History Main / InsultToRocks

* From ''VideoGame/RomeTotalWar'', there's the description of the "Deranged" trait:
-->"There are those who say that this man gibbers like a deranged rock ape. The rock apes will take offense at this slur."

* ''VideoGame/EternalSonata'': "Really, though, comparing seawater stirred up by the beauty of the moon to the ugly waves created by the effects of human desire is rather an insult to the ocean."
* The vice president of the school in ''VisualNovel/SnowSakura'' was compared to a snake by the main character. His uncle then tells him that he shouldn't insult snakes like that.
* ''TabletopGame/BloodBowl'''s VideoGame edition has an example of this when the Pro Elves play a game and the AnnouncerChatter turns to them:
-->'''Jim:''' Hair products? Check. Scantily clad players? Check. If I didn't know better I could have mistaken these for an [[AmazonBrigade Amazon team]], Bob.\\
'''Bob:''' Don't be silly, Jim, I don't think I know anyone that fears an elf.\\
'''Jim:''' That's true, Bob.
* Before the first Sonic/Shadow boss fight in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', Sonic calls Shadow a faker, only for Shadow to retort that Sonic is the fake hedgehog and that he isn't good enough to be his fake. Sonic then tells him that [[ShutUpHannibal he'll make him eat his words]].
* In ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsV's'' mission "Not Your Natto" (based on an episode of ''Anime/TheBraveExpressMightGaine''), [[DisproportionateRetribution Catherine Vuitton kidnaps a group of your support characters]] as part of a plot to [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext destroy all the natto in Japan.]] Your PlayerCharacter's comment says it all.
-->'''[[Characters/SuperRobotWarsV Chitose]]:''' I would call this childish but I don't want to offend any children.
* ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption2'': If in the mood, Arthur Morgan can use this insult towards Sadie Adler.
-->'''Arthur:''' I'd call you a fishwife, but I'd be insulting the fish.
* ''Franchise/AceAttorney'':
** {{Inverted|Trope}} in ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney''. Trucy scolds Apollo when he calls Machi Tobaye a pianist because that would imply he can be compared to her father (who can't even be called a DreadfulMusician because Phoenix barely plays the piano at all).
** The DLC case in ''[[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies Dual Destinies]]'' has Dr. Crab remaking that Phoenix is more birdbrained than Rifle (a penguin at the aquarium where Dr. Crab works), which Blackquill (who has a pet hawk named [[ADogNamedDog Taka]]) takes great exception to:
--->'''Blackquill:''' Witness, I will not allow birds to be belittled in my presence! Limit your disparaging comments to the defense alone!\\
'''Phoenix:''' (''So I get disparaged either way. Great.'')
* In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'', after Byleth [[spoiler:pursues their father's killer]] only to end up in a trap set by the enemy, Sothis calls them out:
-->'''Sothis''': YouFool! What were you thinking, charging right into an enemy's trap? Are you just a boulder that rolls down whatever hill it's on? No, even a boulder has more sense!
* ''VideoGame/LoveAndPies'':
-->'''Esme:''' Saw that rat of an ex-husband outside, Amelia.\\
'''Amelia:''' You shouldn't call him that. It's not fair on Kate.\\
'''Esme:''' Not fair on rats, more like.
* ''VideoGame/Persona5Tactica'': In the side quest, when Yusuke is informed how he behaved while he was {{Brainwashed}} by Marie:
-->'''Futaba:''' Marie made you call yourself an "inconsequential, dirt-poor brat."
-->'''Yusuke:''' What!? How... How could she...!?
-->'''Makoto:''' Hey, it's okay. You shouldn't take what she says to heart, you know that right?
-->'''Yusuke:''' [[ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne Dirt is the source of all things beautiful and nutritious. I won't allow anyone to insult it like that.]]

* ''LetsPlay/{{Yogscast}} Civilization'': During the Christmas 2014 livestream (aka the "Datlof" game), a very, very drunk Lewis noticed that there was a speck of grime in his glass of gin, and complained that he would [[BadBoss fire whoever "put it there"]] [[note]]No, not for doing a poor job cleaning it and leaving some grime in the glass; for "putting" it there, deliberately, to spite him. He was ''very'' sloshed.[[/note]]. When Parv (sarcastically) fessed up, [[GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity he quickly took back his threat]] because he wasn't sure if Parv even did enough work for the Yogscast to technically ''be'' fired from working there. He then compared it to firing the gin glass itself, but took that back as well because the glass actually served a purpose to him.

* ''LetsPlay/{{Yogscast}} Civilization'': During the Christmas 2014 livestream (aka the "Datlof" game), a very, very drunk Lewis noticed that there was a speck of grime in his glass of gin, and complained that he would [[BadBoss fire whoever "put it there"]] [[note]]No, not for doing a poor job cleaning it and leaving some grime in the glass; for "putting" it there, deliberately, to spite him. He was ''very'' sloshed.[[/note]]. When Parv (sarcastically) fessed up, [[GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity he took back his threat]] because he wasn't sure if Parv even did enough work for the Yogscast to even technically ''be'' fired. He then compared it to firing the gin glass itself, but took that back as well because the glass actually served a purpose to him.

* ''LetsPlay/{{Yogscast}} Civilization'': During the Christmas 2014 livestream (aka the "Datlof" game), a very, very drunk Lewis [[BadBoss threatens to fire Parv]] for a number of different reasons, such as putting a speck of grime in his glass of gin[[note]]No, not for doing a poor job cleaning it and leaving some grime in the glass; for "putting" it there, deliberately, to spite him[[/note]]. [[GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity He then takes that back]] because he's unsure if Parv does enough work to even technically ''be'' fired and compares it to firing the gin glass itself, which he also takes back because the glass actually serves a purpose to him.

** While Buffy is hunting Angel inside the empty Bronze, she calls out that she knows he's in there, and she knows what he is ("Angel"). From the balcony, Angel, in game face, sneers:

* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5475405/26/DragonKin DragonKin]]'' Harry and Draco discuss a curse cast on Umbridge.

* Riot's host in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/16397411 Six Months Missing]]'' initially compares the symbiote to a barking dog. When Riot angrily insists it's not a dog, she retorts that he's right... a dog can survive on its own.
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5483280/15/Harry-Potter-and-the-Champion-s-Champion Harry Potter and the Champion's Champion]]'' Fleur, Viktor and Cedric decide to go after the Triwizard Tournament cup as a team.

-->'''James:''' ''Give the lady some credit, Lily – she's a lot smarter then Petunia. Then again, a turtle is smarter then your sister.''\\

* A New Yorker goes in a bar in the DeepSouth, starts drinking and yells out loud "Texans are all assholes!". Dead silence in the bar, until a huge guy goes up to him and says "Hey now, I take offense to that." "Why, are you a Texan?" "No, I'm an asshole!" (replace Texan with acceptable target of choice).

** One book remarks that Ankh-Morpork is known as the Big Wahoonie, the wahoonie being a fruit described like an exaggerated [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durian durian]], then adds that even the wahoonie doesn't smell as bad as [[WretchedHive Ankh-Morpork]] on a hot summer's day.

* Dudley gleefully tells ''Literature/HarryPotter'' that the boys at Harry's new school, Stonewall High, stuff new kids' heads down the toilet the first day, and asks if Harry wants to practise. Harry declines, and retorts that "the poor toilet's never had anything as horrible as your head down it before; it might be sick," then escapes before Dudley can figure it out.

** In one segment that dealt with trying to debate whether Fox News were stupid or evil, Wyatt Cenac (on Team Evil) noted that if they weren't evil they were as stupid as potatoes with mouths. Creator/JohnOliver (on Team Stupid) helpfully pointed out that potatoes can still power a digital clock, and suggested rocks with mouths.

* In the very first episode of ''Series/DoctorWho'' in 1963, the Doctor uses this on his first ever human companion, Ian, who is complaining about being condescended to. It would surely be a throwaway line if it were uttered today by Matt Smith, but this is Creator/WilliamHartnell we're talking about here.

* On ''Series/TheHughleys'' as Darryl, Milsap and Dave are hanging out at a bar and Dave excuses himself to get another round, a customer begins making snide and racist comments to Darryl and Milsap, who fight back with equally snarky remarks.

* In ''[[Series/{{Blackadder}} Blackadder the Third]]'', Prince George recounts in conversation with Edmund that somebody at the Naughty Hellfire Club said he had the wit and sophistication of a donkey. Blackadder says this the suggestion is absurd, "unless, of course, it was a particularly ''stupid'' donkey".

* ''Radio/TheMenFromTheMinistry'': In one of the episodes written exclusively for YLE (essentially BBC of Finland) has Mildred's boyfriend comparing Mr. Lamb's mind to a sieve. Mildred protests, as something actually sometimes stays in a sieve.

* "[[http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/15/movies/review-in-norm-of-the-north-a-polar-bear-takes-a-stand.html?partner=rss&emc=rss The title character of]] ''WesternAnimation/NormOfTheNorth'' may be a bear, but the movie is a dog. Actually, that assessment is unfair to dogs -- real, anthropomorphic and metaphorical."

** {{Inverted|Trope}} in ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney''. Trucy scolds Apollo when he calls Machi Tobaye a pianist, because that would imply, he can be compared to her father (who can't even be called a DreadfulMusician because Phoenix barely plays the piano at all).

* In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'', after Byleth [[spoiler:pursues their father's killer]] only to end up in a trap set by the enemy, Sothis calls them out.

* When Charlie Finley, owner of the Oakland A's baseball team in the 1970's, was feuding with then-baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn, Finley at one point called him a "village idiot". Afterwards, Finley corrected this, saying, "I apologize to all the village idiots of America. He (Kuhn) is the nation's idiot."

* In 2023, a columnist for the ''Los Angeles Times'' characterized a politician as having [[https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2023-04-26/column-disney-lawsuit-shows-ron-desantis-at-his-bullying-bumbling-worst "all the charisma of a linoleum floor"]]. An architect wrote back demanding an apology on behalf of linoleum, [[https://www.latimes.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/story/2023-05-01/leave-linoleum-out-of-the-the-desantis-disney-fight "which has comported itself with dignity now for more than a century and a half."]]

* During ''Anime/YuGiOh'''s Duelist Kingdom arc (English dub), Yugi faces off against Kaiba's evil side, brought back from the Shadow Realm by Pegasus. When the {{doppelganger}} reveals its true form, Yugi remarks, "You know, I'm not quite sure what to call you. I was thinking about '[[YouMonster monster]]' -- but I wouldn't want to insult the cards." (This insult would sound even more appropriate when you consider that in the ''original'' version, the imposter was ''not'' Kaiba's evil side, but a mercenary cruelly trying to break Yugi's -- and Mokuba's -- spirits by making them think Kaiba was dead.)

* In Encounter 142 of ''Manga/SgtFrog'', the author explains that the underground base constantly expands with no plans or organization, and says that while he could say it looks like an ants' nest, he considers it an insult to the ants.

* In an alternate ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' tale, "Shooting Star," rich people are compared to pigs (in their eating manners). Another member says they're insulting pigs, even including a line defending pigs' manners. Another of the characters even states that she used to be like that.
* Shizuo from ''Literature/{{Durarara}}'' does not like it when people positively compare him to Kasuka -- as far as he's concerned it's much too insulting to his little brother [[HeroicSelfDeprecation to be put on the same level as him]].
* When ''Manga/KenichiTheMightiestDisciple'' begins his training, Akisame has him focus on building strength, alluding to the old saying that an ant cannot defeat an elephant, no matter what kind of techniques it has. Kenichi asks if he's being compared to an ant, and Akisame says no; that would be insulting to ''the ant''.

* The English version of ''Anime/KirbyRightBackAtYa'' has Escargoon comment on Dedede's messy throne room as such at the start of episode 81.
-->'''Escargoon:''' I'd call this a rat's nest, but that's an insult to rats.
* Similarly, the English version of ''Anime/JackAndTheBeanstalk1974'' has Jack use this as part of his plan to DrawAggro and lure [[TheDragon Tulip]] from the castle by repeatedly insulting him until he hits his RageBreakingPoint and gives chase.
--> '''Jack:''' What's the matter? Can't figure it out, you walnut-brained ape? I shouldn't have called you an ape, they're smarter! ''And'' a lot prettier!
* ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'': After Ken unleashes Kimeramon, both Cody and Wormmon say that Ken is more of a monster than the actual monsters he creates.

* Reviewing ''Film/MadameWeb'', David Sims of ''[[UsefulNotes/AmericanNewspapers The Atlantic]]'' stated that to say that the film's star, Creator/DakotaJohnson, phoned in her performance would be an insult to Alexander Graham Bell.[[note]]The inventor of the telephone.[[/note]]

* Reviewing ''Film/MadameWeb'', David Sims of ''[[UsefulNotes/AmericanNewspapers The Atlantic]]'' stated that to say that the film's star, Creator/DakotaJohnson, phoned in her performance would be an insult to Alexander Graham Bell.[[note]]The inventor of the telephone.[[note]]

* In one episode of ''Toys/NexoKnights'', while the knights are struggling to work on a movie headed by an upstart director, Macy calls the movie a farce before deciding that it's too bad to even be called that.

* Speaking of ''Battlefield Earth'', J.D. Shapiro, one of the credited screenwriters (he wrote the first draft, and was fired due to ExecutiveMeddling), started an [[http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/movies/penned_the_suckiest_movie_ever_sorry_MdXedZpTMWJmfpw80Xc7aO/0 apology letter]] on the movie with this:

* A man is brought into court for insulting Mrs. Johnson by calling her a pig. When it comes time for him to make his apology, he asks the court if he can call a pig "Mrs. Johnson"; the judge doesn't see any harm in this, and he leaves the courtroom, saying good-bye to "Mrs. Johnson".
* Dixon No. 2 Joke: Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon [[https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/baltimore-city/bal-dixon-trial1201-story.html embezzles from a charity]] to buy {{UsefulNotes/PlayStation}}s for her cronies. When Joe Sixpack hears this story, he is of two minds: On the one hand it's rather unfortunate that a respectable office stationery company has to share a name with a corrupt politician. On the other hand, it's actually kind of fitting that she is named "Dixon", because she's a real "NO. 2".

'''Scrooge:''' Oh, come now, that's ''unfair to the plague!''\\

* In ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsV's'' mission "Not Your Natto" (based on an episode of ''Anime/TheBraveExpressMightGaine'', [[DisproportionateRetribution Catherine Vuitton kidnaps a group of your support characters]] as part of a plot to [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext destroy all the natto in Japan.]] Your PlayerCharacter's comment says it all.

* In ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsV's'' mission "Not Your Natto" (based on an episode of ''Anime/BraveExpressMightGaine'', [[DisproportionateRetribution Catherine Vuitton kidnaps a group of your support characters]] as part of a plot to [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext destroy all the natto in Japan.]] Your PlayerCharacter's comment says it all.

* In ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsV's'' mission "Not Your Natto", [[DisproportionateRetribution a thief kidnaps a group of your support characters]] as part of a plot to [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext destroy all the natto in Japan.]] Your PlayerCharacter's comment says it all.

* In the 6 January 2023 episode of ''Radio/TheNewsQuiz'', Samira Ahmed says that UsefulNotes/RishiSunak's "five-point plan" speech was compared to a Creator/{{CBeebies}} presenter, and that this is unfair, because [=CBeebies=] presenters don't talk down to their audience.

* After the Italian election of 2013, German politician Peer Steinbrück [[OpenMouthInsertFoot made a comment]] about being shocked that "the two Italian clowns" won, referring to Silvio Berlusconi and Beppe Grillo. Afterwards, the clown and boss of circus Roncalli Bernhard Paul protested against the comparison, stating that clowning is an honorable, difficult, and sensible job.

* His former co-host Richard Roeper, listing ''Film/JonahHex'' among the worst of 2010:

* The manual for ''VideoGame/FullThrottle'' described Adrian Ripburger (voiced by Creator/MarkHamill!) as follows:

* In ''Webcomic/SequentialArt'', Art [[https://www.collectedcurios.com/sequentialart.php?s=1227 criticizes A.I.-generated "art"]] and the "artists" that produce it by comparing their lazy, ugly, keyword-generated images to a portfolio of nothing but [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirograph spirograph]] drawings, but relents because the spirographs at least take some skill to make.

* In Webcomic/SequentialArt, Art [[https://www.collectedcurios.com/sequentialart.php?s=1227 criticizes A.I.-generated "art"]] and the "artists" that produce it by comparing their lazy, ugly, keyword-generated images to a portfolio of nothing but [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirograph spirograph]] drawings, but relents because the spirographs at least take some skill to make.

* ''LetsPlay/{{Yogscast}} Civilization'': During the Christmas 2014 livestream (aka the "Datlof" game), a very, very drunk Lewis [[BadBoss threatens to fire Parv]] for a number of different reasons, such as putting a speck of grime in his glass of gin[[note]]No, not for doing a poor cleaning job and leaving some grime in the glass; for "putting" it there, deliberately, to spite him[[/note]]. [[GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity He then decides against it]] because he's unsure if Parv does enough work to even technically ''be'' fired and compares it to firing the gin glass itself, which he then takes back because the glass actually serves a purpose to him.

* ''LetsPlay/{{Yogscast}} Civilization'': During the Christmas 2014 livestream, Lewis gets very, very drunk and [[BadBoss threatens to fire Parv]] for a number of different reasons. He then decides against it because he doesn't believe Parv does enough work to even technically ''be'' fired and compares it to firing his own glass of gin, which he then takes back because the gin glass actually serves a purpose to him.

-->'''Yusuke:''' [[ [[ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne Dirt is the source of all things beautiful and nutritious. I won't allow anyone to insult it like that.]]