History Main / WordSaladTitle

* ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'', on the other hand, is GratuitousEnglish and a slightly off-kilter reference to a Creator/StanleyKubrick [[Film/FullMetalJacket film]].

* ''LightNovel/StrawberryPanic'' takes place in the Strawberry dorms and many characters end up in a panic about things.

* ''LightNovel/HighSchoolDXD''. D×D (pronounced "Dee-dee") is an in-universe title, short for [[RedBaron Dragon of Dragons]], that the lead eventually takes on. Issei himself is still in high school, hence, ''High School D×D''.\\

* ''LightNovel/MyriadColorsPhantomWorld'', in which humans gain the ability to see magical phantom creatures. What "Myriad Colors" is supposed to mean isn't entirely clear.
* ''LightNovel/TheTestamentOfSisterNewDevil'' has some seriously bizarre grammar, but was at least meant to make sense. It's a battle-{{ecchi}} involving demonic stepsisters, one of whom is the newly-appointed Demon Lord. "Testament" was probably a [[GratuitousEnglish poorly-chosen word]] for the contract the hapless male hero accidentally makes with them.

* ''LightNovel/DeathMarchToTheParallelWorldRhapsody''--"death march" refers to an overly-long coding marathon, after which the main character inexplicably jumps to a ParallelUniverse. "Rhapsody" is just there to complete the mad-lib fantasy title, vaguely linking back to "march" (both relate to music).

* ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'' and its spinoff ''Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun''. The "magical index" is a [[PhotographicMemory human library]] of magical tomes who goes by the name Index. Railgun is the nickname of a girl with [[ShockAndAwe electricity powers]] who likes to use that electromagentism to launch coins at incredible speed, and "scientific" refers to the non-magical tech-wizards of the setting. The "A Certain" part is just a [[IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming naming quirk]] of the franchise.
* ''LightNovel/OthersidePicnic'' is a title-reference to ''Literature/RoadsidePicnic'', another word-salad title but with an in-story explanation (in the latter's page quote) as a metaphor for regions of deep space full of surreal artifacts. Similarly, ''Otherside Picnic'' takes place in a ParallelUniverse full of strange objects and mythical creatures.

** "Fate" is often used as the name of the setting itself (as opposed to other Franchise/{{Nasuverse}} settings like ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'' and ''LightNovel/TheGardenOfSinners''), which makes some of the titles (sequel ''Fate/hollow ataraxia'', light novel prequel ''LightNovel/FateZero'', and FightingGame spinoff ''VideoGame/FateUnlimitedCodes'') make more sense. Naturally, under this theory, "Stay Night" still requires some linguistic hoop-jumping...

* ''LightNovel/DateALive'': Can be [[JustForFun/XMeetsY described]] as ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' meets ''Manga/TheWorldGodOnlyKnows'', [[WidgetSeries and is as weird as that sounds]]. While dating is sometimes involved, it's more likely to get the main character killed than keep him alive. Makes slightly more sense if you follow the Japanese pronunciation, where ''deitoaraibu'' is a clear {{Pun}} on "dead or alive".

*** "[[Anime/YuGiOhGX GX]]" is short for "[[XtremeKoolLetterz Generation NeXt]]", in reference to how Jaden is part of the next generation of duelists following in Yugi's footsteps. It's also [[TitleDrop directly referenced]] in Season 2 with the GX Tournament.
*** "[[Anime/YuGiOh5Ds 5Ds]]" is short for "Five Dragons", a reference to the five [[spoiler:([[ArtifactTitle later six]])]] Signers; it's also the name of the protagonists' Turbo Dueling Team in the second half of the series.
*** "[[Anime/YuGiOhZexal Zexal]]" is the name of Yuma and Astral's special ability, [[spoiler:[[FusionDance allowing them to fuse together in order to]] [[ScrewDestiny perform Shining Draws]]]]. Depending on the translation, it might also be [[spoiler:the name they go by while fused]].
*** "[[Anime/YuGiOhARCV ARC-V]]" is more complicated: it apparently combines the word "arc" (in reference to the arc of a pendulum, such as Yuya's pendant) and the Roman numeral for "5" (in reference to this being the fifth Yu-Gi-Oh! series). [[spoiler:Near the end of the series, the machine used by Academia to fuse the Four Dimensions back into one is also called [[TitleDrop ARC-V]].]]
*** "[[Anime/YuGiOhVRAINS VRAINS]]" is apparently a combination of the words "VR" and "Brains", which makes sense considering the series will apparently involve VirtualReality. [[BilingualBonus It may also be in reference to the French word "Vrai", meaning "truth".]]

* ''WebAnimation/YouTubePoop''. This is lampshaded in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRIe14eH2_U one poop]] where [[WesternAnimation/{{Ratatouille}} Linguini]] wonders why they call it that. It could refer to such videos allegedly being the bottom of [=YouTube's=] video barrel, but considering that some of them are comedy gold, this interpretation may or may not fit very well.

* There was a now defunct MMORPG called ''VideoGame{{Yogurting}}''. Your guess is as good as ours as to what the hell "Yogurting" is supposed to mean.

* Alternative rapper JPEGMAFIA (he's one guy). Makes a ''tiny'' bit more sense if you know the origin- according to the most commonly accepted story, he was part of a rap collective in the vein of A$AP Mob (so members were called pngafia, datpiffmafia, etc). Still doesn't explain why they named themselves after file formats.

** Tokyo Mew Mew's hentai parody, ''Sex Warrior Pudding'', fits this bill as well. The original Japanese title is ''Family Restaurant Warrior Pudding'', which makes just as much sense though is less frightening; the protagonist is named "Pudding" which fits the {{edible theme naming}} of much of female cast work at a family restaurant and is a ([[ClarkKenting ostensibly secretly) superheroine. The "sex warrior" part comes from the fact that she and the other female cast are involved in inordinate amounts of, well, sexual situations (the positive feelings they get from such being used to power their superheroine strength, weaponry, super modes, etc.).

* ''Manga/SexWarriorPudding''. The original Japanese title is ''Family Restaurant Warrior Pudding'', which is even more confusing, though less frightening. On the other hand, it becomes more understandable considering that "Pudding" here is a name.

* ''Narbacular Drop'', the spiritual predecessor to ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'', had its name chosen because it would be easy to find in online search engines.

* IdolSinger units in Japan could have a wiki on their own. One example among dozens can be [[https://jpop.fandom.com/wiki/Chameleon_Republic Chameleon Republic]], supposedly named after the concept of "continually transforming idols". Also counts as a NonIndicativeName, since nothing about them changed after their establishment.

* ''Podcast/HouseToAstonish'': It ''kind of'' conveys "this is a podcast about comics" in that it sounds ''almost'' like it could be a comic book title (it actually comes from a proposed title for an [[Comicbook/MarvelVersusDC Amalgam Comics]] book that would have combined ''Tales to Astonish'' and ''House of Mystery''). Al used to make an attempt to portray the House as an actual location, but it never really worked.

* ''Podcast/HouseToAstonish'': It ''kind of'' conveys "this is a podcast about comics'' in that it sounds ''almost'' like it could be a comic book title (it actually comes from a proposed title for an [[Comicbook/MarvelVsDC Amalgam Comics]] title that would have combined ''Tales to Astonish'' and ''House of Mystery''. Al used to make an attempt to portray the House as an actual location, but it never really worked.

->''"[[Literature/TheTalesOfBeedleTheBard Babbity Rabbity and her Cackling Stump]] is the stupidest title ever written by man or beast and of course when I wrote it, I never -- I had not, at the point, when I gave [[Literature/HarryPotter Ron]] that title, I didn't imagine for a second that I was actually going to write the story."''

* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles'' may seem like a confusing title for people with little familiarity with the series, possibly only knowing it exists thanks to ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' However, there is actual meaning behind the title. The “Xeno” prefix, means “strange,” or “foreign,” and in the main games, the main character wields a magic sword that is integral to the main plot, so in a way, the games are called, “The Chronicles of the strange blades.” This is even further evident since the first game was originally called “Monodo, Beginning of the World” with the Monodo being the sword in question.

* [[VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles Xenoblade Chronicles]] may seem like a confusing title for people with little familiarity with the series, possibly only knowing it exists thanks to [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Super Smash Bros.]] However, there is actual meaning behind the title. The “Xeno” prefix, means “strange,” or “foreign,” and in the main games, the main character wields a magic sword that is integral to the main plot, so in a way, the games are called, “The Chronicles of the strange blades.” This is even further evident since the first game was originally called “Monodo, Beginning of the World” with the Monodo being the sword in question.

** ''Jude Law And A Semester Abroad'', ''I Will Play My Game Beneath The Spin Light'', ''Okay I Believe You But My Tommy Gun Don't'' (a quote from ''Film/HomeAlone'''s [[ShowWithinAShow film within a film]] ''Angels With Dirty Souls''), ''Good To Know That If I Ever Need Attention All I Have To Do Is Die''[[note]]A friend of the band hadn't been seen in quite a while, and there were rumors of his death; the song title was his response when he suddenly showed up at a social gathering and learned why everyone seemed so happy to see him[[/note]], ''Last Chance to Lose Your Keys'', ''Logan to Government Center'' (a reference to Boston's subway system - the lyrics do mention New England).

* Music/FoxyShazam used to claim that, when vocalist Eric Nally was attending high school, his fellow students had taken to referring to stylish shoes as "foxy shazams" - they later admitted that they had made this up in an early interview because it was a better story than the truth, which was that they'd just thrown two cool-sounding words together.

** The final film in the ''Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion'' series provides a new meaning for the title: [[spoiler:when Shinji gains the ability to remake the world in his image, he uses the opportunity to give himself and those closest to him a happy ending by making a world without Evangelions or Angels, which he calls a "Neon Genesis".]]

* An early EP by Super Furry Animals titled "[[OfficiallyShortenedTitle Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogochynygofod]] ([[RecycledInSpace In Space]])".

* ''VideoGame/SplinterCell: Pandora Tomorrow''. Parodied in ''Webcomic/PennyArcade'' with rejected titles, such as ''Splinter Cell: Peanut Butter Monkey'' and ''Splinter Cell: Puppy Helmet''. In some circles, Penny Arcade's point was accepted with such vigor that the game was more often referred to as ''Puppy Helmet'' than by its actual name. Swedish PC Gamer jokingly referred to the game as ''Splinter Cell: Flundra Okänd'', which translates to "Splinter Cell: [the] Flounder [is] unknown". "Pandora Tomorrow" makes sense if you play the game: [[spoiler: "Pandora Tomorrow" is a code phrase used by the terrorists in the game as a DeadMansSwitch; everytime the call is made, they delay the opening of ''Pandora's'' box (a weaponized virus set to go off at LAX) to ''tomorrow'' (if the leader is killed or arrested, the phone call isn't made and the weapon is released)]]

* ''VideoGame/Runaway2TheDreamOfTheTurtle'' ''looks'' like this at first, but eventually, the meaning behind the title is explained. [[spoiler: "Dream" is what the Trantorians call the suspended animation animals are subjected to while on route to their Zoo. Each mission is subsequently named after this and the animal they are after, with the current one literally being ''The Dream Of The Turtle'']].

* Fans always assumed that ''Webcomic/StickyDillyBuns'' referred to the lead character, the good-looking CampGay Dillon, and his butt, but nobody knew for sure; some saw it as almost a WordPureeTitle. Then, well into the comic's second volume, [[http://www.stickydillybuns.com/strips-sdb/what_is_the_password one strip confirmed the meaning of the terms,]] and [[http://www.stickydillybuns.com/strips-sdb/just_what_i_like_to_hear another strip a few days later]] provided further confirmation with a full TitleDrop.

* ''WesternAnimation/BoyGirlDogCatMouseCheese''. With that mouthful title alone, it would honestly be easy to assume the creators named the cartoon this way as an intentional misnomer,(sort of like Aqua Teen Hunger Force below) but [[ADogNamedDog it's actually the name of all six of the main cast.]] (who are noticeably the only characters in the entire show with this trope in effect)

* ''WesternAnimation/SuperRobotMonkeyTeamHyperForceGo'' sounds like a parody of anime titles, the ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' series, and a rip-off of ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' all in one...and that's before you actually watch it and see that it is indeed a show about a team of robotic monkeys (and one human kid) who pilot a {{Super Robot|Genre}} and are called the "Hyperforce" for short (maybe related to "masterforce" from Franchise/{{Transformers}}). The "Go" is just something they shout out as a battle cry (and possibly a pun of the Japanese word for "[[OneTwoThreeFourGo five]]", as there are five monkeys).

* There's an Australian city in the state of Queensland called the City of Townsville. Yes. [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment The City of Town City]]. Or maybe [[StealthPun City Town Village]]. Makes sense when you realise it was founded by [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Towns Robert Towns]]. Rather than ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls.''

* The dubbed eleventh season of ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' is referred to as ''Pokémon: Battle Dimension''. Has absolutely nothing to do with other dimensions.

* The original Japanese title of the {{shoujo}} manga ''Mad Love Chase'', ''Harlem Beat wa Yoake Made'', translates as Harlem Beat Until Dawn. In the author's notes, Takashima cheerfully admits that she just liked the way it sounded.

* Word-salad titles are a SignatureStyle of video game composer Stephen Rippy, who's provided the soundtracks for games like ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpires, VideoGame/AgeOfMythology,'' and ''VideoGame/HaloWars.'' A few examples include [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPhJWlURRVM Shamburger,]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xjgjgPauBg Six Armed Robbing Suit,]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EWfMfHlFck Last Name CraneIchabod]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnPrRFlYHpg Pudding Pie,]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wtK_qLR3Hg Eat Your Potatoes.]]

* On the eastern seaboard of the US is a regional grocery store chain known as Food Lion. The chain, founded in the late 1950s under the name Food Town, was rapidly expanding outside of its native North Carolina and running into areas that already had numerous stores named Food Town, necessitating a name change. When the name change to Food Lion was announced in 1982, the general American public was confused; where does one get a name like "Food Lion" from anyway? The answer: Food Town had been acquired years prior by the Belgian retail company Delhaize Group, which was known once upon a time as "Delhaize Le Lion" and had long had an abstract lion as their logo, while one of the co-founders of Food Town itself realized they could quickly change the stores' names by simply replacing two letters (the T and the W) and moving the O over one space, thus the name Food Lion was born.

* ''Literature/FromTheNewWorld'' makes some degree of sense as a loose reference to ''Literature/BraveNewWorld'', in that both involve a future-{{dystopia}} with one civilized society and one uncivilized one, both of which have their own messed-up underpinnings. But it's unclear who or what is coming "from" the new world, or whether the "new world" refers to humans, the monster rats, or both. To make matters both more and less confusing, the title seemingly came from a symphony [[NamesTheSame of the same name]] by Music/AntoninDvorak, which predates ''Literature/BraveNewWorld''--it's used liberally in the anime, but wasn't in the source novels, for obvious reasons.

** Dresden Codak is actually the nickname of the comic's author, Aaron Diaz. The title is best thought of as "Comics By Dresden Codak." Sure, the problem is now explaining a Word Salad Name, but Diaz said that it's just the name of the Dresden Codex plus RuleOfCool. It also avoids using his real name, which he was concerned would [[NamesTheSame cause confusion]] with a certain Latin-American pop star.