The Lexicon: an occasional feature in which we identify movie/TV lines worth repeating.

Source: Al Swearegen (Ian McShane), Deadwood, "Suffer the Little Children" (S1, E8)

Usage: A job well done.

Sarcastic or sincere: Sincere. You could use it sarcastically, but I would wager that you aren't doing it right. There are better ways to mock someone than abusing one of the greatest fictional characters ever created on one of the greatest shows of all time.

Bearing in mind that there's little from Deadwood you can repeat in polite company (and plenty you can't), it's difficult to resist the meter of Al's monologues, regardless of content or language. It's a precursor to the Blow Job Monologues. Not only does it outline what's been going on, but it also gives insight into Al's mind. Knowing Al's mind, any fan can tell you, is a difficult and dangerous thing.

Still, there's doing a job, and there's doing a job well. And when someone does the job right, there's little higher praise.