The Master
The following was deleted without explanation:
"* Inverted by The Beatles in an interview. When asked if Ringo was "the best drummer in the world", John replied "Ringo? He's not even the best drummer in the Beatles!"
- This is not a case of John being snarky towards Ringo, it's a pun: the drummer Ringo replaced in The Beatles was named Pete BEST.
- The punchline: Ringo flipped his lid and left the studio during the White Album recordings (he came back later), and Paul took over drum duties temporarily for recording "Back in the USSR" (the most drum-driven song on the album not named "Helter Skelter").
- The Crowning Moment Of Heartwarming: after the Concert on the Roof, Ringo received a postcard from Paul saying, "You are the greatest drummer in the world. Really."
What is the basis for this deletion? Is the example untrue?
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Yes, it's untrue. John wasn't the one who said that; it just came to be attributed to him somehow. It's from some biographer IIRC.
That aside (since it could still be listed on the page, whoever said it), it's not really an example for a variety of reasons. This trope is more like saying "I'm the best drummer in my apartment!" Saying "X was / wasn't the best drummer in the Beatles" isn't overly-narrow, because the Beatles are perhaps the greatest band of all time — it's not overly narrow to restrict a comparison to them.
Wizzard
I'm sure there was an I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue bit where Humph called it "the best panel game to be hosted by an old Etonian trumpeter. That's on right now." or something. Does anyone remember the exact quote?
Edited by 70.33.253.44
You gotta get yourself some marble columns
Coming out and saying something is "the only X" isn't really a brag, period (at least not automatically) and in any case doesn't really qualify something as an example. The trope is two intertwined concepts:
- "The best X" where there aren't so many Xs that this is a high bar to clear
- "The best X" where only by narrowing it down to Xs can you declare it the best
"The only X" is neither of these.
The child is father to the man —Oedipus
Concerning the Dark Knight example: Was there a longer color English-language superhero movie released direct to video? A longer theatrically-released color superhero movie in another language? A longer theatrically-released English-language superhero movie in black and white? If there isn't, the superlative isn't even as narrow as purported. (If there is, they might point us to some even narrower superlatives.)
Resident pretentious dickwad
Why isn't this trope called 'The worlds narrowest superlative'?
This implies, quite correctly, that my mind is dark and damp and full of tiny translucent fish. Hide / Show Replies
My edit on Bush- John Q adams was meant to remind people that bush wasn't the only president who was also the son of a president (John Adams -> John Quincy Adams). IS there a better way to show that or is it -gasp- un-Notable?
- Oops, i meant to new topic this and I can't figure out how to delete it...
The Bush thing is already a tangent to the example it's mentioned in. If you think you need to point out a historical fact to make it make sense, that means the comparison itself is broken and you should replace it.
132 is the rudest number.
Does the Bryant's restaurant listing all of the awards that their local competitors have won and placing their restaurant on the bottom of the list followed by "voted best BBQ in a five block radius since 1976" qualify as this trope?
Is One Piece's Kaku declaring himself "The best swordsman in CP9" when he's the only swordsman in CP9 an Overly Narrow Superlative?
This is still a signature.
I removed the following from the ads list:
There's nothing really narrow about it. America is certainly a large enough demographic, and there are several shows and other things with serial killers. This is simply stating that Dexter is popular right now.