History Main / ThisIndexIsNotAnExample

* AcquittedTooLate -- A character is executed and then found to be not guilty after the fact. The Trope Namer is Creator/AgathaChristie's ''Literature/AndThenThereWereNone'', in which the phrase "acquitted too late" refers not to a character who was executed, but rather one who was murdered -- one of the TenLittleMurderVictims must be the killer, so being a victim is an "acquittal" of sorts. And even then, the killer [[FakingTheDead fakes his death]] to deflect suspicion, hence why "and then there were none".

* NoDelaysForTheWicked -- Originally "The Trains Run on Time", a villain is not affected by logistical issues. The former name came from a common saying about UsefulNotes/{{fascist Ital|y}}ian dictator UsefulNotes/BenitoMussolini, who it was said got the people on his side because he made the trains run on time. That doesn't imply he was an example, though; he had to ''cut through'' the bureaucracy. And in any event, he never ''really'' made the trains run on time.

* IAmNotShazam -- A character is mistakenly believed to have the same name as the work's title, but it's actually different. The Trope Namer is the Creator/DCComics series ''ComicBook/{{Shazam}}'', whose protagonist is not named "Shazam" but rather "Captain Marvel" -- "Shazam" is his [[ByThePowerOfGreyskull transformation phrase]]. (Indeed, the book ''couldn't'' be titled "Captain Marvel" because of a trademark dispute with Creator/MarvelComics.) One line of continuity is not actually an example, though -- in the 2011 ''ComicBook/New52'' ContinuityReboot, his name actually ''is'' "Shazam".

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment -- A bizarre and {{Non Sequitur}}ial scene in an otherwise ordinary work that has no bearing on the rest of the work. The Trope Namer is ''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic'', which coined the phrase to describe the trope after a particular moment from ''WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven'' in which a singing alligator shows up out of nowhere to perform a musical number. It's a ''marginal'' example, as while the scene is out of place and unexpected, ''(a)'' it's not ''that'' outlandish for the film, which is an animated musical about {{Funny Animal}}s set in UsefulNotes/NewOrleans; and ''(b)'' it gets the ''barest'' of references later, when the alligator shows up again and sings a single line from the song.

* EccentricMentor -- Originally "The Dumbledore", after Professor Albus Dumbledore from ''Literature/HarryPotter''. While Dumbledore fit the trope quite well in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone'', his quirkiness was considerably toned down as the series underwent CerebusSyndrome; by the later installments, he'd transitioned into a mostly solemn and straight-laced ReasonableAuthorityFigure.

* AliensOfLondon -- Aliens who [[AliensSpeakingEnglish speak English]] do so with a distinctive accent for no good reason. The Trope Namer is the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E4AliensOfLondon Aliens of London]]", where the aliens in question are speaking in distinctive British accents for good reason -- they're in HumanDisguise as British government officials. Interestingly, [[TheNthDoctor this incarnation]] of the Doctor (as portrayed by Creator/ChristopherEccleston) fits the trope himself with his distinctive [[OopNorth non-London accent]].

* DecapitatedArmy -- Originally "Ding Dong, the Witch Is Dead", the BigBad is defeated and their armies immediately stand down or disperse. The Trope Namer is the song from ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'', which is sung twice, once for the Wicked Witch of the East and once for the Wicked Witch of the West. The second time is an example, as that resolves a major part of the plot. The ''first'' instance is the more famous one and it's ''not'' an example; that's just the Munchkins [[AndThereWasMuchRejoicing celebrating the death of an oppressor]].

* BitsOfMeKeepPassingOut -- Body parts fall asleep. The Trope Namer is ''Radio/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'', whose protagonist uses the phrase to describe his general sense of feeling like crap after his first space travel experience rather than any specific body part falling asleep (although the use of the Infinite Improbability Drive shortly thereafter does make some of them temporarily disappear or change size).

* ExaggeratedTrope -- Originally "Up to Eleven", a reference to ''Film/ThisIsSpinalTap'' and how the band uses amplifiers whose dials' top setting is "11" rather than the traditional "10". While Spın̈al Tap is described as the world's loudest band and generally goes above and beyond with its antics, its amps don't actually exceed normal limits; they're just labeled strangely. (UpToEleven still exists, but as a disambiguation that includes ExaggeratedTrope.)

* PretendThatWereDead -- Named for the song by ''music/{{LSeven}}'', the message of which is that ordinary people need to stand up to MoralGuardians and the phrase refers to people not saying anything when censorship happens. The trope is instead about living people blending in with zombies.

* PretendThatWereDead -- Named for the song by ''music/{{L7}}'', the message of which is that ordinary people need to stand up to MoralGuardians and the phrase refers to people not saying anything when censorship happens. The trope is instead about living people blending in with zombies.

* WeHardlyKnewYe -- A chracter is killed off or otherwise removed from the work before the audience can get to know them properly. The Trope Namer is the old Irish folk song "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_I_Hardly_Knew_Ye Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye]]", which is about a soldier who returns home alive but so disfigured as to be virtually unrecognisable.

* AboveTheInfluence -- A character refuses to accept the advances of another character who is not fit to consent, such as a state of intoxication. The American campaign of the same name, is instead encouraging the viewers to stay off drugs.

** SuetifulAllAlong -- She was a parody from the get-go.

* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney -- While Seto Kaiba is fond of using his wealth to buy himself out of situations in both ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries'' and its source material ''Anime/YuGiOh'', when he actually says this in the abridged series, he is just straight-up cheating in his Duel Monsters game against Yugi.
* SexDrugsAndRockAndRoll: The term originated in the 1960s to refer to those three things individually as characteristics of the entire counterculture, not how the former two overlap with rock and roll specifically.
* SomeCallMeTim -- The trope is about someone with an [[OverlyLongName absurdly long]] or very hard-to-pronounce name going by a shorter nickname. In ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'', there's no indication that Tim the Enchanter's name isn't his real name; Creator/JohnCleese did [[ThrowItIn ad-lib the line]] ''"There are some who call me...Tim,"'' when he couldn't remember his character's actual name, but nobody knows if that was because it was long or hard to pronounce.
* SpringtimeForHitler -- The trope is about characters who [[GoneHorriblyRight accidentally succeed after intentionally trying to fail at something]], and after [[FailureGambit attempting to profit handsomely from their failure]]. In ''Film/TheProducers'', Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom do try to make their musical ''Springtime for Hitler'' fail, but its failure wasn't solely going to make them rich. They were going to get rich by overselling shares to gullible investors; the play failing was just [[KansasCityShuffle a ploy to make it look like they hadn't made any money so that their investors wouldn't expect a return and the IRS wouldn't investigate them]]. And unlike traditional uses of the trope, their unintentional success isn't a disaster in and of itself: the musical's success [[CutLexLuthorACheck easily could have made Max and Leo rich if they hadn't tried to get rich by cheating their investors]].
* StrawVulcan -- Vulcans from ''Franchise/StarTrek'' believe that emotions are dangerous... but due to alien psychology, they ''are'' dangerous ''for a Vulcan''.
* TeamRocketWins -- At the time that the trope was named, [[Anime/PokemonTheSeries Team Rocket]] had never won. However, in the ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'' anime, Team Rocket did win a fight against Ash legitimately.
* TheyKilledKennyAgain -- ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' played this trope straight with Kenny for the first five seasons, but after Kenny's semi-permanent death in Season 5 and subsequent resurrection at the end of Season 6, it spent more time subverting this trope via near-misses than playing it straight, and even gave it a CerebusRetcon showing its impact on Kenny.
* ThouShaltNotKill -- A more accurate translation would be "Thou shalt not commit premeditated murder". For example: the trope refers to characters who refuse to take a life under any circumstances, but Literature/TheBible makes allowances for soldiers who are JustFollowingOrders. (Indeed, some translations of the Bible verse use the word "murder" rather than "kill".)
* TimeStandsStill -- Time Stand Still by Music/RushBand is about ''wanting'' to freeze time, as the narrator feels life is passing him by; the trope is about actually being able to freeze time.
* TimeyWimeyBall -- The actual episode of ''Series/DoctorWho'' from which this phrase emerged ends in a perfectly reasonable StableTimeLoop, albeit one containing a bootstrap paradox. But the series as a whole is all over the place in explaining the perils and practice of TimeTravel.
* TimmyInAWell -- While Series/{{Lassie}} often saves Timmy and the other human characters from danger, [[BeamMeUpScotty those dangers never involve wells]].
* TotallyRadical -- For a brief window of time in the early [[TheNineties 1990s]], "Totally radical!" actually ''was'' an accurate example of contemporary youth slang. Nowadays, however, it's only ever used to mock older people who use dated slang in a misguided effort to look hip.
* VoodooShark -- Refers to instances where creators' attempts to explain {{plot hole}}s and unanswered questions just create ''more'' plot holes and unanswered questions. But the novelization of ''Film/JawsTheRevenge'' technically doesn't generate any plot holes or unanswered questions when it explains that the Brodie family's bad luck with sharks is the result of a voodoo curse. Its explanation is just generally agreed to be really, really stupid.
* WartsAndAll -- When UsefulNotes/OliverCromwell asked for his portrait to contain "warts and all", he was referring to physical imperfections, not moral ones.
* WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong -- No specific {{Trope Namer|s}}, but whenever the phrase is actually said, TemptingFate usually applies, and not this trope.
* WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway: Ma-Ti's "heart" powers in ''WesternAnimation/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers'' are actually ''very'' powerful (he's effectively a [[{{Telepathy}} telepath]] and an empath with the ability to [[MindControl control people's minds]]), albeit a bit less impressive than his teammates' {{elemental powers}}. He just refuses to use his powers to their full extent due to his strong moral compass.
* WhereDaWhiteWomenAt -- The trope-naming line in ''Film/BlazingSaddles'' is just something that Sheriff Bart says to rile up some Klansmen so that he can lure them into an ambush, but the film ''does'' have an example of the trope in Bart's fling with Lili Von Shtupp. Still, even that part subverts it: Lili is a professional seductress who gets hired to woo Bart, only to end up genuinely falling for him; by the time she does, Bart [[NotDistractedByTheSexy proves himself immune to her charms]] and leaves her.
* YokoOhNo -- Music/YokoOno was popularly blamed for the breakup of Music/{{the Beatles}} for many years, but this is now generally agreed to be a gross oversimplification of the actual reasons for their split; even the Beatles themselves stated on numerous occasions that it wasn't her fault. The trope can apply to solo artists as well as bands, but Yoko didn't ruin her husband Music/JohnLennon's career either; in fact, he had one of the most successful solo careers of the four Beatles. Even if that weren't the case, she still wouldn't be eligible for being listed on the page, as [[Administrivia/InUniverseExamplesOnly it doesn't permit real-life examples]].
* YourHeadASplode -- The PlayerCharacter who blew up in [[WebAnimation/StrongBadEmail Strong Bad's]] hypothetical video game had his entire body explode, not just his head.
* {{Zeerust}} -- The trope about futuristic depictions becoming dated with the passage of time is named for the word given this definition in ''Literature/TheMeaningOfLiff''. However, the word itself comes from the name of a town in South Africa, which on its own has no relation to the trope in question.
* ZergRush -- In ''VideoGame/StarCraft'', the term "Zerg Rush" refers to the tactic of quickly making a ''small'' number of units to seize enemy resources before they set up defenses. Outside of that tactic however, the Zerg are a perfect example of this trope, using vastly superior numbers to compensate for having weaker units.

* ActorRoleConfusion -- Originally "Your Secret's Safe With Me, Superman", after a line from ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "Mr. Plow". Barney doesn't simply mistake an actor with a fictional character, but also gets the role wrong as he refers to Creator/AdamWest as "Superman", despite the actor being known from portraying ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' from [[Series/Batman1966 1966 tv show]].
* AdaptationalSelfDefense -- Originally "The Dog Shot First", the Trope Namer (via MemeticMutation) is the infamous "Han Shot First" controversy from the [[GeorgeLucasAlteredVersion post-1997 editions]] of the original ''Franchise/StarWars'' film (later subtitled ''Film/ANewHope''), where Han Solo's confrontation with Greedo in the Mos Eisley Cantina is edited so that Greedo shoots at Han and misses him at point-blank range, and Han shoots back in self-defense. But while Han may have fired the first shot in the original version, he only did it because Greedo was pointing a gun at him and delivering a speech making it clear that he intended to kill him; Han's life is clearly in danger in both versions, so the edit doesn't make his actions look particularly more justified.
* CondemnedByHistory -- Formerly "Deader Than Disco". Disco has undergone a PopularityPolynomial, being seen more favorably by later generations whom have no memories of [[GenreKiller its backlash]] in [[TheEighties the early 80s]]; see [[CondemnedByHistory/{{Music}} here]] for more information.
* CuteAndPsycho -- Originally "Yangire", a term that was coined by fans to describe some unusual behavior of ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'', though this was ultimately not the case.
* DamselScrappy -- originally "The Kimberly", referring to Jack Bauer's daughter from ''Series/TwentyFour'', who TookALevelInBadass during the season that followed the trope renaming and got RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap.
* DecapitatedArmy -- Formerly "Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead", which refers to the BigBad[='=]s armies dispersing when they are killed or defeated. The first time the song is in ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'', when the Wicked Witch of the East dies, is not an example, as the Munchkins are [[AndThereWasMuchRejoicing celebrating the death of an oppressor]]. The second time, when the Winkies sing it after the death of the Wicked Witch of the West, is a straight example.
* DrivenByEnvy -- Originally "Salieri Syndrome", after Antonio Salieri in ''Film/{{Amadeus}}''. While Salieri ''is'' deeply envious of Mozart's talent, none of his schemes to destroy him pays off and his claim that he murdered Mozart turns out to be a lie.
* ExaggeratedTrope -- Had "Up to Eleven" fused into it. [[Film/ThisIsSpinalTap Spın̈al Tap]]'s amps don't actually exceed normal limits; they're just labeled strangely. But Spın̈al Tap itself--which is described as the world's loudest band, and generally gets into antics well above and beyond any other--fits the spirit of the trope to a T.
* HeadTurningBeauty -- Originally "Hello Nurse". The character from ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' was indeed stunningly beautiful, and got this reaction from Yakko and Wakko, but that reaction wasn't universal, more specific to a few characters.
* HypercompetentSidekick -- Originally "The Radar", referring to a character from ''Series/{{Mash}}'', who was this until {{Flanderization}}.
* InstantWinCondition -- Originally "The Enemy Gate is Down". In ''Literature/EndersGame'', opening the enemy army's gate in a Battle School simulation ''does'' result in an automatic victory--but when Ender Wiggin actually delivered this line, he was just coaching his teammates on how to stay focused on the enemy army's gate in zero-gravity (with his advice eventually becoming a mantra among the members of Dragon Army).
* ReplacementFlatCharacter -- Originally "The Niles" after Niles Crane from ''Series/{{Frasier}}'', who served as this for his older brother Frasier following his CharacterDevelopment, but eventually grew out of it after undergoing CharacterDevelopment himself.
* RomanticPlotTumor -- Originally "Creator/GeorgeLucas Love Story", changed because most romance stories in Lucas films are not poorly written and absorbing most of the film ([[WesternAnimation/StrangeMagic most of the time]]), and his [[Film/AttackOfTheClones famous example]] was just a NeverLiveItDown moment.
* SprintShoes -- Originally "Bunny Hood". Equipping the Bunny Hood item in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'' did increase the player's speed, but many players elected not to use it for that purpose, since rolling is faster. Its incarnation in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' does increase the player's speed and jump height, however. In honor of being technically correct, just overshadowed, it remains an alternate title.
* UniqueEnemy -- Originally "The Red Snifit", referring to the only Red Snifit in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2''. However, in later ''[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Super Mario]]'' games where Snifits appear, red ones are much more common than other colors.
* YouJustToldMe -- Formerly "Rumpelstiltskin Ploy", the trope is about tricking someone into revealing a secret via ReflexiveResponse (usually by pretending you already know). While the fairy tale Rumpelstiltskin's defeat was indeed a result of his speaking aloud his secret, he was not tricked into doing so and in fact thought he was entirely alone at the time.

* AmericanKirbyIsHardcore -- The ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'' series never used "grittier" North American box art until ''[[VideoGame/KirbysAdventure Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land]]'', and even got phased out with ''VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamLand'' being its last example in 2011. (Though they ''did'' use grittier North American advertising in the 90s.)
* AndIMustScream -- The narrator's fate at the end of ''Literature/IHaveNoMouthAndIMustScream'' (when he utters the trope-naming line) fits every aspect of this trope but the immobility. He ends up immortal, blind, voiceless, trapped in a giant computer, and [[ICannotSelfTerminate unable to commit suicide]], but capable of limited movement.
* BewareTheSuperman -- The original book that Franchise/{{Superman}} was based on had the character become evil. However, most versions of Superman are truly heroic.
* BiggerThanJesus -- Music/JohnLennon [[BeamMeUpScotty didn't say this.]] He actually said Music/TheBeatles were "more popular than UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} now", and he insisted that it was a lamentation rather than a BlasphemousBoast (he found it ridiculous that the public got more enthusiastic about singing groups than about religion).
* BigLippedAlligatorMoment -- The {{Trope Namer|s}} is a musical number in ''WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven'' -- an animated musical about {{Funny Animal}}s set in UsefulNotes/NewOrleans, where a singing alligator isn't out-of-place at all. And King Gator, the big-lipped alligator in question, reappears towards the end to take out the film's villain, thus having a profound impact on the plot. The musical number fits this trope overall, but it does receive a ''minor'' reference later, when King Gator sings a single line from the song.
* BigOlEyebrows -- Named after one of [[WebAnimation/HomestarRunner Strong Bad's]] hypothetical designs for potential new looks Strong Mad could sport. Nobody in the work actually has large eyebrows.
* BrawnHilda -- [[Theatre/TheRingOfTheNibelung Brünnhilde]] has traditionally been described as very attractive, but due to the ending song requiring very strong lungs, she's usually played by rather large women, leading to inverse HollywoodPudgy.
* BroughtToYouByTheLetterS -- This trope is about superhero costumes with letters on them, and ''Series/SesameStreet'' does have a few examples (most notably "G" for Super Grover), but it otherwise has nothing to do with the traditional "Letter of the Day" segments of the show.
* TheCakeIsALie -- The last scene of ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'' shows that the cake promised to test subjects actually exists, it's just that [=GLaDOS=] never intends to let them eat it.
* ChameleonCamouflage -- Only one species of chameleon actually changes color to blend in with its environment; in all others their color-changing abilities are primarily a method of communication. The form of camouflage popularly associated with chameleons more accurately applies to ''octopi''.
* ContinuitySnarl -- The Snarl of ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' certainly fits the spirit of the trope, being an EldritchAbomination created by disagreements between the gods during the creation of the world, but the comic itself has a single author and a well-ordered continuity.
* DoABarrelRoll -- The "barrel roll" in ''VideoGame/StarFox64'' isn't an actual [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrel_roll barrel roll]], it's an [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aileron_roll aileron roll]].
* DoNotCallMePaul -- Professional wrestler Wrestling/PaulWight (better known as "Big Show" and "The Giant") was a famous example for most of his career. But as of his 2021 debut in Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling, he goes by his real name, and has no apparent problem with being called "Paul".[[note]][[OlderThanTheyThink He also went by "Paul" at a few earlier points in his career]], but those aren't as well-remembered.[[/note]] The other trope namer, [[Wrestling/TripleH Paul Levesque]], also went by ''Jean''-Paul during his brief stint in Wrestling/WorldChampionshipWrestling, but that also isn't particularly well-remembered.
* DrFeelgood -- The trope is about a doctor handing prescription drugs like a drug dealer. The eponymous character of Music/MotleyCrue's "Dr. Feelgood" is the opposite, selling illegal cocaine, while styling himself as a doctor. Real doctors, however, have been referred to "Dr. Feelgood" as a nickname before the song came out.
* EveryCarIsAPinto -- The real-life [[TheAllegedCar Ford Pinto]] did explode in collisions, but it was only one model of Pinto that was affected, and later models fixed the issue.
* FaceStealer -- Koh the Face Stealer from ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' can only keep his stolen faces as {{Creepy Souvenir}}s, not use them as disguises--wearing them didn't conceal his [[BeastWithAHumanFace enormous, monstrous body]].
* FromTheMouthsOfBabes -- This name comes from [[Literature/BookOfPsalms Psalm 8:2]] in Literature/TheBible. The Psalm is talking about God recieving glory from even children. The trope is about children saying something you wouldn't expect, usually sexual or violent. While the Psalm isn't talking about anything sexual or violent, it is still talking about something unexpected of kids.
* GeneralRipper -- General Jack D. Ripper of ''Film/DrStrangelove'' is indeed insane, and he does indeed concoct a scheme to start a nuclear war between the United States and Russia, but he has almost none of the classic markers of the trope. Rather than being a loud, brash, jingoistic madman who [[WeHaveReserves gleefully sends his troops to die in battle]], he's a quiet, soft-spoken man who [[MaskOfSanity successfully manages to hide his mental instability from everyone else in the military]], and he spends most of the movie keeping his troops safely fortified in a military base.
* AGlassOfChianti -- Hannibal Lecter is never actually ''seen'' sipping chianti in ''Film/TheSilenceOfTheLambs''; the line comes from a scene where he just relates an ''anecdote'' about sipping wine with dinner. And while he's certainly WickedCultured, the meal that he describes eating (liver and fava beans) is actually pretty modest; it would be a perfectly unremarkable dinner if it weren't a ''[[ImAHumanitarian human]]'' liver.
* GoldenSnitch -- Creator/JKRowling has stated that it's common in professional Quidditch for a team to catch the Golden Snitch and still lose despite the point bonus, like what happens at the Quidditch World Cup in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire''. It's just that the version Hogwarts uses has simplified rules and is significantly faster, thus the points won from catching the Snitch have much more weight.
* HartmanHips -- While many mature female characters in Creator/ButchHartman's cartoons indeed have wide hips, this actually comes from Stephen Silver's character designs and art style.
* IAmNotShazam -- Captain Marvel, the protagonist of the Creator/DCComics series ''ComicBook/{{Shazam}}'', was originally a rather infamous example of this trope.[[note]]Because of a trademark dispute with Creator/MarvelComics, the writers weren't allowed to call the series "Captain Marvel."[[/note]] As of DC's ComicBook/{{New 52}} ContinuityReboot in 2011, though, he actually ''is'' named "Shazam".
* IJustShotMarvinInTheFace -- The trope refers to serious instances of damage being done by crass gun safety violations. The ''Film/PulpFiction'' scene, strictly speaking, fits, but is clearly PlayedForLaughs, making it a much better example of JugglingLoadedGuns.
* JustHereForGodzilla -- There are a handful of films in the ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' series where Godzilla himself isn't generally considered the primary draw. For example: Franchise/KingKong was initially intended to be the main star of ''Film/KingKongVsGodzilla'', ''Film/DestroyAllMonsters'' is mainly considered notable because it features [[SerialEscalation nine other monsters]] teaming up with Godzilla, and the primary reason most people watch ''Film/GodzillaVsMegalon'' is for [[UltramanCopy Jet Jaguar]].
* LeeroyJenkins -- [[WebVideo/LeeroyJenkinsVideo The original Leeroy Jenkins]] did indeed rush in without listening to his team's plans, but that plan was so inherently flawed that it wouldn't have worked even if he followed it.
* LongPants -- Whether or not WebAnimation/HomestarRunner actually wears pants is inconsistent due to RuleOfFunny, but his character design otherwise qualifies.
* MalcolmXerox -- As noted on the main trope page, the trope is based on a [[TheThemeParkVersion gross oversimplification]] of the real UsefulNotes/MalcolmX and his views. While he might have been pretty close to the trope in his early years, he explicitly rejected racism later in his life and came to believe that all forms of discrimination based on race were wrong; he just put a slightly higher priority on self-determination than peaceful integration.
* MarthDebutedInSmashBros -- While Marth's first international appearance was still via a spin-off, said debut was through the dubbed ''[[Anime/FireEmblem Fire Emblem]]'' [[Anime/FireEmblem OVA]] and not ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosMelee''.
* {{Mordor}} -- Other than the plateau of Gorgoroth, which Frodo and Sam cross in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', Mordor is quite a fertile country, with a large lake and volcanic soil that make the southern parts of the land good for farming.
* MyFutureSelfAndMe -- Named after a ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode, where Stan meets his future self. This is not actually the case; it turns out that he was an actor hired by Stan's parents to keep him off drugs. ''However'', at the end of the episode, Cartman actually ''does'' meet his future self.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero -- While the game itself contains many examples of this in the form of StupidityIsTheOnlyOption, when [=GLaDOS=] actually utters this line in ''VideoGame/{{Portal|1}}'', it's a lie that [=GLaDOS=] tells Chell after she destroys one of her vital parts in the final boss battle in a feeble attempt to make her feel bad by [[BlatantLies claiming that it was a machine that made shoes for orphans]].
* NoRespectGuy -- While the line "I don't get no respect" is indelibly associated with Creator/RodneyDangerfield, the characters he played are bumbling, abrasive, and generally not deserving of respect.
* OneWingedAngel -- While Sephiroth does undergo the transformation this trope entails in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', the name is derived from his BattleThemeMusic, which in itself doesn't reference this transformation in any way.
* PronounTrouble -- WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck's trouble in ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' short "WesternAnimation/RabbitSeasoning" was with person, not gender.
* TheRedStapler -- The trope is about works affecting demand for RealLife products featured in them. ''Film/OfficeSpace'' did cause a spike in demand for red Swingline staplers -- but the red stapler featured in the film was a full-sized model that Swingline didn't actually sell at the time, as they only made ''miniature'' red staplers (the one in the movie was a black stapler painted red). The company didn't start making full-sized red staplers until people started asking for them after seeing the movie, so it was more accurately a {{defictionalization}}.
* RightManInTheWrongPlace -- Gordon Freeman is an example in the original ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'', in which he's an ordinary scientist who fights an alien invasion. In ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'', however, where the trope-naming line comes from, he's been deliberately dropped off by the G-Man at a specific time and place to achieve the G-Man's goals.
* RookieRedRanger -- The ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' franchise includes quite a few examples, but the Red Ranger isn't always the leader of their team (even if they ''are'' a rookie). Standout examples include the second half of ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' (where the leader is Tommy the White Ranger) and ''Series/PowerRangersTimeForce'' (where the leader is Jen the Pink Ranger).[[note]]In the former, Rocky the Red Ranger replaced the original team leader Jason as Red Ranger after he was PutOnABus, but Tommy succeeded Jason as leader because he had far more experience; in the latter, Wes the Red Ranger was an IdenticalGrandson of Alex the Red Ranger, who inherited his powers because his DNA unlocked them, but Jen became the new team leader because she was originally Alex's second-in-command.[[/note]]
* TheScrappy -- [[Franchise/ScoobyDoo Scrappy-Doo]] was [[KidAppealCharacter hugely popular with kids]] when he was first introduced in 1979, and his introduction actually saved ''Scooby-Doo'' from cancellation when the show's popularity was waning. It was only in later years (''after'' the franchise was cancelled and revived) that the character became infamous for supposedly being hated by fans, largely thanks to a case of VocalMinority.

* {{Grimmification}} -- Taking a {{Bowdlerise}}d story and going way in the other direction to make it DarkerAndEdgier. The Trope Namer is Creator/TheBrothersGrimm, who picked up a reputation over the years for grimdark FairyTales -- except they actually {{Bowdlerise}}d their stories themselves, and the originals were even ''darker'' (and sexier and more violent).

* WarpWhistle -- A {{Video Game|s}} item that can instantly take you to one of several fixed points on the game world. The TropeCodifier is the "magic whistle" from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZelda'', but the Trope Namer is the "warp whistle" from ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'', which was a reference to the ''Zelda'' whistle but operated much more like a WarpZone.

%% Which song? Should say * WhereWereYouLastNight -- The song is about not knowing how to find an ex-lover with whom you want to reconcile. The trope is about someone who was gone for a night reappearing and garnering suspicion.

* WhipItGood -- The name comes from the Music/{{Devo}} song "Whip It", which is ([[WordSaladLyrics as far as anyone can tell]]) a metaphor for solving one's problems and a satire of American optimism. The trope itself uses the phrase literally to refer to whips used as weapons.

* CreatorsCultureCarryover -- Used to be "We All Live in America", a work portrays a country as a lot more like the author's home than as itself. The former Trope Namer was the Music/{{Rammstein}} song "Amerika", which was not an example because ''(a)'' Rammstein is a German band, so it would only be an example if a non-German country looked more like Germany than itself, and ''(b)'' the song is about how even when a country ''does'' look like itself, EaglelandOsmosis means it looks more like America all the time.

* ModernMajorGeneral: Someone who despite their incompetence at their job, has numerous non-job related skills. The MajorGeneralSong from ''Theatre/ThePiratesOfPenzance'' sounds impressive to the uninitiated, but most of the things that the Major General brags about doing are either flat-out impossible or trivially easy. To "know the Kings of England" involves his period's equivalent of a middle school education, and one can not know "every detail of Caractacus’s uniform" due to his only ever being drawn while nude.

* BoomStick -- A staff that shoots stuff. It's based on the trope ThisIsMyBoomstick, which is about a character who demonstrates future tech to primitive people in a threatening way. The latter's Trope Namer is ''Film/ArmyOfDarkness'', in which the "boomstick" was an ordinary shotgun, so not a "Boom Stick" as we defined it (but it might be to MedievalMorons).

* EspeciallyZoidberg -- Named so as to be a variation on MyFriendsAndZoidberg, but this popular [[StockPhrase stock dialogue exchange]] ("Even X?" "''Especially'' X!") wasn't applied to Dr. Zoidberg in any episodes of ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}''.
* FisherKingdom -- Named after FisherKing, but this trope's kingdom changes all its residents, not just its ruler. The original fisher-kingdom (in Myth/ArthurianLegend) is an example of that trope, not this one.
* ForgotFlandersCouldDoThat -- A variation on {{Flanderization}}. But [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Ned Flanders']] characterization has stayed more-or-less consistent since his [[TheFundamentalist Christian faith]] and [[ThePollyanna cheery disposition]] took over his personality.
* IAmNotLeonardNimoy -- Named so as to be the inverse of IAmNotSpock. However, actor Creator/LeonardNimoy was not known for having a public image or personality which overshadowed the characters he played; it was very much always [[IAmNotSpock a case of the opposite]].
* KnightOfCerebus -- Named after CerebusSyndrome, but ''ComicBook/CerebusTheAardvark'' did not introduce the Cerebus Syndrome via a character. It drifted in more gradually.
* LukeIAmYourFather:
** LukeIMightBeYourFather -- Darth Vader is indisputably the father of Luke Skywalker.
** LukeYouAreMyFather -- Darth Vader was the one to reveal his relation to Luke Skywalker (not the other way around), and Luke Skywalker never met any children he didn't know about.
* MarySue -- Since "Mary Sue" has become a term in its own right, many of the items named after it don't have anything to do with Mary Sue from ''Fanfic/ATrekkiesTale'':
** AntiSue -- The original Mary Sue wasn't designed with traits that Mary Sues typically don't have. Quite the opposite, in fact.
** CanonSue -- The original Mary Sue never appeared in an actual ''Franchise/StarTrek'' episode.
** DreamSue -- ''Fanfic/ATrekkiesTale'' didn't take place in the original Mary Sue's dreams.
** EinsteinSue -- UsefulNotes/AlbertEinstein may have had a lot of knowledge, but he was an actual scientist, so it's not implausible.
** HerCodeNameWasMarySue -- The original Mary Sue wasn't a normal woman who only fantasised about doing great things.
** MartyStu -- The original Mary Sue was a woman.
** PossessionSue -- The original Mary Sue was an OriginalCharacter, not a canon character who was [[OutOfCharacter behaving like a Mary Sue]].
** SuetifulAllAlong -- The original Mary Sue was a ParodySue from the get-go.
* {{Muggles}}:
** MugglePower -- Most muggles in ''Literature/HarryPotter'' know nothing of wizards due to the {{masquerade}}, and thus never take a stance on them. The [[TheFundamentalist Second Salemers]] in the {{prequel}}/SpinOff film ''Film/FantasticBeastsAndWhereToFindThem'' do quality, but that takes place in the United States where muggles are called No-Majs.
** MugglesDoItBetter -- FridgeLogic aside, magic nearly always wins in ''Harry Potter''.
* NoodleIncident:
** NoodleImplements -- There is no indication that the noodle incident from ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' was carried out with an assortment of various objects.
** ResolvedNoodleIncident -- The noodle incident was famously and intentionally never resolved.
* NotHisSled -- The inverse of ItWasHisSled, where a remake or adaptation changes a famous twist, to keep it a twist. There are no remakes or adaptations of ''Film/CitizenKane'', let alone any in which "Rosebud" doesn't turn out to be Charles Foster Kane's childhood sled.
* TheOriginalDarrin -- Named after TheOtherDarrin, but Creator/DickYork, who first played Darrin in ''Series/{{Bewitched}}'', never reprised his role.
* RubeGoldbergHatesYourGuts -- Named after RubeGoldbergDevice, but the actual Rube Goldberg didn't hate anyone enough to kill anyone with his devices.
* ShutUpHannibal -- Named after HannibalLecture, but no one ever tells off Dr. Lecter that way in any ''Franchise/HannibalLecter'' media; if they did, he would [[ImAHumanitarian eat them]] if he could. "Discourtesy is unspeakably ugly to me."
* SixthRangerTraitor -- Named after SixthRanger, but none of the Franchise/PowerRangers Sixth Rangers were traitors or moles.
* TheScrappy -- Most of the Tropes on the ScrappyIndex are not named after Scrappy Doo from ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'' himself, but rather the perception of him. The main trope itself qualifies to an extent, as the character's reception is more a BaseBreakingCharacter than being universally reviled, at least in the modern times.
** AlasPoorScrappy -- Scrappy-Doo has never been killed off in any incarnation of ''Scooby-Doo''; even in the [[Film/ScoobyDoo 2002 live-action film]], where [[spoiler:he was the villain]], he lives.
** DamselScrappy -- Scrappy-Doo is male, and he wasn't usually a DistressedDude.
** EthnicScrappy -- Scrappy-Doo is not based on any ethnic group.
** HighTierScrappy -- Scrappy-Doo is not in any tier-related games, nor is he hated for being too overpowered.
** RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap -- Scrappy-Doo was never fully redeemed in the eyes of the ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'' fanbase, partially because he (mostly) stayed absent from the franchise after its initial cancellation. His only other appearance was in [[Film/ScoobyDoo the 2002 live-action film]], which didn't improve his reputation [[spoiler:and even seemed to play into it since he was the villain]].
** ScrappyMechanic -- Scrappy-Doo is not a hated video game mechanic.
** ScrappyWeapon -- Scrappy-Doo is not a weapon and he's not a video game character.
** TemporaryScrappy -- Scrappy-Doo stuck around for the whole show, and he wasn't intended to be hated by the audience.
* StarfishLanguage -- Named to be a {{Snowclone}} of StarfishAliens. However, as noted on the trope page, RealLife starfish don't engage in any particularly strange forms of communication, nor indeed, any observable forms of communication at all.
* WorfHadTheFlu -- Named for TheWorfEffect, but this was never actually applied to Worf in any episode of ''Franchise/StarTrek''. While he did regularly get thrashed in battles in order to make new villains look stronger by comparison, the writers never felt the need to explain away any of those losses by giving him a legitimate excuse for losing.

* AngerBornOfWorry -- Originally "Fear Leads to Anger", the trope refers to a character feeling fear for another's safety that presented as anger at their return. In the quote, [[Franchise/StarWars Yoda]] was referring to losing control of your fears, and feeling anger towards the source of the fear.
* AuthorityInNameOnly -- Originally "The King of Town". It's established on multiple occasions that The King of Town from ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'' does have legal authority.
* BadassDecay -- Originally "Spikeification", after the ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' character. As with {{Xenafication}}, there was never a time when Spike ''wasn't'' being Spike. Also, the trope is usually invoked for the writers gradually writing the character differently, whereas Spike was subjected to behavior modification treatment that left him literally unable to be badass, making his case closer to BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood or HeelFaceBrainwashing.
* BiggerIsBetterInBed -- Originally "Biggus Dickus". The mentioned character in ''Film/MontyPythonsLifeOfBrian'' engages in no sexual activity, and his anatomy is never discussed -- it's just his PunnyName which is highlighted.
* BreakupBreakout -- Originally "The Jannetty", referring to Wrestling/ShawnMichaels's tag team partner Wrestling/MartyJannetty, who was actually a LesserStar.
* BystanderSyndrome -- Originally "Someone Else's Problem", referring to a WeirdnessCensor in ''Literature/LifeTheUniverseAndEverything'' that invokes this trope via AppliedPhlebotinum.
* CoincidentalDodge -- Originally "Gardener Contract". It was named after Chance, the gardener from ''Film/BeingThere'' and the former {{Trope Namer|s}} of SeeminglyProfoundFool, who never escaped an assassination attempt by coincidence. Chance was a very lucky fool mistaken for someone important, the type of character who is sometimes subject to CoincidentalDodge comic scenes.
* CreatorsApathy -- Originally "They Just Didn't Care". The trope was named by the ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' crew's response to the lack of quality in ''Film/TheEyeCreatures''. This trope is not about an audience reaction, but the creators [[WordOfGod explicitly admitting]] that they didn't care.
* CreatorsCultureCarryover -- Originally "We All Live in America", after the Music/{{Rammstein}} song "Amerika". The song is a commentary on the [[EaglelandOsmosis spread of American culture throughout the world]], not about authors getting elements from other cultures wrong because of unfamiliarity with them. In fact, given that Rammstein is a German band, it would only be an example if the song assumed that We All Live in Germany.
* DownToTheLastPlay -- Originally "The Casey Effect" after the poem "Literature/CaseyAtTheBat". Renamed because the Mudville Nine ''don't'' make a miraculous comeback in the final inning: [[DownerEnding they lose the game]] after Casey strikes out, coming just short of turning the game around with a home run.
* DramaticHighPerching -- Originally "I Have The High Ground", after a quote from ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' where Obi-Wan Kenobi warns Anakin Skywalker against attacking him while he has a strategic advantage from a higher position (which is also a metaphor for [[EvilWillFail good triumphing over evil]] due to having the moral high ground). The trope is about [[RuleOfCool looking cool]] by standing on a tall structure.
* FailedFutureForecast -- Originally "Dewey Defeats Truman", the trope is about a work set TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture making assumptions about real world events which turn out to be false. The newspaper headline that made up the former name comes from an early edition of a newspaper going out the next day, meaning it more accurately falls under AssumedWin (and indeed, provides the page image for that trope).
* FormulaBreakingEpisode -- Originally "Something Completely Different", in reference to a recurring line in ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' used as a transition between sketches, not to announce an episode departing from the show's formula.
* ImpersonatingTheEvilTwin -- Originally "I Am He as You Are He", after the opening lyrics of "I Am the Walrus" by Music/TheBeatles, in which the context of Music/JohnLennon's words don't appear to be about this trope.
* InformedEquipment -- Originally "Fight in the Nude", a game challenge in ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}}'' to fight without armor, not a failure to render acquired equipment owing to cheap graphics, which is the trope.
* IntentionalEngrishForFunny -- Originally "Zero Wingrish", after the {{memetic|Mutation}} intro of ''VideoGame/ZeroWing''. The game's garbled script was the result of a BlindIdiotTranslation and most likely not an intentional choice.
* LesserStar -- Originally "The Garfunkel". The trope refers to a group member (usually in bands and music outfits) who is considered superfluous, and contributes little of value. But Art Garfunkel ''wasn't'' a superfluous member of Music/SimonAndGarfunkel: they were a ''duo'' known for their harmonies, and Art sang some of their most iconic melodies; Music/PaulSimon just [[BreakupBreakout had a more successful solo career]] after they broke up.
* MightyWhiteyAndMellowYellow -- Originally "Me Love You Long Time"; however, the prostitute in ''Film/FullMetalJacket'' was responding to purely economic forces rather than the soldiers' ethnicity.
* NoDelaysForTheWicked -- Originally "The Trains Run on Time", a term used about UsefulNotes/{{fascist Ital|y}}ian dictator UsefulNotes/BenitoMussolini, for whom it was never true.
* OrderedToCheat -- Originally "Sweep the Leg". In ''Film/TheKarateKid'', "sweeping the leg" is not forbidden, even considering that in context it's an order to AttackTheInjury. The strategy could certainly be viewed as "cheap" because the injury in question was caused by an order to cheat in the ''previous'' match, in which the same teacher told another student to [[CripplingTheCompetition take Daniel out of commission]] and (despite misgivings) that student ended up wrecking Daniel's knee -- but [[LoopholeAbuse strictly speaking, the leg-sweeping student was not ordered to break any rules]].
* PlayingATree -- Originally "You Are a Tree [[ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}} Charlie Brown]]", who had never been cast as a tree.
* PersonAsVerb -- Originally "I Pulled a "Weird Al"". Music/WeirdAlYankovic never used the trope in his music, nor did any character in any other work use his name as a verb.
* ResignationsNotAccepted -- Originally "You Can Never Leave", a reference to lyrics from Music/TheEagles song "Hotel California," which in the context of the song were about not being able to leave a ''place'', rather than an ''organization''.
* SkywardScream -- Originally "The Khan", referring to an infamous scene from ''Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan'', which didn't involve a scream using that precise presentation. Instead, look for TheScream.
* SlowLaser -- Originally "Frickin' Laser Beams", a line that comes from ''Film/AustinPowers'', where Dr. Evil declares his desire for sharks with laser beams on their head. Meant to be used for implausible laser weapons, but was mostly used for references to all kinds of energy weapons. The original trope name now redirects to the more generic EnergyWeapon.
* StatusQuoGameShow -- Originally "You Can't Win", after an in-universe game show from ''Film/StayTuned''. The protagonists of the movie actually ''won'' on the game show, or at least survived it.
* SuddenlyAlwaysKnewThat -- Originally "I Know Kung Fu", the trope refers to a character suddenly using an advanced skill that they had apparently always known but never mentioned having that knowledge before. The original trope namer, Neo from ''Film/TheMatrix'', had to get an UpgradeArtifact installed.
* ThreeMonthOldNewborn -- Originally "Dawson Babies". Does not occur in ''Series/DawsonsCreek'' and is simply a reference to the [[DawsonCasting young adults cast as teenagers]].
* TranslationTrainWreck -- Originally "Do Not Want", which, while the bootleg the line came from (''WebVideo/BackstrokeOfTheWest'') is mostly an example, is merely [[BlindIdiotTranslation inaccurate]] (an [[MemeticMutation infamous]] translation of Darth Vader's BigNo in ''Franchise/StarWars: Episode III – Film/RevengeOfTheSith''), not flat-out gibberish.
* UnexplainedRecovery -- Formerly "I Got Better". Trope is about injured or killed characters recovering offscreen for no reason. The peasant in ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'' claims to have "got better" after being transformed into a newt, but most likely was never transformed in the first place.
* UnseenEvil -- Formerly "Ultimate Evil" after the '''ULTIMATE EVIL!!!''' feared by the Spathis in ''VideoGame/StarControlII'', which is seemingly just a product of their paranoia that doesn't actually exist.
* UrbanLegendOfZelda -- Trope is false rumors of {{Easter Egg}}s, former trope namer ("Schala Lives" referring to ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'') was about plot development and turned out to be true.
* VerbalTic -- Originally "Spoon Speaker", which ComicBook/TheTick's odd battlecry was not really.
* WeddingSmashers -- Originally "Wedding Crashers", but the [[Film/WeddingCrashers film version]] was non-violent.

* {{Scandalgate}} -- "Watergate" was just the name of the hotel where the famous U.S. political scandal mainly took place. While it inspired the use of the "-gate" suffix in umpteen future political and media scandals, the Watergate scandal itself did not follow this convention and, thus, is not an example of the trope.
* TheScourgeOfGod -- Trope is about serial killers who kill sinners; the {{Trope Namer|s}} is a nickname attributed to UsefulNotes/AttilaTheHun.
* TheScream -- The Trope is about characters responding loudly to a situation, named after Creator/EdvardMunch's famous painting ''Art/{{The Scream|Munch}}''. However, the central figure in the painting isn't actually screaming, but ''reacting'' to the scream in question, covering his ears in an attempt to block it; Edvard Munch was inspired to make the {{painting|s}} after a personal experience in which he felt despair as he heard an infinite scream echoing through nature when walking with his friends, hence why the work is called ''The Scream of Nature'' in German.
* TheShadowKnows -- This Trope is about a disguised person's shadow revealing his or her true self. It has nothing to do with ''Radio/TheShadow'', who used the name as his {{Catchphrase}}.
* SharpDressedMan -- The protagonist in the Music/ZZTop song is hilariously overdressed (he's wearing a formal top hat during the day, an autumn coat over a summer suit, and he's either wearing a diamond ring and gloves at the same time or just carrying the gloves for show) and doesn't look sharp in the slighest.
* ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules -- The {{Trope Namer|s}} is a {{Spoonerism}} by Kaiba in ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries''; he was trying to say "ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney"
* ShockAndAwe -- The trope is about electrical-based ElementalPowers. The phrase is about destroying an enemy's will to fight with massive, overwhelming force.
* SoHappyTogether -- The song gives no indication that the relationship will end badly, and it most likely has not even have begun yet.
* SoLongAndThanksForAllTheGear -- The trope name is derived from "So long, and thanks for all the fish," the last message given to humanity by the dolphins before they fled Earth in ''Franchise/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy''. This event has absolutely no relation to a video game character leaving the party and taking all the gear they had equipped with them.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS -- The trope is about frequently misspelled names. This was the ''reason'' Creator/IsaacAsimov wrote the short story of the same name, but the story itself exemplifies ForWantOfANail and MyNaymeIs instead.
* TheStoic -- The philosophy of Stoicism isn't about not showing emotions, but rather about self-control and virtue. While it does teach that you should not let emotions rule you, that is not the same as not expressing them. The trope closest to the philosophy is TheSpock (the trope namer of which ''is'' an example).
* StopHavingFunGuys -- The trope namer is an ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}'' strip where someone tells a bunch of ''VideoGame/RockBand'' players to "stop having fun" because they are playing an [[RhythmGame instrument simulation game]] rather than real instruments. However, the trope itself refers to people who do play video games, but insult those who don't play as competitively as they do.
* StrongFleshWeakSteel -- The trope is named after a metaphor used by villain Thulsa Doom from ''Film/{{Conan the Barbarian|1982}}'' in reference to his subjects' devotion, but he doesn't believe in literal flesh being stronger than steel.
* SufferTheSlings -- The trope is about literal slings; the trope namer is a monologue from {{Theatre/Hamlet}} about the metaphorical "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune."
* SweetHomeAlabama -- The trope refers to strongly positive portrayals of the southern United States and its people, but the song by Music/LynyrdSkynyrd ([[ValuesDissonance intentionally or not]]) highlights numerous things about the South that most modern listeners would consider to be strongly negative. Among other things: the narrator expresses support for Alabama's notoriously pro-segregation governor George Wallace, he mentions being unfazed by UsefulNotes/RichardNixon's actions during the Watergate scandal, and he openly [[DissTrack disses]] Music/NeilYoung for writing a {{protest song}} condemning Jim Crow.
* SympathyForTheDevil -- The trope is about a hero who has sympathy for a villain. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sympathy_for_the_Devil The song]] by Music/{{The Rolling Stones|Band}} with that name only has a villain, and he's the completely unsympathetic {{Satan}}, [[VillainSong joyfully singing]] about what a {{Jerkass}} he is.
* TasteTheRainbow -- The trope is about a particular element of a story or setting has been expanded to the point that there is a version that adapts to the preferences of each viewer, something that the Advertising/{{Skittles}} candy have not done.
* ThinkingUpPortals -- Named after the {{memetic|mutation}} "Thinking With Portals" {{tagline}} of the ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'' series, but the portals in that series don't count because Chell uses a portal gun rather than an innate ability.
* ThisIsYourPremiseOnDrugs -- Partnership for a Drug-Free America's infamous anti-drug PSA from 1987 (''"This is your brain. This is drugs. This is your brain on drugs. Any questions?"'') wasn't particularly strange. It's just ''really'' cheesy.
* ThreeAmigos -- [[Film/ThreeAmigos The film]] is about a group of three adult guys, not a high school group with one member of an opposite gender to the others.
* ThrowTheBookAtThem -- As described on the trope page, the phrase means "prosecute to the fullest possible extent of the law." The profession probably didn't mean it ''literally.''
* TomSwifty -- The ''Literature/TomSwift'' books use a lot of SaidBookism (as do many Creator/StratemeyerSyndicate books), but they rarely make puns out of them. The term arose from authors deliberately parodying ''Tom Swift'' in this way.
* TrampledUnderfoot -- The trope is about a comparatively small character or object being crushed underfoot by a larger one. The trope-naming Music/LedZeppelin song however, is a series of automotive metaphors for sex.
* UncleTomfoolery -- The trope is about a comically portrayed African American. The title character from ''Literature/UncleTomsCabin'' is not comically portrayed, presumably the name comes from how the character is often lumped into the stereotype through CommonKnowledge.
* UnderTheSea -- The name is taken from the famous song in ''WesternAnimation/{{The Little Mermaid|1989}}'', which song was actually a case of CulturalPosturing ("Everything's better, down where it's wetter"). The trope refers to underwater video game levels.
* UntoUsASonAndDaughterAreBorn -- "For to us a [[BeamMeUpScotty child]] is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." The fulfillment of this was not part of a set of twins, much less fraternal twins.
* VengeanceFeelsEmpty -- The line comes from ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'' regarding Niko killing [[spoiler:Darko]]. However, it is implied that "empty" feeling isn't from vengeance in general, but from taking the wrong kind of vengeance -- specifically, he [[DeathSeeker wanted to die]], so [[CruelMercy letting him live made him suffer more.]]
* VoiceOfTheLegion -- While the [[IAmLegion Gerasene demon]] certainly inspired many of the examples, there is no indication in Literature/TheBible that he spoke with a reverb.
* TheWallsAreClosingIn -- The trope name was inspired by lyrics lifted from the pre-chorus to the Music/LinkinPark song "Crawling"; however, the phrase's use in the song is intended to be metaphorical and describe the narrator's nervous breakdown -- ''not'' to convey that he's caught in a DeathTrap where the walls literally close in and threaten to crush a character.
* WarpWhistle -- The Warp Whistle from ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'' is actually a WarpZone.
* WeHardlyKnewYe -- The trope refers to a character who is killed off or otherwise removed from the continuity of a series before the audience can get to know them properly. The trope namer is the old Irish folk song ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_I_Hardly_Knew_Ye Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye]]'', which is about a soldier who returns home alive, but so maimed and disfigured that he is virtually unrecognisable.
* WhaleEgg -- The trope namer is an incident from ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' where Ralph Wiggum mistakes a large white isolation tank for said "whale egg"; it didn't involve an actual whale egg or any other egg from an animal that doesn't reproduce that way.
* WhereWereYouLastNight -- The song is about not knowing how to find an ex-lover with whom you want to reconcile. The trope is about someone who was gone for a night reappearing and garnering suspicion.
* WhipItGood -- The song by Music/{{Devo}} is composed of largely nonsensical lyrics about solving one's problems by "whipping it" and serves as a satire of American optimism. The song makes no mention of the use of actual whips as weapons.
* WhoNamesTheirKidDude -- The Dude in ''Film/TheBigLebowski'' doesn't actually have an unusual birth name; his real name is "Jeffrey Lebowski". "Dude" is just his nickname, making him an example of OnlyKnownByTheirNickname.
* WhoWantsToLiveForever -- Prince Vultan from ''Film/FlashGordon1980'' before going into a suicidal battle, while the trope refers to immortals wishing they were dead.
* WithThisHerring -- The request King Arther is given in ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'' is an ImpossibleTask. He was (probably) expected to use a herring to cut down a tree due to RuleOfFunny.
* {{Xenafication}} -- Series/{{Xena|Warrior Princess}} was an ActionGirl from the get-go. The Trope is about other characters becoming more like Xena.
* XMakesAnythingCool -- Bender from ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' was [[BlackmailIsSuchAnUglyWord referring to the word "extortion"]] (a normal word that's naturally spelled with an "x"), not to a title or phrase with "X" gratuitously added for RuleOfCool.
* YouBastard -- In ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', Kyle never directs this phrase to shame the audience for enjoying something immoral, but to admonish whomever is responsible for [[TheyKilledKennyAgain Kenny's death.]] The only meta subtext, according to WordOfGod, is that Kyle is yelling at the ''[[BreakingTheFourthWall writers]]'' for writing Kenny's death into the show.
* YouCantGoHomeAgain -- The trope is about somebody being actually unable to return home, due to physical, [[PersonaNonGrata legal]], or other reasons. The trope namer is a proverb that describes a similar, but distinct trope, StrangerInAFamiliarLand — you '''can''' technically go home, it just doesn't feel like home anymore.
* YouHaveToBurnTheWeb -- There are no webs in ''VideoGame/YouHaveToBurnTheRope''.
* ZettaiRyouiki -- The phrase means "absolute territory" in Japanese, and originally referred to the AT fields in ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''. This wiki's definition of the term was adopted from [[UsefulNotes/AnimeFanSpeak otaku slang]], which is not standard Japanese usage. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that ''Evangelion'' doesn't actually have any examples of young girls who wear knee socks ([[https://asuka-shinji.tumblr.com/post/29026915918/asuka-sohryu-langley-evangelion-anima at least, not in the main canon]]).