History Main / GrudgingThankYou

* Dillon in ''Film/Predator'' After the character Mac saves Dillon from a scorpion crawling on his back by pinning it on his knife, Dillon pauses and resentfully says "Thanks".
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* After Zatch saves Kiyo a few times in early ''ZatchBell'' episodes, Kiyo tries his best to thank him but can't get the words out, settling for "I owe you". This is played more dramatically in the manga.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Rango}}'' fanfic ''Fanfic/OldWest'', the second meeting between [[{{Outlaw}} Rattlesnake Jake]] and [[DeterminedHomesteader Grace Glossy]] happens with her farm being attacked by rustlers and him showing up to deal with them. While the notorious outlaw represents everything she's resists in the mind of the devoted single mother who respects the law, she reluctantly thanks Jake afterwards for preventing the rustlers from causing more damage to her home and livestock.

* SelfDemonstrating/DoctorDoom, of all people, in ''Comicbook/DoctorStrange and Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment'', thanks Strange for protecting his mother's soul from the wrath of Mephisto. It's pretty much the only hint of gratitude Strange gets during that misadventure, though.

* In ''ThePowerpuffGirls'' story "Everything Must Go," (DC run, issue #48) the Amoeba Boys have bought an electromagnet from Mojo Jojo's yard sale, and without any rational thought uses it to draw the moon towards Earth (claiming they were using it to hail a taxi). Mojo averts disaster by reversing the magnet's force and thinks the girls owe him a "thank you." The girls lock him in jail for creating the thing in the first place.

* Subverted on ''WesternAnimation/CampLazlo'': Lazlo has just saved Edward from having to blow up his favorite doll. Edward is his usual angry self, but as he walks off, he says, "Oh...and Lazlo? Tha--''clean up this mess, you loser!''" How sweet.

* In ''WesternAnimation/SheRaPrincessOfPower'', Hordak gives a variant after seeing She-Ra risk her life to save the both of them from AnotherDimension. They return just before a battle breaks out between the Horde and the Rebels, and Hordak commands the Horde to stand down, stating he doesn't want to owe She-Ra later for saving his life.

-->'''[=McCoy=]''': Spock, er, I know we've, er, had our disagreements. Er, maybe they're jokes, I don't know. As Jim says, we're not often sure ourselves sometimes. But, er... what I'm trying to say is...\\

* Shira gives one to Diego in ''WesternAnimation/IceAgeContinentalDrift'', after he brings her some water.

* After taking a literal ''beating'' from their father covering for his little sister's hobby, Kousaka Kyosuke goes about his next day like any other. This trope was major character development for Kirino, including the first and so far only time she addresses him as brother and led to Kyosuke [[TitleDrop proclaiming]] [[LightNovel/OreNoImoutoGaKonnaNiKawaiiWakeGaNai "My little sister can't be this cute."]]

* In ''ThePowerpuffGirls'' story "Everything Must Go," (DC run, issue #48) the Amoeba Boys have bought an electromagnet from Mojo Jojo's yard sale, and without any rational thought uses it to draw the moon towards Earth (claiming they were using it to hail a taxi). Mojo averts disaster by reversing he magnet's force and thinks the girls owe him a "thank you." The girls lock him in jail for creating the thing in the first place.

* In ''ThePowerpuffGirls'' story "Everything Must Go," the Amoeba Boys have bought an electromagnet from Mojo Jojo's yard sale, and without any rational thought uses it to draw the moon towards Earth (claiming they were using it to hail a taxi). Mojo averts disaster by reversing he magnet's force and thinks the girls owe him a "thank you." The girls lock him in jail for creating the thing in the first place.

* After taking a literal ''beating'' from their father covering for his little sister's hobby, Kousaka Kyosuke goes about his next day like any other. This trope was major character development for Kirino, including the first and so far only time she addresses him as brother and led to Kyosuke [[TitleDrop proclaiming]] MyLittleSisterCantBeThisCute.

* In the ''Series/{{Star Trek|TheOriginalSeries}}'' episode "Bread and Circuses" Bones gives Spock a GrudgingThankYou and receives a ThinkNothingOfIt in return.

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[[folder:Literature ]]
* ''Literature/ArtemisFowl'' to Holly at the end of book two.
* Inspector Cramer does this to Literature/NeroWolfe in ''The Silent Speaker''. Sort of. [[spoiler:He buys Wolfe an orchid after Wolfe saves his job.]]
* In the first book of ''Literature/TheThrawnTrilogy'', Mara Jade takes Luke Skywalker prisoner while walking through Myrkr and then has to protect him from the Force-hunting predators native to the planet. She ''hates'' him and is also Force-sensitive and reads as prey to the vornskrs, so she tries taking stims to go without sleep. When a vornskr does finally get past her defenses and goes for her, Luke takes back his lightsaber and saves her with considerable difficulty. She has him drop the lightsaber and back off before ''very'' grudgingly thanking him and saying that now they're even for when she did not kill him immediately after finding him. But she still hates him.
* In Creator/IsaacAsimov's ''Literature/TheRobotsOfDawn'', Elijah Baley receives one of these from the Chairman of Aurora, after the Chairman was prompted. The Chairman rarely thanks ''anyone''; thanking an Earthman was... impressive.
* Any time Nynaeve, Elayne, and Egwene are forced to thank Mat for anything in the ''WheelOfTime'' it comes out like this.
* ''Literature/TurnCoat'': Morgan starts to give one of these to Harry. He cuts Morgan off, stating that neither of them wants to hear him say that, for which Morgan is more than agreeable with. Earlier, Morgan also gives a grudging "You're welcome" in ''Dead Beat'', after Harry happily thanks him for [[spoiler:his first Warden paycheck]].
* In the Creator/TomClancy novel ''Literature/PatriotGames'', ULA terrorist Sean Grady is temporarily transferred to a cell with ordinary criminals in it. When the cops check on him, he's been beaten and is being raped. The officer pulls the other prisoner off of Grady and gets him to the infirmary, at which point Sean says "Thanks." This is notable in that it's literally the ''only'' unnecessary word that Sean says in the presence of the police between the time he's arrested and the time he's broken out (At which point he shoots and nearly kills the officer who saved him).
* One of the invading rogues on ''Literature/WarriorCats'' gives this to the Clan cats and Tribe cats when they saved them from an eagle.
* In Creator/DorothyGilman's ''Literature/TheClairvoyantCountess'', Joe Painter finally manages to say "thanks" at the end of their first meeting, after Madame Karitska has stopped him from shoplifting and being caught.
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* In ''{{Transmetropolitan}}'', after Spider Jerusalem gets knocked out during a severe storm, his assistant Yelena Rossini proceeds to write a critical story in his name to make a deadline. Later, upon admitting the fact, she cringes waiting for his typical reaction (dirty words and violence), but instead he kisses her forehead and quietly replies, "Thank you."
* DoctorDoom, of all people, in ''Comicbook/DoctorStrange and Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment'', thanks Strange for protecting his mother's soul from the wrath of Mephisto. It's pretty much the only hint of gratitude Strange gets during that misadventure, though.

* This happens in ''{{Misfits}}'' when Nathan gets [[EmbarrassingRescue rescued from a totally ridiculous situation]] by Kelly. He doesn't actually utter the words "thank you", but he mumbles and gestures awkwardly until Kelly asks if he's trying to thank her, and he admits: "I guess I am". Cue awkward silence rife with {{U|nresolvedSexualTension}}ST.
* A subversion occurs ''That70sShow'' when Red "thanks" his son Eric for staying at home to help support the family instead of going to college after Red had a heart attack and couldn't work for a while. He expresses it by ordering Eric to go out and mow the lawn, awkwardly adding that the "lawn...thanks you for staying home." Red legitimately appreciates Eric's helping to pay the bills, but he's just extremely uncomfortable expressing his emotions except for when he's angry.

* In the first book of ''TheThrawnTrilogy'', Mara Jade takes Luke Skywalker prisoner while walking through Myrkr and then has to protect him from the Force-hunting predators native to the planet. She ''hates'' him and is also Force-sensitive and reads as prey to the vornskrs, so she tries taking stims to go without sleep. When a vornskr does finally get past her defenses and goes for her, Luke takes back his lightsaber and saves her with considerable difficulty. She has him drop the lightsaber and back off before ''very'' grudgingly thanking him and saying that now they're even for when she did not kill him immediately after finding him. But she still hates him.
* In Creator/IsaacAsimov's ''TheRobotsOfDawn'', Elijah Baley receives one of these from the Chairman of Aurora, after the Chairman was prompted. The Chairman rarely thanks ''anyone''; thanking an Earthman was... impressive.

* ''TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob''-- For a variety of reasons, Jean doesn't like Voluptua, but she does express honest gratitude for her giving Jean and Bob a trip into space and then a ride on a [[DragonRider dragon's back]].

* In ''{{Homestuck}}'', after John's Dad takes Jack's [[BadJobWorseUniform hat]], sets it on fire, and sprays shaving cream all over it before stomping it to oblivion, Jack allows him to leave. He really hated that hat.

* Subverted on ''CampLazlo'': Lazlo has just saved Edward from having to blow up his favorite doll. Edward is his usual angry self, but as he walks off, he says, "Oh...and Lazlo? Tha--''clean up this mess, you loser!''" How sweet.
* ''TransformersAnimated'': Sentinel Prime, after having been targeted by the Headmaster and reunited with his body, thanks his rival, Optimus Prime.

* ''{{Futurama}}'':

* Series/{{Buffy|TheVampireSlayer}} to Spike at the end of "Intervention". She's understandably {{squick}}ed out by his possession of a sex doll in her likeness, but after tromping all over his attempt to justify it, she follows up with:

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* In ''TheBirds'' Lydia, who is always jealous of her son's love interests, thanks Melanie in this way for taking care of her after a nervous breakdown.

* CorruptCorporateExecutive Zorg in ''Film/TheFifthElement'' sort-of gives one of these to Priest Vito Cornelius after Cornelius saves him from choking on a maraschino cherry. "You saved my life. And in return I'll spare yours," and lets Cornelius leave... escorted out by his bodyguards.
* Shira gives one to Diego in ''WesternAnimation/IceAge: Continental Drift'', after he brings her some water.

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' featured an opponent whom Batman feared could actually defeat him in combat (though he wouldn't admit it); when the final showdown occurs, [[BruceWayneHeldHostage he's in Bruce Wayne disguise and can't fight up to his full potential]]... until Robin comes along and "removes" the sole witness. In the denouement a day later, Batman thanks Robin for his assistance, and admits that defeating the bad guy might have been highly difficult, "maybe impossible".

* Wyn from the web fiction serial ''DimensionHeroes'' finds himself being saved several times throughout the course of the first book. Not one to look down on their kind acts but unwilling to change his stance of joining them, he simply says "Thank you" and continues on his way.

Compare ThinkNothingOfIt and DoesNotKnowHowToSayThanks. If Bob has the same attitude as Alice, he is prone to express it, either because he dislikes the connection it formed, or because he did not act for Alice personally.