in the fridge to get the beer bottle?

mscelina · Dec 20, 2008

With bottles like olive oil, etc., you're getting back into that heavy glass (like wine bottles)--it would be more likely to bounce off someone's head. (I tried that one--it was very depressing)

Cyia · Dec 20, 2008

I agree about the convenience of grabbing olive oil or whatever's handy in the kitchen if it's a spur of the moment altercation. For one thing, breaking a bottle and then using it as a weapon could get her in more legal trouble than just whacking someone in self -defense. That may not matter for your charrie, but it would bug me.

thethinker42 · Dec 20, 2008

NeuroFizz said:
All coments on broken bottles are good ones. When this kind of scene comes up, it usually takes place in a bar or some place where alcohol fuels the duel. That's why beer bottles are most frequently used (and can become cliche). If this scene takes place in a kitchen, wouldn't it make more sense (and be more realistic) if the bottle was for some kind of food-related liquid? And it could even be somewhat symbolic for the character, for the tone of the scene. Maybe have her break a bottle of extra virgin olive oil and cut the dude with it. It could even be a vase, which might smash better it she wasn't savvy enough to first break the bottle on a counter to get the jagged edges. In a panic situation, people rarely think that clearly unless they have experience. Does this character have any experience with this kind of (or any kind of) fight?

An additional thought. Beer and wine are frequently kept in the refrigerator or in a pantry wine rack. Will the character have time to go in the fridge to get the beer bottle?

Good points. A vase could work...basically, she's grabbing whatever's handy, and she is a drinker, so a bottle of some kind of alcohol is a reasonable choice.

She's not drunk, she's just incredibly angry. Maybe the vase would work better then.

NeuroFizz · Dec 20, 2008

Blunt force trama with heavy bottles that don't break can still produce lacerations, and jagged ones at that, particularly if they make contact with skin-over-bone, like the scalp. But if multiple cuts are desired, broken glass is best. But, why not just grab a kitchen knife? Given the panic situation, I suspect most people would go for the knife drawer before going for a bottle. In this case, I trust you will establish that a bottle is nearby (maybe close to the character, like drinking from it) before the weapon selection is necessitated.

Note: written while Lori was poster her response (above)

thethinker42 · Dec 20, 2008

Cyia said:
I agree about the convenience of grabbing olive oil or whatever's handy in the kitchen if it's a spur of the moment altercation. For one thing, breaking a bottle and then using it as a weapon could get her in more legal trouble than just whacking someone in self -defense. That may not matter for your charrie, but it would bug me.

She's not overly concerned about the legal issues, and it's definitely NOT in self-defense. But as Mscelina said, the olive oil bottle is a bit less likely to break.

The bottom line is I need something that she can grab (relatively close at hand), and either hit him with it or throw it at him, have it break and do enough damage to his skin to warrant stitches.

thethinker42 · Dec 20, 2008

NeuroFizz said:
Blunt force trama with heavy bottles that don't break can still produce lacerations, and jagged ones at that, particularly if they make contact with skin-over-bone, like the scalp. But if multiple cuts are desired, broken glass is best. But, why not just grab a kitchen knife? Given the panic situation, I suspect most people would go for the knife drawer before going for a bottle. In this case, I trust you will establish that a bottle is nearby (maybe close to the character, like drinking from it) before the weapon selection is necessitated.

She's actually getting him in the shoulder, so it's going to be even harder to break the bottle. Hmm. I suppose she could throw it at him, miss, then while they're continuing their altercation, he can land on the broken glass.

And yes, the bottle will be closer at hand, more convenient, etc., than a knife.

dolores haze · Dec 20, 2008

I recently did myself a bloody injury with a large cheese grater. A hard swipe to the face with this utensil could slice off the end of his nose, causing much blood. Hee, hee.

scarletpeaches · Dec 20, 2008

She's...she's going to...glass him on the tattoo?!

thethinker42 · Dec 20, 2008

dolores haze said:
I recently did myself a bloody injury with a large cheese grater. A hard swipe to the face with this utensil could slice off the end of his nose, causing much blood. Hee, hee.

~~I'm told it's good for performing an amateur vasectomy too~~.

Er, um.

I thought about the cheese grater, but it wasn't working with the scene. From experience, I can say that a thrown cheese grater doesn't do quite as much damage as simply grating cheese/knuckles with one...LOL

mscelina · Dec 20, 2008

LMAO--very true.

Look, if you hit someone hard enough with just about anything in the right place you can cause stitches. A pan in the nose and mouth? Stitches. Now, since you're going for a shoulder, the bone there would probably protrude enough and be hard enough to shatter a thin glass object--a vase, a beer bottle, a drinking glass, a thin pitcher, a plate or platter--

ooooh...porcelain cuts. Those would be wider than glass and porcelain/china is easier to break. Whack him with the turkey platter or a serving bowl. That would do more damage than a bottle anyway.

thethinker42 · Dec 20, 2008

mscelina said:
ooooh...porcelain cuts. Those would be wider than glass and porcelain/china is easier to break. Whack him with the turkey platter or a serving bowl. That would do more damage than a bottle anyway.

Oooo!! That's a good idea!! She can swipe one off the counter while she's coming after him. SWEET!

(And she wonders why he's leaving her...)

Cyia · Dec 20, 2008

What about throwing something at him that's cooking on the stove?

Don · Dec 20, 2008

My DOG, you people are a bloodthirsty bunch!

thethinker42 · Dec 20, 2008

Cyia said:
What about throwing something at him that's cooking on the stove?

I thought about that, but I think cutting him up worked better.

thethinker42 · Dec 20, 2008

Don said:
My DOG, you people are a bloodthirsty bunch!

Yeah? What of it?

*continues writing Don's biography...*

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