War Drums Are Beating ...

[Tchocky]

Originally Posted by waste gate

Don't amputate and the surgeon knows death is certain. I suspect the surgeon would be eager to amputate. To use your analogy, don't fight and subjugation is certain.

Distasteful, disfiguring, and only to be undertaken when there is no better alternative. Not to be considered lightly, in other words.
That might be what he was going for..

bleh, semantics, semantics