What does it mean to “give somebody a pass”?
In The Wolf of Wall Street there is a comical scene with Donnie Azoff (in a suit and glasses) and Brad Bodnick (in a black bomber, seen from back), where Donnie gets into a public brawl with Brad. Their talk:
Brad: I’m gonna give you a pass. Just give me the case.
Donnie: You’re gonna give me a pass?
Brad: Look, it’s a figure of f*ing speech.
Donnie: Oh, my gosh. The Emperor of F..cksville came down form F..cksville to give me a pass!
From the context I may guess that "give somebody a pass" means something like "ok, I’m gonna forgive you this time". Is it so? Does it have some additional meaning?
Best Answer
You're correct; I don't remember the specific context of this scene other than Brad and Donnie don't like each other. Donnie thinks he is an important part of Jordan's Wall Street operation, and that Brad is a 'street-thug' type who is regrettably necessary. It seems Brad then dislikes the way Donnie treats him because of this. When Donnie says 'I'm gonna give you a pass', he means 'You have committed an indiscretion or error, or have otherwise displeased me, but I'm going to forgive you because we are part of the same operation and I am a magnanimous person'. Brad recognises he is being condescended to.
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