Playing With / Censorship by Spelling

Basic Trope: Spelling something out so the person the speller doesn't want to find out what they're talking about doesn't understand.

• Straight: Alice is talking to her husband Bob about what she got their son Charlie for his third birthday, but she doesn't want Charlie to find out, so she says, "I got him a T-O-Y C-A-T."
• Exaggerated: Alice spells out the whole conversation, even the parts that Charlie is allowed to hear.
• Downplayed: "I got him a T-O-Y cat."
• Justified: Alice knows Charlie can't spell, but if she speaks in code then Bob might not understand, and if she whispers then Charlie might hear, so she reckons spelling is the best way to communicate to Bob but not Charlie.
• Inverted:
  • Alice, for some reason, spells out everything but what she doesn't want Charlie to find out.
    Alice: "I G-O-T H-I-M a toy cat."
  • Alice spells out a word for emphasis.
    Alice: I think a toy cat would make a nice gift for Charlie.
    Bob: You know we can't afford a cat!
    Alice: I said "toy cat"! T-O-Y cat!
• Subverted: Alice considers spelling it out but eventually just says it.
• Double Subverted: Then she asks Bob what he got for Charlie. Bob replies, "I got him a T-O-Y B-O-A-T."
• Parodied:
  • Charlie actually understands, but Bob doesn't.
    Alice: "I got him a T-O-Y C-A-T."
    Bob: "A what?!"
    Charlie: "Thanks, mommy! I always wanted a toy cat!"
  • Alice is ludicrously bad at spelling.
    Alice: "I got him a T-O-I K-A-T."
  • Alice continues to spell things out for Charlie even when he's a teenager.
  • Forcing things to be spelled out is used as an actual form of censorship in a Dystopia setting.
• Zigzagged: Alice and Bob list Charlie's birthday presents, some of which they spell and others of which they don't.
• Averted: Nobody spells to hide information.
• Enforced:
• Lampshaded:
  • "I wish I could spell so I knew what Mommy and Daddy were saying!"
  • "I'm not three anymore, Mom. Using subtle code words would be way more effective than spelling the relevant words out while I'm in earshot."
• Invoked: Bob suggests this to Alice.
  Alice: "I got him a—-I don't want to say it, he might hear!"
  Bob: "Just spell it out."
• Exploited:
• Defied: Alice refuses to spell things out.
• Discussed: "I don't know what they said, they spelled it out."
• Conversed: "I was watching the scene where they spell things out for the kid."
• Implied:
• Deconstructed:
• Reconstructed:
• Played for Laughs:
  • Alice, for whatever reason, has to spell out "psychokinesis" in front of Charlie and has trouble doing so.
  • Alice spells out "toy cat" to prevent Charlie from understanding what they're talking about. Bob immediately blows it by responding with "Yes, a toy cat sounds nice".
• Played for Drama: Alice has to give Bob bad news she doesn't want Charlie to hear, so she spells them out.

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Go B-A-C-K to Censorship by Spelling.

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