The TVTropes Trope Finder is where you can come to ask questions like "Do we have this one?" and "What's the trope about...?" Trying to rediscover a long lost show or other medium but need a little help? Head to Media Finder and try your luck there. Want to propose a new trope? You should be over at You Know, That Thing Where.
Find a Trope:
openNo Title Film
A character demonstrates his/her knowledge of another character by spouting out a long list of completely irrelevant facts.
—-
Kaffee: You don't even know me. Ordinarily it takes someone hours to discover I'm not fit to handle a defense.
Galloway: I do know you. Daniel Alli Stair Kaffee, born June 8th, 1964 at Boston Mercy Hospital. Your father's Lionel Kaffee, former Navy Judge Advocate and Attorney General, of the United States, died 1985. You went to Harvard Law on a Navy scholarship, probably because that's what your father wanted you to do, and now you're just treading water for the three years you've gotta serve in the JAG Corps, just kinda layin' low til you can get out and get a real job.
openNo Title
What's the trope where a character is misinformed about the exact circumstances of an event, thus drastically changing their perception of what happened?
For instance, in Spider-Man 3: Peter finds out that Sandman killed Uncle Ben, and hates him for it. It's only later that he finds out that it was accidental.
openNo Title
What's the trope for that old and simple joke that basically goes like this:
- Bob: Now call me crazy—Alice: You're crazy.
openNo Title
I was looking at phone tropes https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PhoneTropes and "Single Sided Phone Call" wasn't there.
What do we call that over here? I know it has to be here. Everyone has it. Every show does it at some point.
openNo Title
What's the trope used for single lens glasses (Space Monocles?) which occur almost entirely in sci-fi, which have computers integrated into them? An example from Homestuck is here: and here: , but I've seen them elsewhere, and the US Army had a research programme called Land Warrior which tried to develop an IRL equivalent.
openNo Title
Does anyone know the trope where a character is trying to get a hold of an item, but said item keeps getting kicked around in all the commotion surrounding him? An example of this would be in the beginning of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom when Indy's trying to get his hands on the antidote he needs.
It's not quite Hot Potato, because that involves a group of people trying to get the item, and this is just one person.
openNo Title
I'm wondering if there is a trope for this scenario that I often see in investigative shows: It's an arbitrary connection between a smell and a suspect.
Investigator arrives at the scene. Assistant: I like that cologne/perfume you're wearing. Investigator: I'm not wearing any cologne/perfume. (Later, in interrogation, the Investigator says with a dawning look of realization) I recognize the cologne/ perfume you are wearing, YOU killed so-and-so!
I've seen it played three different ways: 1. A character complements the cologne an investigator is NOT wearing at the scene of the crime. 2. A character is sensitive/allergic to a certain key smell, which turns out to be the smoking gun if the suspect has it on him/her. 3. A main or side character suddenly has the same condition as the suspect, leading the investigators to determine who the suspect is. ex: Character A: I recognise that fruity smell... Character B: Oh, yeah. I'm suddenly diabetic, that smell is me being diabetic. At no other time in the episode or series will I continue to be diabetic, this will never be mentioned again. Ever. Character A: (look of realization) The suspect must be diabetic!
It drives me nuts, and I've seen it in everything from Monk to NCIS.
Never once do the characters consider that more than a single bottle of a cologne brand is made, and more than one person could be wearing said brand, or the fact that the suspect no longer wears said brand (it's probably been weeks since crime scene discovery and interrogation).
openNo Title
What is the name of the trope describing a scene where a bunch of people are after an item of some sort (usually the MacGuffin, sometimes just a gun) and the item just keeps getting kicked around, tossed around back and forth like a football, slips through people's fingers, etc. but no one can quite get a hold of it?
openNo Title
As an Older Than Print story is adapted over time, important characters are left out and gradually forgotten, to the point that their existance conflicts with current canon. Is there a character-specific trope for this?
openNo Title Anime
You know how in certain anime and manga, when introducing two new characters, likely an evil duo, there will be one serving as the brute (the taller member), and one serving as the brains (the shorter member). However, when pressed, it seems that the shorter one is the far more powerful/skilled one.
So far I can recall three examples:
1) Dragon Ball: Vegeta and Nappa 2) Naruto: Itachi and Kisame 3) Prince of Tennis: Atobe and that guy whose name escapes me at the moment
Does anyone have a trope name?
Edited by av12971openNo Title Literature
Rahan and Tarzan bring up a problem for linguistics in say 30.000 BC which Conan and Lord of the Rings for their part have solved.
In Lord of the Rings, everyone speaks Westron because the continent is colonised from Numenor. In Conan everyone speaks whatever they speak because the continent is colonised from Atlanteans. Same idea actually. But not very absurd.
The absurd idea is one which comes into play for Tarzan and Rahan, where on general evolutionist lines the stone age is supposed to have been diverse small populations. I am not sure about Cave Bear series, I think they do include linguistic problems.
Can I name the trope:
If You Are Stone Age, You Speak Pal Ul Don?
Btw, how do I name a trope?
Please tell me we have a trope for somebody saying "Well, well, well."