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Misused (follow-up crowner 13 Oct 2023): Catchphrase

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    Original post 
I did not think we'd get here so quickly but here we are. Catchphrase is meant to be a trope documenting a certain phrase a character says. It has clear criteria listed out that the phrase must be:
  1. A unique expression used by one character
  2. Used numerous times throughout a work/character's existence
  3. Recognizable to others if a fan says the phrase (with the caveat that it is usually not the most memorable line of the work)

However,I had concerns that the trope is being misused as only "character says X frequently". I also had concerns that the trope is suffering from ZCEs, with examples listing only the supposed catchphrase with no other context. My wick check results are as follows:

  • Correct Usage: 2/150 | 1.3%
  • Non-unique phrase: 21/150 | 14%
  • Share Phrase: 1/150 | .6%
  • Verbal Tic: 2/150 | 1.3%
  • Other Misuse: 15/150 | 10%
  • Pothole: 28/150 | 18.6%
  • ZCE: 81/150 | 54%

As you can see, there is a serious ZCE problem affecting this trope and an even more concerning problem that only 1.3% of wicks were found to be correct. As I suspected, most of the ZCE wicks are just a quote with no further explanation. The definition is clear in what the requirements are for the trope, so the issue is not there. It's possible part of the ZCE problem is due to Fan Myopia. It could also be that Catchphrase is getting a bit of "badge of honor" treatment with tropers putting any repeated phrase as an example, regardless of whether or not it fits the rest of the criteria.
My initial solutions were either a long-term cleanup, or give the trope an Example Sectionectomy a la Definition Only Super-Trope (Well, it's already a supertrope so we'd just be removing the examples). I created a Trope Talk thread that briefly discussed what to do with it but opinions were split. Due to the amount of ZCEs I believe it's best to just purge the examples (If we multiply the ZCE wick check percentage by the total number of wicks, that gives us 12K ZCEs alone +/- margin of error).
Note that this will be a massive project, currently at 22K+ wicks but, as I was told in the megathread, it's only going to accrue more wicks if we leave it alone.

Wick check:

Catchphrase is a trope about character's using an expression multiple times in a work in a way that makes that phrase instantly recognizable to the character and work. However, there are concerns that the trope is being misused as only "character says X frequently". There are also concerns that the trope is suffering from ZCEs, with examples listing only the supposed catchphrase with no other context.

Wicks Checker: 150/150
Courtesy Link: Catchphrase related

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    Correct — 2/ 150 | 1.3% 

Character has an expression that is:
* Used multiple times
* A Unique phrase
* Also unique to that character


  1. WesternAnimation.Vixen: While running from Barry and Oliver, she interrupts Oliver to deliver his frequent accusation ("You have failed this city.") in an "yeah, yeah" tone. Obviously, she knows enough about the costumed hero to deliver that line. It's more of an implied case than anything, which makes it hard to sort. But it seems correct to me.
  2. Characters.Fantastic Four Duology:
    • "Flame On!" whenever he activates his powers. He also uses Ben's catchphrase ("It's clobbering time!") during his final fight with Doom.
    • Like in the comics: "It's clobberin' time!", whenever he's about to kick ass.

    Phrase is not unique — 21/ 150 | 14% 

* Very common word or phrase
* Character cusses a lot (may fit Sir Swears-a-Lot)


  1. Anime.Umi Monogatari: "I love you!", said by Marin to almost everybody.
  2. Animation.Adit Dan Sopo Jarwo:
    • In the early season, Sopo likes to ask "Right now?" anytime being ordered as he is a bit slow on the uptake. Sopo's more consistent catchphrase is "Be forbearing, Boss", said anytime Jarwo's story ends not in his favor which is a lot.
    • Ucup likes to argue anything with a long chain of "if [this], then [that]" before capping it off with "If you don't believe me, just ask Pak Haji."
  3. Animation.Oye Golu: Adi's dad often says "Very good, very good!"
  4. Characters.Bio Shock 2: [Sofia Lamb] Usually starts her little speeches with the phrase "Ask yourself".
  5. Characters.A Channel: [Yuuko] She has Nani?note , usually said when she ends up as the Butt-Monkey.
  6. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Egypt 9 Glory Gods: "Such a good boy!" (Localized as "Attaboy!" in the anime's dub). Whether referring to himself (anything but good) or his victims.
  7. Characters.Monster House: [Mr. Nebbercracker] "Get off my lawn!" and "Stay away from my house!"
  8. Characters.Reba: [Reba Hart]
    • A drawn-out "CRAP" when she screws up.
    • She's also prone to calling people "Mo-ron!"
  9. Characters.South Park Kenny Mc Cormick: "Woo-hoo!", usually said when excited about something; it being sometimes sexual.
  10. Characters.Uta No Prince Sama HEAVENS: He says, "ii!"/"Good!", whenever he is excited or being a Large Ham.
  11. LetsPlay.Men Drinkin Coffee: "Aaand we're back!" at the beginning of every video.
    • "This must be the final boss!" Said whenever facing a particularly difficult enemy or challenge.
    • Judge is fond of a hammy "Oh my GOD!"
    • Chris' "You want fries with that?" during their Resident Evil 7 run... much to the dismay and disapproval of Judge.
  12. Literature.Beyond The Boundary: Mirai's "You're unpleasant" or a variation of it.
  13. Manga.Im The Main Character Of A Harem Manga But Im Gay So Every Day Is Hell For Me: "Uh, okay." for the main character since what else can he say for his increasingly absurd and especially unwanted harem situation?
  14. Music.Ingested: You know a slam or breakdown is coming when Jay says "Oh shit!".
  15. Recap.South Park S 2 E 15 Spookyfish: Cartman says "Hella" all the time, to Stan and Kyle's frustration.
  16. Roleplay.Super Robot Quest: Sam Carlson's staff have their rallying cry of "SCIENCE!"
  17. Series.Lazy Company: Chester's "MERDE!", whenever he steps on a land mine.
  18. Series.Poker Face: Charlie often says "bullshit" when she notices a person lie.
  19. VisualNovel.A Profile: Masayuki's friends make fun of his tendency to answer Dunno! to quite a lot of questions.
  20. WebVideo.Marcel The Shell With Shoes On: Marcel will almost always begin a bit by asking the documentarian to "guess what" something, to which the documentarian will inevitably reply with a dry "what."
  21. WesternAnimation.Aladdin The Series: "It's showtime!" Most commonly Genie but everyone gets a crack at it.

    Share Phrase — 1/ 150 | .6% 
  1. WesternAnimation.Batman Assault On Arkham: Catchphrase: Harley Quinn has one: "Yahtzee!" [[spoiler:It's a SharePhrase with the Joker.]]

    Verbal Tic — 2/ 150 | 1.3% 
  1. Characters.Clone High: He calls everyone "Wesley". Don't know why. This is more of a verbal tic than a catchphrase since he's programmed to call everyone Wesley.
  2. DarthWiki.SOSOS: [NonbinaryStudents: Abadon Belladona] Sentences often end with "You know?"

    Other misuse — 15/ 150 | 10% 
  1. Anime.Noein: Isami thinks that it is impossible for him to have a catch phrase. Non-notable aversion?
  2. Anime.Saint October: Whenever Misaki is called "Misaki-chan", she responds with "Don't call me '-chan'."
  3. Characters.Aeterna Roma: [Efrem Canicus Phiscerus] "My fox" when referring to his lover, Piso. Affectionate Nickname.
  4. Characters.Granblue Fantasy Humans F To N: She will sometimes mention "Gozaru" when asking questions, surprised, or excited.
  5. Characters.Hatchetfield Main Residents: [Ted Spankoffski] He has an obnoxious habit of trying to make these happen, like his Borrowed Catchphrase from Borat "MAH WIFE!" and his telling his supposed best friend "You're fucking useless, Paul". From what I can tell, not actually an example?
  6. Characters.Kan Colle Eight: [Boss Units] All have at most 10 different voiced lines when encountered. However, they all have some variant of "Sink!". This is Welcome to Corneria.
  7. Characters.Mickey Mouse Comic Universe Fiends: Somewhat. In his first story, the Rhyming Man's first rhyme is "And now there comes upon the scene, a master spy, well bred but mean". The same rhyme is used in the English translation of the Italian story "The World to Come" when the Rhyming Man reveals his involvement to Mickey. Examples Are Not Arguable.
  8. Characters.Mongrels: [Nelson] Uses the names of famous celebrities as exclamations. Sometimes, they're quite relevant to the situation at hand, i.e. exclaiming "George A. Romero!" as sex-crazed dogs bear down on the gang zombie-style.
  9. Characters.My Craft: [Noman] "Language!" whenever someone curses in front of him. Just someone warning people against cussing.
  10. Manhwa.Dooly The Little Dinosaur: Dooley often goes "Hoi!" to make a magical trick with the flick of his finger. If it's part of the magic trick, I'm not sure it's really a catchphrase?
  11. Recap.Erins Total Magical Adventure: Last time on Erin's Total Magical Adventure... This is Previously on…
  12. Series.Cybill: Maryann's contemptuous "Dr. DICK!" when discussing her ex-husband. Malicious Misnaming. Probably.
  13. Series.Deal Or No Deal: In Australia's version, Case 26 has been commonly known as "BOO-YA!" Fan Nickname.
  14. Theatre.Sitcom A Sitcom: Just about the only sitcom trope that is neglected, although Colin's tendency to scream out the name of his ex-girlfriend 'Jesssiccaaaaa!' is repeated often. Non-notable aversion/Say My Name?
  15. VideoGame.The Elder Scrolls Legends: The enter play/attack dialogue. Several have become somewhat memetic, such as Imperial Grunts' "Your orders," which can be heard up to four times in a row when summoned by Imperial Reinforcements. This is Welcome to Corneria.

    Pothole — 28/ 150 | 18.6% 
  1. Anime.Power Stone: Apollus, Edward's Butler. He's very whiny ("YOOOOOUNG MAAAASTEEER!") and often tends to cower and panic whenever anything goes wrong. When his masters are in danger however, his loyalty and determination to protect them really come through.
  2. Atomic F-Bomb:
    Olly: W...What about Miracle Dirt, Precious Roy?
    Precious Roy: F(bleep)! YOU! *Beat* SUCKERRRRRS!
    DAMN IT!
  3. BigNo.Western Animation: Essentially a Catchphrase for Grup in Mighty Magiswords.
  4. Cant Unhear It: Thanks to a 4chan post, it's become memetic that any picture of Farnsworth with the caption "Good news, everyone!" will cause the viewer to read it in his voice.
  5. Characters.DAYS: [Tsukamoto Tsukushi] [Apologizes a Lot] Constantly saying "sorry". It's a borderline Catchphrase.
  6. Comedic Sociopathy: Back Street Girls Gokudolls: The Bad Boss Inugane forces multiple unwilling men into sex change operations to become Japanese idols partly for his own profit and tends to be very abusive towards the Gokudolls. Often seen with a bat, including in the opening. His Catchphrase is "I'm not a Devil, after all" typically delivered when he's torturing someone.
  7. Creator.Janus Syndicate: The Janus Syndicate is one of the unsung groups of geniuses in the world of Machinima, ya faggot!
  8. DBZAbridged.Tropes L To R:
    Krillin and Piccolo: Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! [both make three copies of themselves]
    Nappa: Vegeta! I can't... [smiles] believe it.
    Vegeta: [offscreen, in disgust] Uuuuuugggh.
    • Parental Substitute: This relationship is also mocked when Piccolo saves Gohan from Nappa and with his dying breath calls Gohan over, not to tell him that he is like the son he never had but scream at him for not dodging.
    • Running Gag: In just about every movie, Krillin gets a cool entrance, and tries to use the Catchphrase "It's Kriller time!" when entering the fray, only to get immediately curb stomped, often in midsentence.
  9. EarlyInstallmentWeirdness.My Little Pony: "Applebuck Season" opens with Big Macintosh having his first speaking lines and manages to say two complete sentences! Which is a rarity in the series as most future episodes will only have him saying "Eeyup" and/or "Nope" whenever he appeared and maybe a two or three word sentence if you're lucky, barring the occasional episode that gives him A Day in the Limelight where he is a little more talkative.
  10. Fist of Rage: Touma of A Certain Magical Index always clenches his right hand into a fist before he says he will shatter someone's illusions.
  11. Funny.Atop The Fourth Wall 2017 Episodes: Linkara tries to say his Catchphrase "This comic..." while holding the comic to his right as usual but, unused to having a co-host, holds it off-camera, so he tries again, instead holding the comic in front of the Critic's face. When he pulls the comic away, Critic has a very annoyed look on his face.
  12. Funny.Jimquisition: The ending which has some bathos lent to it by Jim's Corpsing.
    Jim: This whole shit is crowdfunded! Y'know, I'm only here being able to say and do as I please without some overseer because of you people who have very kindly given me money. Some of you. You know, some of you are just watching for free, you fucking parasites. [corpses] That was a joke! That was a joke. I surprised myself with my own goof! I've been goof-bushed by myself, I'm sorry. Thank God for you all, whether you're backing or not. Thank you for watching and enjoying the show. If you do enjoy it. If not, you're a fuckin' prick, so... thank god for me!
  13. Funny.Storage Wars:
    • In one episode, Dave isn't present but one of the other auctioneers lets out a loud YUP! that spooks Barry. He comments that he thought for a second that Dave was actually there and Dan, without missing a beat, says in his typical Motor Mouth delivery "YouThoughtHeWasGoneYouThoughtItWasSafeToComeOutsi- deButItWasn't!"
    • In "Buyers on the Storm", opening bids are being accepted for a locker. Jarrod offers $100. Without missing a beat, Dan replies with "Bless your cheap heart." Later, Dan interrupts Dave's rather long "YUUUUUUUUUUUP!".
      Dave: "I didn't even get to finish my yup!"
    • When the locker's put back up for auction, Brandi bids on it with a loud "YUUUUUUUP!", cracking up Jarrod. This is probably a Borrowed Catchphrase if the former examples is actually a Catchphrase.
  14. Funny.The Misadventures Of Skooks: Fred wonders where Shaggy and Skooks are. It then cuts to them having sex. Then Dick Van Dyke tries to get in on it.
    Shaggy: Hey! Get outta my backdoor! I'm a dog lover!
  15. Funny.Urinating Tree Congrats Team Name: The icing on the cake is a reminder of Tree's prediction of the Series' outcome — one which, as future predictions would show, would be unusual for its accuracy:
    UT: In this regard, I firmly believe the Dodgers' pitching staff is the hot hand. They have effectively stifled several outstanding hitting corps so far this postseason with no signs of letting up...
    [the Super Mario Bros. "Bowser defeated!" sting plays over footage of the final out of Game 7]
    UT: But it's logic, the Dodgers' pitching will completely fall apart and the Astros will win in seven games.
    Caption: [over the Dodgers' logo] CONGLATURATION!
    [the Super Mario Bros. ending music plays over the Astros' celebrations]
    UT: Fuck you, Spanos!
  16. Manga.Fruits Basket: [Apologizes a Lot] So much that it's almost a Catchphrase for poor Sawa.
  17. Narm.Death Note: Larry Connors introduces himself to Soichiro under the alias 'John McEnroe'. There should have been a scene with him saying "Light Yagami is Kira!? YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!" and throwing something.
  18. NoCelebritiesWereHarmed.Professional Wrestling: ... Whereas Punk, particularly in his Heel days in the independents, used the Catchphrase "Drug free, alcohol free and better than you," CP Munk is billed as "He's almond free, he's acorn free, and he's better than you."...
  19. Nothing Is Scarier: ...Edge walked out and the room got briefly dark before lighting up again and THE BOOGEYMAN popped up from behind the couch! He told the scared Lita, "Close your eyes! I'm the Boogeyman, and I'm coming to get you!", sending Lita screaming from the room.
  20. Pantheon.Companionship: Now Tink goes back and forth from speaking like other people to communicating via bell-like sounds. Most folks have trouble understanding what she is saying... but they learn very quickly. Turns out the first phrase most people learn in the fairy language is "You silly ass," mostly thanks to Tinker Bell saying it so many times. Wendy can attest to this. For her part, Tink doesn't seem to mind and continues to do so to anyone she doesn't like.
  21. Recap.Family Guy S 16 E 17 Switch The Flip: [Swapped Roles] A lot of quick gags are made of characters switching around and having their Catchphrases contrasted. There's also Quagmire switching with the gerbil he was about to shove up his ass, who continues to do so with him.
  22. Recap.King Of The Hill S 3 E 11 To Spank With Love: Pre-Asskicking One-Liner: Peggy let's out a very angry "HO YEAH!" right before spanking Dooley multiple times.
  23. Recap.The Walking Dead Webisodes Red Machete: Joe pulls the weapon out of the walker's chest and yells "Claimed!" before dispatching it.
  24. TearJerker.Dragon Tales: Ord during the majority of "Big Funky Cloud" (pictured above). The poor guy is SO torn apart over having lost his blanket down the "lost forever hole" that he ends up with a Personal Raincloud (which rains on him whenever he cries and won't go away unless he feels better). At one point, he cries so much he ends up with the hiccups. On top of that, every time his friends try to cheer him up, something always reminds him of his blanket. It eventually gets better, but anyone who's lost a very dear possession, or is generally feeling this upset, can DEFINITELY relate.
  25. TheReasonYouSuckSpeech.CM Punk: ...[Takes the contract out of his pocket.] You see this? This is my key to freedom. This means I don't have to see any of you people any more. I've already proved that I'm better than you. But what I'd like to do right now is sign my contract, to once again prove you all wrong. Bobby Cruise, if you could hold the belt, please, I want to sign the contract right on top of it.
  26. Typecasting.Actors: Samuel L. Jackson nearly always plays badass Scary Black Men who are contractually obliged to say "motherfucker". Given his record in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, Mace Windu wouldn't be nearly as badass in the EU had Jackson not been playing him.
  27. YMMV.Dwarf Fortress: [It's Hard, So It Sucks!] The game has a very high barrier to entry that new players compare to flying a passenger jet with no training or experience. Newcomers are advised to ditch the mentality that losing is a bad thing ("Losing is fun!"), but many still are reluctant to try for more than five minutes. There is a good reason there are many mods that exist to help new players ease into the game, though sometimes even these only help so much.
  28. YMMV.Haze: [Narm] There's absolutely no reason for your former comrades to reveal themselves with "BOOSH!" in the middle of trying to genocide rebels, but here we are. Not to mention Duvall losing his damn mind.

    ZCE — 81/ 150 | 54% 
  1. Animation.Investigation Held By Kolobki: Numerous, most famously "Ditto." and "I don't understand a thing!". May also fall under "Not Unique".
  2. Anime.Irresponsible Captain Tylor: "Just leave everything to me!" and "Don't worry!"
  3. Anime.Pani Poni Dash:
    • Himeko's 'Maho' is as much this as it is a Verbal Tic.
    • Sayaka's "X of the year".
    • Becky enjoys reminding people in a plaintive whine that "I'm a teacher!" May also fall under "Not Unique".
    • "It's warmed by my body-heat, meow!"
    • "Kami-sama desu nya!"
    • Ichijou randomly restates certain sentences slightly changed, e.g. turning a statement of fact into a question.
  4. Anime.Super Atragon: Hayate manages to develop one in the 1.5 hours of runtime, "UNDERSEA-BATTLESHIP RA, ENGAGE!!!"
  5. Anime.Trouble Chocolate: Hinano has "Juubun desu!" (sufficient) and "Dou itashimashite" (You're welcome).
  6. Anime.Voltes V: "LETS... VOLT... IN!!!"
  7. Blog.Citation Needed: It's Time Traveling Time, Bitches! (TTTB)
  8. Blog.Sweary She Ra:
    Glimmer: Sparkles to the face, bitchtits!
    Glimmer: I'm five foot four, you dick!
    Adora: Ow, my hair.
    Adora: Fuck you, X! *proceeds to beat up X*
  9. Characters.ABC Warriors: [Hammerstein] "Spread the word."
  10. Characters.A Hat In Time: [DJ Grooves] "Darling!"
  11. Characters.Ace Lightning:
    • [Abby Hatcher]:
      • "Brain spark!", said whenever she gets an idea.
      • "Splizztacular!"
      • "[Insert gadget name here], activate!"
      • "Fuzzblat!", when frustrated.
    • [Bozzly] "Sound found!"
    • [Otis] "Ding, ding!"
    • [Harriet Bouffant] "Hair flair!"
  12. Characters.Armed Girls Machiavellism: [Tsukuyo Inaba] "How disappointing."
  13. Characters.Atomic Robo: [Jenkins] "That a fact?"
  14. Characters.Bunkd: [Destiny Baker] "Ta-dow!"
  15. Characters.Boys Over Flowers: [Makino Tsukushi] Tsukushi's "Unbelievable!" ("Arienai-tsu no!")
  16. Characters.Brain Dead 13: [Lance Galahad] "Hiya, pal." May also fall under "Not Unique".
  17. Characters.Skatoony: [Chudd Chudders] "Has anyone seen my glasses?"
  18. Characters.A Second Chance: [Lucy Loud] "Sigh" and "Wicked". May also fall under "Not Unique".
  19. Characters.Absolute Duo: [Lilith Bristol] "Don't make me say it twice!"
  20. Characters.Alan Partridge: [Alan] "A-ha!" Possibly a Verbal Tic.
  21. Characters.Billy Dilleys Super Duper Subterranean Summer: [Billy Dilley] "Fascinating!" May also fall under "Not Unique".
  22. Characters.Blood Lad: [Siam Kid] "Bad!" May also fall under "Not Unique".
  23. Characters.Cardcaptor Torika: "Maaaaa!" is like her version of ?Hoeeee!?
  24. Characters.DAYS: [Kimishita Atsushi]
    • "I'll kill you." Commented out
    • "You're too loud." Commented out
  25. Characters.Im Gonna Be An Angel: "Yuusuke Yuusuke Yusuke!" "Yusuke gyutte shite" (Yusuke, hug me) and "Tenshi ni narumon!" (I will become an angel!)
  26. Characters.Midnight Diner: [Katagiri] "Don't belittle life".
  27. Characters.Newbies: [The Newbie] CYAAA!!!
  28. Characters.Pokemon The Series May: When calling her Pokémon for a Contest, "Stage On!"/"Take The Stage!"
  29. Characters.Resident Evil Village: [Mother Miranda] "MY EVA!"
  30. Characters.Sonic For Hire: [Kirby] "LOVE IT!" but only in Season 4. May also fall under "Not Unique".
  31. Characters.Training Day Film: [Alonzo] "You wanna go to jail, or you wanna go home?"
  32. Characters.Yona Of The Dawn: [Yun] He has a few. "I'm a handsome genius," "What a drag," and "exotic beasts," his pet name for the Four Dragons. "Don't call me 'mother,'" might be heading in this direction.
  33. Creator.Allison Pregler:
  34. Creator.Random DCE:
    • "Good night, and good luck."
    • "...and don't be an English B@stard!"
  35. Creator.Trinimmortal: Multiple:
    • Moshi Moshi Mutherfuckers!
    • I am going to BEAT League of Legends!
    • Fear not motherf*cker, I am here to CHANGE YOUR WOOOOOOOOOOOORLD!
  36. DarthWiki.Lorecraft Academy: Just the trope name.
  37. DarthWiki.Was:
    • Layla: "Yes, my Master."
    • Marek: "I got better."
    • Lyle: "I'm sorry" (followed closely by Lou: "Stop apologizing all the time!") May fit Apologizes a Lot.
  38. DarthWiki.X 3 M: Quite a few. Examples include:
    • "Pwermi!"
    • "Chewy!"
    • "Blasphemy!"
    • "Fwee fwee"
  39. Fanfic.Mean Time To Breakdown: Aoi Sagawa is a pretty cool person.
  40. Fanfic.Orochimama: Orochitama's is "Ara ara." In exactly the tone you're thinking.
  41. LetsPlay.Alchemisti D: See Every Episode Ending below. The EEE entry reads "I'll see you guys later, so later!".
  42. LetsPlay.The Heartless:
    • "HELLEEEOOOWWWW."
    • "FOOF!"
    • "It's a GHOSTIE/HORRIBLE/MONTMER/VIHLE BEAHST/ETC.!"
    • "For Christ's SAKE!"
    • "Gonna put my fist through this X in a moment!"
    • "Me old china!"
    • "What do I have to DO?!" and "What IS this?!"
    • "Shoosh, gotta be quiet!" and "JUMP TO VICTORY!" are some of Steve's most recognizable catchphrases, though they're more or less exclusive to the Call of Cthulhu LP.
    • "My face" is also used in a number of contexts (ex. "Hello and welcome to Let's Play Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of My Face.").
    • His Resident Evil 6 LP generated "BACK FOR MORE?!"
  43. LetsPlay.Videogamedunkey:
    • "Not even close, baby!" (has become something of a meme for League of Legends players)
    • "Watch out for my X!"
    • "...into the ocean!"
    • "Nice try, guy!"
    • "Good thing I have my X move!"
    • "It was Singed the whole time!"
    • "Oh boy..."
    • "Uh oh!"
    • "Pet me X."note 
    • "YOU BITCH!"
    • "I win, babe."
    • "Actually, I changed my mind."
    • "I won't do it again, I won't do it again...but watch out, I'm gonna do it again!"
    • "It wasn't me."
    • "Thank you, Dark Souls."
    • "Don't laugh."
    • "Tony, get the boulder."
    • "What, are you stupid or something?"
    • "I'll have the spaghetti and meatballs."
    • (in any Happy Wheels video) "Legs are optional."
    • He uses the word "chalupa" often.
    • His EarthBound playthrough frequently uses the phrase "I'm back in the saddle".
    • This is the first strand type X.
  44. LightNovel.Is This A Zombie: Title Drop, sort of.
  45. LightNovel.The Longing Of Shiina Ryo: Shin-tsu's "UORYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!" Say My Name maybe?
  46. Literature.A Perfect Spy: Rick has several.
  47. Literature.Rated R 2014: "I don't have time for this."
  48. Literature.The Abandon Trilogy: "Check yourself before you wreck yourself."
  49. Literature.The Martian:
    • "One problem at a time."
    • "I'm fucked." May also fall under "Not Unique".
  50. Manga.QED: End of Demonstration. It's the translation of Quod Erat Demonstrandum.
  51. Music.City Girls: "PERIODT!"
  52. Music.Jordan Rudess: The page quote.
  53. Music.Public Enemy: "Yeeaaaaaah boooooyeeeee!!!!"
  54. Music.Young Thug: Slime and Slat.
  55. Pinball.Lethal Weapon 3: Leo Getz's "Okay, okay, okay..."
  56. Podcast.Dining In The Void: "Oh stars" or "stars" get thrown around a few times, but Aveline Lion uses it the most.
  57. Series.Mind Of Mencia: "Dee dee dee!" Used to indicate someone who's Too Dumb to Live.
  58. Series.Punky Brewster:
    • "Holy Macanoly!"
    • "Gross-a-Roo" in early seasons when Punky is confronted with something disgusting.
    • Margaux had her own..."Peasants!" May also fall under "Not Unique".
  59. Recap.Dollhouse S 02 E 03: Terry's is "Goodness gracious". May also fall under "Not Unique".
  60. Recap.I Carly S 03 Ep 12 I Space Out: For the Exercise Rox teens: "Get some!" Share Phrase. May also fall under "Not Unique".
  61. Recap.Peppa Pig S 1 E 1 Muddy Puddles: "It's only mud." Also an Episode Tagline.
  62. Series.City Guys: El-Train's "don't try to fool a fool, fool!" during the later episodes.
  63. Series.The Julekalender: The major characters have several each.
  64. Series.Miitsuketa: "Yonda?" ("Is this good?") for Ofurosuki.
  65. Series.Oobi: All are "Not Unique".
    • Uma: "Nice!" and "Pretty."
    • Kako: "Perfecto!"
    • Grampu: "Lovely!"
    • Inka: "Beautiful!"
  66. Series.The Ferals: "Gonna get ya!"
  67. TabletopGame.Galactic Heroes: Kargorr's "Bah!"
  68. Theatre.Amadeus: The Emperor's "...There it is." Also, "...Mmm-hm."
  69. Theatre.Driving Miss Daisy: Daisy's "Highway robbery!"
  70. Theatre.The Women: "Oh l'amour, l'amour!" by the Countess.
  71. Toys.Uglydolls: Babo's is "What dat?".
  72. VideoGame.Battle Bears:
    • Wil:
      "Stupid brown nub hands!"/"Stupid nub hands!"
      "Yahtzee!"
    • Oliver: "Are you serious?"
    • Huggables: "Hug me!"
    • Riggs: "GRENADE!"
  73. VideoGame.Crime Patrol:
    Rookie Partner: Let's kick (some) butt!
  74. VideoGame.Tales Of Eternia:
    Max: Yeah.
    Farah: No problem!
    Meredy: You bet!
    • In the Let's Play done by PrinceBoo21 (seen here), he actually keeps running counters for how many times they say their individual phrases.
  75. VideoGame.Tales Of Rebirth:
    • Tytree: "That's worth #insert number from 1 to 5# stars!"
    • There's also Eugene's "I'm not surprised that you answered my question with a question". Tytree even hangs a lampshade on it.
  76. WebAnimation.Daidus:
    Sen: Squid Up?
    Daidus: No, Squid Neutral!
  77. Webcomic.The Suburban Jungle: Charity seems to be continuing the tradition of "Are you crazy? Is that your problem?"
  78. WebVideo.ASC Zs Horrorshow: "So that's [Movie X], grommets/piggies/diddums/kids."
  79. WebVideo.Kolibiri:
    • "Alright, boys and girls." May also fall under "Not Unique".
    • "Oh, shazbot!"
    • "This is Howardcneal signin' out." Signing Off Catchphrase.
    • "1 out of 10."
    • "That's ridiculous." May also fall under "Not Unique".
    • "That's what I'm talkin' about." May also fall under "Not Unique".
    • "C'mon, boy!" May also fall under "Not Unique".
  80. WebVideo.Vision Of Escaflowne Abridged: "Snickety Slice!"
    • Which in itself is from Tenacious D Wolverine Mallrats various places.
    • And, of course, "Beefcake!"
    • Van and Hitomi throw some flak at each other for their catchphrases
      Hitomi: Was it all just a dream? Or maybe a vision...No, it was re-
      Van: Whoa, whoa! Is that supposed to be your catchphrase or something? Because you sound like Descartes after a big, heaping helping of stupid.
      Hitomi: What about you? "Snickety slice"? What are you, Wolverine's inbred stoner cousin?
  81. WesternAnimation.Care Bears1980s:
    • Brave Heart Lion: "You can say that again!" and "CHARRRRRRRGE!"
    • Grumpy Bear: "Why do these things always happen to me?"
    • Lotsa Heart Elephant: "... and that's the truth!"
    • Beastly: "I'm soooooooooooo BAD!"
    • Baby Hugs: "Ohh, goody-goody-gosh!"
    • Grams Bear: "This reminds me of a story."

Edited by GastonRabbit on Oct 16th 2023 at 6:52:34 AM

GastonRabbit Sounds good on paper (he/him) from Robinson, Illinois, USA (General of TV Troops) Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
#76: Oct 16th 2023 at 4:51:19 AM

I've moved the page and updated Split Tropes and the discussion pages for the three pages, so we can go back to dewicking.

Patiently awaiting the release of Paper Luigi and the Marvelous Compass.
bonehat Lurker in Liminality from Where the falling angel meets the rising ape (Troper Youngling) Relationship Status: Gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
Lurker in Liminality
#77: Oct 16th 2023 at 7:35:11 AM

Looks like the examples that are correct for the Fantastic Four Duology has been added.

bonehat Lurker in Liminality from Where the falling angel meets the rising ape (Troper Youngling) Relationship Status: Gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
Lurker in Liminality
#78: Oct 16th 2023 at 7:52:49 AM

For the hatchetfield misuse, should that be changed to a trope with Obnoxious in the name?

Tabs Since: Jan, 2001
#79: Oct 16th 2023 at 2:15:01 PM

The trope is Character Catchphrase (plus any other subtropes) - if someone's obnoxiously trying to make a catchphrase a thing, that's just Character Catchphrase that annoys other people. edit [down] Oh, or Forced Meme, if the character is hoping others will copy the phrase.

Edited by Tabs on Oct 16th 2023 at 2:31:54 AM

wootzits Since: Apr, 2010
Berrenta How sweet it is from Texas Since: Apr, 2015 Relationship Status: Can't buy me love
How sweet it is
#81: Oct 29th 2023 at 5:48:02 AM

Wick count is now below 20k. Specifically, 19559.

she/her | TRS needs your help! | Contributor of Trope Report
StalkerGamer Hi! :3 Since: Dec, 2021 Relationship Status: Love is an open door
Hi! :3
#82: Oct 29th 2023 at 8:43:47 AM

[up]This one is going to be a hell of cleanup

AnotherOnlinePersona under construction from Harlequin Forest Since: Dec, 2022
under construction
#83: Oct 30th 2023 at 10:44:09 AM

I noticed that we don't have a trope for catchphrases people say when they introduce themselves ("Bond, James Bond" et al). I've seen a lot of signature greetings be referred to as catchphrases on K-pop pages ("One in a million! Hello, we are TWICE!" et al) and don't know what to do with them.

Anyone know enough fictional examples to start something like "Catchphrase Greeting" on TLP? Or can they be covered under Character Catchphrase and/or Author Catchphrase? Or do we already have a trope for unique greetings that's not on the Index of Catchphrases?

Coachpill Can shapeshift (probably) from Washington State, grew up on Long Island Since: Aug, 2022 Relationship Status: Baby don't hurt me!
Can shapeshift (probably)
#84: Oct 30th 2023 at 11:39:16 AM

[up] We have One-Liner, Name... One-Liner, though that has problems of its own (to the point of being on the TRS Queue). There's Name That Unfolds Like Lotus Blossom, which covers overly descriptive names (not necessarily long ones, though); specific greeting catchphrases are usually covered by Third-Person Person.

Silver and gold, silver and gold
RandomTroper123 She / Her from I'll let you guess... (Not-So-Newbie) Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
She / Her
#85: Oct 31st 2023 at 4:27:54 PM

Can a character singing or humming something count as something in the Index of Catchphrases? I'm asking because I recall someone changing a Catchphrase entry to a Character Catchphrase one in Five Nights at Freddy's: First Generation. This is the entry (which is in Foxy's folder) in its current state:

* Character Catchphrase: He's usually heard humming his "Dum-Dum-De-Dum" song.
For the record, I'm leaning on saying it doesn't count, but I wanted to check in to try to make sure.

Tabs Since: Jan, 2001
AudioSpeaks2 He/Him (Greenhorn) Relationship Status: Oh my word! I'm gay!
He/Him
#87: Oct 31st 2023 at 9:54:30 PM

[up] Yeah, I think Leitmotif works. It's something musically assigned to a character after all.

Edited by AudioSpeaks2 on Nov 1st 2023 at 12:54:54 AM

Art Museum Curator and frequent helper of the Web Original deprecation project
RandomTroper123 She / Her from I'll let you guess... (Not-So-Newbie) Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
She / Her
#88: Oct 31st 2023 at 9:59:24 PM

[up] and[up][up] Okay, thanks.

Edited by RandomTroper123 on Nov 5th 2023 at 12:39:49 PM

Berrenta How sweet it is from Texas Since: Apr, 2015 Relationship Status: Can't buy me love
How sweet it is
#89: Nov 19th 2023 at 4:54:38 PM

I was going to tackle this example tree over at raocow, but we need to figure out which ones are staying.

    Long list alert! 
  • Catchphrase:
    • "Hey there, everyone, this is raocow..." "That was a demo." "It's pretty great." (sometimes pronounced "S'pretty great") "Oh boogers." "Chipmunk time!" "Panic panic panic." "Not gonna lie." "Like it was no thing." "Science." "Jesus-hell!" "Good times." "This is raocow, see you guys." "Nuts to y'all, y'all!"
    • "Destroy the world!" when something chaotic is going on.
    • "That totally happened." He says this when state-rewinding to avoid a cruel and/or unfair trap.
    • His earliest LPs have "I am not feeling this one." and "That was pointful." He even mentions that he hopes the former doesn't become a catch phrase.
    • "Join me next time, possibly/probably tomorrow..." at the end of his videos.
    • "Isn't that great? Not really."
    • "That's crazy town!"
    • After particularly nonsensical non-sequiturs he says "What am I even saying here?"
    • "That guy, he has opinions."
    • He often describes things as "destroying the world" when said action only involves destroying a small object of little significance.
    • He sometimes calls people "happy Dan"s, including himself.
    • Hitting an enemy while the enemy hits him back is often referred to as "an exchance of services."
    • If raocow dies at one point, more often than not, the video will cut to when he gets back to the point where he died, with him saying "the return of the revenge".
    • There's also the occasional reference to beefsteaks and dodging them (in reference to a particularly nonsensical alternate reading of one of the level names in the VIP series.)
    • "Oh man".
    • As well as repeated mentions of raocow being the greatest video game.
    • "Fart."
    • After making a mistake: "I'm pretty good at video games, by the way."
    • "What's the story, Wishbone?"
    • "I can tell you that, using words of the English language."
    • When responding to text in the game, he says "You don't say".
    • "This is really dumb," usually when he's laughing at an over-the-top gag in a level.
    • He's actually lampshaded all his various catch phrases at one point, saying that he sometimes takes a look at this trope page for examples of things he should be saying less often.
    • Not exactly a phrase, but, after beating Super Meat Boy, he started humming the "Bandage girl is in another castle" jingle every time he makes a dumb mistake or falls for an obvious trap.
    • "He's like 'check it out'!" Especially when playing Kirby's Adventure. Which turns into "Yo, check it!" in other games.
    • "I'm picking up what you're putting down."
    • Sometimes in a sing-songy tone, "hey [there] buddy, how does it go[/do]?", especially in Guacamelee.
    • "I did it, I solved the puzzle." Sometimes becomes "I did it, I solved world hunger."
    • "Sadness abounds."
    • Hollow Knight has "Thank you, Melody" whenever the Carefree Melody charm tanks a hit for him.
    • "My name is Mega Man and I'm here to say..."
    • Some variation of "Video games don't exist", usually when he's in the middle of rambling while trying to steer himself into making an actual point.

she/her | TRS needs your help! | Contributor of Trope Report
Hello83433 (Lucky 7) Relationship Status: Complex: I'm real, they are imaginary
#90: Nov 19th 2023 at 10:19:11 PM

Most of those are Zero-Context Examples and can be cut outright. The only one that I think can be transplanted is the "Join me next time..." one, moved to Signing Off Catchphrase.

This [down]

He's actually lampshaded all his various catch phrases at one point, saying that he sometimes takes a look at this trope page for examples of things he should be saying less often.

shows how the misuse had permeated the trope so badly as for it to lose meaning. A catchphrase is not simply a line that is repeated, it's a phrase that is said so numerously that other people know who you're referring to when you say the phrase. So that latter part should be in a properly contextualized example. Any "example" that is just a quote is a ZCE. It should be rare, IMO, for any character to have so many catchphrases.

CSP Cleanup Thread | All that I ask for ... is diamonds and dance floors
Berrenta How sweet it is from Texas Since: Apr, 2015 Relationship Status: Can't buy me love
How sweet it is
#91: Nov 24th 2023 at 6:23:21 AM

Got it. Time to grab the shears.

she/her | TRS needs your help! | Contributor of Trope Report
TheUnsquished Filthy casual from Southern Limey Land (Life not ruined yet) Relationship Status: Married to the job
Filthy casual
#92: Nov 27th 2023 at 3:23:09 AM

Noticed that if someone's used CatchPhrase it doesn't turn green.

Like so: Catchphrase. Dunno if it's relevant or not.

(Annoyed grunt)
AudioSpeaks2 He/Him (Greenhorn) Relationship Status: Oh my word! I'm gay!
He/Him
Amonimus the Retromancer from <<|Wiki Talk|>> (Sergeant) Relationship Status: In another castle
the Retromancer
#94: Nov 27th 2023 at 3:28:47 AM

Catchphrase even rendering as "Catchphrase" means it contains a custom title glitch.

TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup
GastonRabbit Sounds good on paper (he/him) from Robinson, Illinois, USA (General of TV Troops) Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
#95: Nov 27th 2023 at 4:18:51 AM

It's only green if the "p" is lowercase.

Cutting and recreating fixes custom title and green link wonkiness, but "catchphrase" is usually written as one word offsite (if I'm not mistaken), so I don't think there's anything wrong with the capitalization that properly appears green (though perhaps there's another issue I've overlooked).

Patiently awaiting the release of Paper Luigi and the Marvelous Compass.
Amonimus the Retromancer from <<|Wiki Talk|>> (Sergeant) Relationship Status: In another castle
the Retromancer
#96: Nov 27th 2023 at 4:25:00 AM

The issue is that improper capitalization doesn't show as green, which can slow down the cleanup / prevent new additions, and misses the point of making disambigs show as green in the first place. But I've moved that question here.

Edited by Amonimus on Nov 27th 2023 at 3:25:44 PM

TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup
LaundryPizza03 Maintenance? from Texas Since: Aug, 2020
Maintenance?
#97: Jan 29th 2024 at 7:14:42 PM

I think the new DAB page should receive the TRS banner, since it is at the old title and the wick cleanup is ongoing. There are currently 16836 wicks.

Edited by LaundryPizza03 on Jan 29th 2024 at 9:15:20 AM

I'm back!
Amonimus the Retromancer from <<|Wiki Talk|>> (Sergeant) Relationship Status: In another castle
the Retromancer
#98: Jan 29th 2024 at 8:55:11 PM

I'm surprized it doesn't. This may also need a bulletin.

TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup
GastonRabbit Sounds good on paper (he/him) from Robinson, Illinois, USA (General of TV Troops) Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
#99: Jan 29th 2024 at 10:56:19 PM

I agree with having a banner on disambiguation pages until the thread is closed. I think that would be a good practice despite it not always being done.

I don't agree with having a bulletin since we usually save those for Chairs-y concepts (such as Drop The Hammer having one because wielding a hammer isn't a trope on its own) and not things like renames for non-Chairs tropes, particularly because we don't want people moving examples that shouldn't be moved.

Edited by GastonRabbit on Jan 29th 2024 at 12:57:58 PM

Patiently awaiting the release of Paper Luigi and the Marvelous Compass.
AudioSpeaks2 He/Him (Greenhorn) Relationship Status: Oh my word! I'm gay!
He/Him
#100: Jan 29th 2024 at 11:01:35 PM

Unless I'm familiar with the work, if I see a ZCE wick of Catchphrase, I just zap them instead of renaming to Character Catchphrase, because how am I supposed to know if it truly is a catchphrase without any context?

Art Museum Curator and frequent helper of the Web Original deprecation project

Trope Repair Shop: Catchphrase Index
13th Oct '23 5:09:13 AM

Crown Description:

During cleanup, it was suggested to rename and disambiguate Catchphrase, as it's now an index, to prevent unneeded new wicks. What name should be used?

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