What is the first turn of phrase used by the man with the pistol that interests Anders and why?

When the man with the pistol directs the bank tellers not to touch the alarm, or they will be "dead meat" (6), the phrase tickles Anders immediately. He views the man's comment through the lens of the literary criticism he has performed for decades, immediately classifying the word choice as "The stern, brass-knuckled poetry of the dangerous classes" (8).