Truth In Television - Television Tropes & Idioms

Pimped Out Dress from a show? No, this is

Once in a while, a TV show does something that actually happens in Real Life (Don't worry, it never lasts, and they soon slip back into their old habits). Rarely, other shows pick up on this, and you then get a recurring trope that accurately reflects the real world. (Listed below, for your convenience, are some examples of those.)

The Dark Side of this trope occurs in Ripped From The Headlines.

When it's the exact opposite, you've got a bad case of Reality Is Unrealistic. If people fall for it, it's because TV Never Lies.

Technically, these tropes do not need to be Justified Tropes, since they are truth. However, Viewers Are Morons, and so writers may actually throw in justifications.

The Bastard Spawn of these two tropes gives us Inspired By and Very Loosely Based On A True Story.

There's a Sliding Scale of Truth In Television Frequency. In one end, the amount of times the said trope is Truth In Television can be counted with fingers of one hand. On the other end of the scale, these tropes happen very frequently in Real Life.

Another way of saying the above is that a great many things happen on television that have happened at least once to someone in the world. The reason they become tropes — and remember the principle of Tropes Are Not Good here — is because they're used in TV (et al) a lot, and generally in ways that wouldn't mesh well in real life. So, for instance, it's certainly the case that special agents have worn Lycra (or similar) bodysuits, that people have squeezed themselves through air ducts, and that some people are cripplingly afraid of small spaces. This does not make the protagonist with a Spy Catsuit, making an Air Vent Escape but hampered by her Fatal Flaw of claustrophobia an example of Truth In Television. To extend this even further, if we ever only saw those tropes being used together or in similarly improbable combinations, none of them would qualify as Truth because they wouldn't have ever been used in a way that was, well, Truthful. They've been hyperbolized, exaggerated and stretched to be much more exciting and dramatic than Real Life... and in doing so hardly resemble it any more at all. Which is why they're Tropes.

And that's pretty much how television works. So please, before adding anything to the list below or describing any existing tropes as Truth In Television, think for a moment: is or was this used in TV kinda like it really happened? Or is there maybe kind of a lot of hyperbole on one side or the other of the equation to make it fit? If the answer to the first question is a definite yes... Go right ahead.

Tropes:

Abandoned Warehouse: At least one or two can be found in any larger town or a city.
Abdicate The Throne: Britain's Edward VIII, Sweden's Queen Christina, recent Dutch monarchs.
AB Negative: AB- really is the rarest common blood type with between .2% and 1% of any given population having it. However, There are LOTS of really rare types.
- The whole aspect of the trope, in that AB- can only take AB- blood is false. The positive variant (i.e. AB+) is considered a universal receiver of blood (O- is the universal donor), which makes life much easier for the phlebotomists, in that they can just grab a bag of any old blood and they won't reject it. AB- (the Trope Namer) is only slightly more limited; they can receive any negative blood but not positive blood (as opposed to how the inverse is possible and is why AB+ is the universal receiver).
- The "universal donor/receiver" angle is wrong as well, or rather, it's more complex than it's usual trope portrayal: AB+ is both the universal plasma receiver and the universal serum donor, and viceversa with O-. It's also worth noting that you can transfuse a Rh- with positive blood without ill effects (at least the first few times), as it's not a natural antigen.
Abnormal Ammo: Dragon's Breath pyrotechnic shotgun rounds.
- Name any episode of Myth Busters. Chances are you will see this trope in action with a gun or cannon.
Absurdly Powerful Student Council: Public colleges in Mexico often have an Absurdly Powerful Student Association, capable of granting all sorts of suspicious favors to those who have the appropriate connections.
- Which has the virtue of preparing students for Real Life.
  - Virtue, really?
  - Considering how most of the world is, it can be considered so.
Absurdly Spacious Sewer: France has an underground community due to their delicate catacombs and sewers. There are illegal shops and theatres under there.
Abusive Parents: Unfortunately.
Acme Products: Acme was a fairly common name for companies at one time, as it would put them at or near the beginning of the listings in the phone book. It helped that the word means "the best".
Acquired Situational Narcissism
Acrofatic: Sumo wrestlers.
Action Mom
Adminisphere
Adventurer Archaeologist: Yes, though it's very exaggerated nowadays, there really used to be rough-and-tumble cowboy archaeologists. Roy Chapman Andrews is said to be the inspiration for Indiana Jones. He led expeditions through the arctic and China, but most famously through the Gobi Desert. He was frequently attacked by bandits and survived by his wits. Yes, he was a real person. Go look him up. His biography reads like a pulp fiction novel, but unlike L Ron Hubbard, it's all true.
Afraid Of Blood: Hemophobia
Afraid Of Needles: Trypanophobia; the plague of Big Damn Heroes for years.
Age Appropriate Angst
Agony Of The Feet: Much to our sore toes.
Airborne Aircraft Carrier: Sort of - Really? I don't know of any airborne craft that is purposed to house smaller airborne craft in the real world. That's what 'aircraft carrier' means. If you're thinking 'airborne carrier' then that technically applies to anything that can carry and fly simultaneously - which includes even animals like bats and eagles.
- The USS Macon. Not terribly successful, but it was airborne and did carry smaller aircraft. The XF-85 Goblin fighter, designed to protect bombers in the 1950s, might also count.
Air Hugging
Air Jousting: This is what dogfights were like back when they had more maneuverability (WWI, for those playing at home).
Air Vent Escape: Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers escaped Alcatraz using this method. But it requires very special circumstances to work effectively.
The Alcatraz: Where do you think the trope title comes from?
Alcohol Is Poison: ...for children and pregnant women. Ever seen the effects of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome? Yeah...
Alien Arts Are Appreciated
Alien Lunch
All Devouring Black Hole Loan Sharks: Why do people use their services instead of a, you know, bank? Bad credit, my dear Watson. Bad credit.
The Alleged Car: Chances are, you've either owned one, or you're too young to drive. Literally- it's one of the oldest and longest Troper Tales pages.
All Natural Snake Oil
Altar The Speed
Alternative Calendar: The Lunar Calendar. Very confusing and annoying when it comes to planning for Jews and Muslims.
Always Second Best: For many of us, much to our eternal chagrin.
Always Someone Better: Ditto.
Analogy Backfire
And Ninety Nine Cents: See the trope page for theories of its Real Life origin.
And The Winner Is: Much to the embarrassment of whoever stands up.
Anyone Can Die
Amazingly Embarrassing Parents
Ambulance Chaser: Hey, it's a living.
Amoral Attorney: The word "shyster" comes to mind.
Are You My Mummy
Armoured Closet Gay: See the Real Life section
Arranged Marriage: Believe it or not, there are still places where this is common. In Japan, for example, as much as 30% of all marriages are arranged.
Asexuality: It's weird being surrounded by something that you don't understand at all, except on an intellectual level.
Asshole Victim: This is what can happen to you when you're the kind of person that others are right to rejoice in your misfortunes. The moral: Try not to be such a douchebag. Karma ftw!
Artificial Limbs: Existed long before it became a trope.
A Team Firing: Random firing generally discourages people from taking the time to aim when they fire back. This is known as suppression fire, and has been a standard tactic going back to the first World War.
Attention Whore: All over the internet. See True Art Is Offensive
Auction
Ax Crazy: To the great dismay of many.
Axes At School: Unfortunately.
Baby Talk: Also called "parentese." Enunciating vowels and slowing things down helps babies get a grasp on how to physically imitate verbal speech.
Badass Boast: Samurais in feudal Japan started their duels by telling their own and their ancestors' achievements. Among other places.
Bad Boss: Examples are present. Especially prominent examples during ancient and middle ages.
The Bad Guys Are Cops: In some of the more corrupt regions of the world. Let's leave it at that.
Batteries Not Included: Children's toys eat batteries the way kids eat candy after Halloween. Which is why Nintendo started making Game Boys rechargeable in the 2000s.
Battle Cry
- Remember The Alamo
Bavarian Fire Drill
Bedouin Rescue Service: In the modern era, this is mandatory. In ages past... not so much.
Beeping Computers: They used to do that in the days of blinkenlights. Now not so much.
BFB: Some bombs require a lot of C4 to get the required blast.
The B Grade: Yes, there are perfectionists out there who will become suicidal because of this. Somewhat justified if they're trying to get into MIT, University of Tokyo, or an Ivy League school (and they aren't a Legacy).
Beleaguered Bureaucrat: Especially in the civil service sector, where "too much work, not enough time" seems to be status quo.
Be Quiet Nudge: Who hasn't been on the giving or receiving end of one of these?
Big Friendly Dog: St. Bernards, Mastiffs, and Newfoundlands, along with many of the larger herding dogs, like Komondors, Great Pyrenees and Old English Sheep Dogs. They've been bred for decades to have calm natures and strong loyalty to their owners.
Billions Of Buttons: Many more complex vehicles and control panels of industrial buildings have them. Ever been in the cockpit of a plane?
Bitter Almonds: But if you can smell it, you're in trouble.
Blame Game: In officespeak, they call it "blamestorming".
The Bluebeard: He was a real person. He wasn't the only one.
Boxed Crook
Briefcase Blaster: Heckler and Koch makes a special briefcase for their MP 5 K. Here's a video.
British Stuffiness: (see National Stereotypes) Brits are more private and reserved with people other than their close friends than Americans are, but it does not always derive from arrogance.
Broke The Rating Scale
Buried Alive: Used to happen extremely frequently because of primitive medicine. Now, it's rare. People still have this fear and request bells installed in their coffin just in case.
Bury Me Not On The Lone Prairie: Specific instructions for the final handling of a body or ashes are far from uncommon.
Busman's Holiday: Carpenters spend their time off fixing the house, IT staff spend their time at home on a PC, and pilots and flight attendants do hitch rides on their airlines, obviously.
But I Play One On TV
But It Really Happened: Because, sometimes, it did, just as the creators said. We just would prefer not to know all the gory details.
But We Used A Condom: To the sorrow of many, and the existence of quite a few.
- If our product doesn't work, Happy Father's Day!
Call A Smeerp A Rabbit: European naturalists named some animals, such as the koala bear, after other animals that kind of looked similar but weren't at all related.
Calling Your Attacks: Martial arts practitioners believe that expressing certain phrases or vocalization help build up chi or ensure proper breathing
The Captain
Cardboard Prison
The Catfish: The "wels catfish", also called a "sheatfish". They can be up to 10 ft long (3m) and weigh 330lbs (150kg). They eat ducks.
Ceiling Banger: What apartment dweller hasn't had to deal with noisy neighbors?
The City Narrows: Most large cities have what is euphemistically called a "bad area" or two. The larger the city, the more likely. It probably won't be all alleys, though.
The Chains Of Commanding: It can be tough to be a political leader.
Chewbacca Defense: If the defense does not make sense, you must acquit. Still a logical fallacy, but it works.
Child Soldiers: Uganda, Sierra Leone, Congo, Somalia, Darfur, the Iranian militia during the Iran-Iraq war, and the Hitler Jugend. Among far too many others.
Church Of Happyology
Cold Cash: To the point that many burglars make a point of checking the freezer for stashed valuables.
Cold Turkeys Are Everywhere: What you'll suffer the day you'll fail to pay the power bill, causing the power company to leave you unplugged for 3 working days with no access to TV Tropes.
Come To Gawk: We are very curious primates, we humans.
Congruent Memory: Hey, it works. Seriously, try it.
Conjunction Interruption: Your dad has used it.
Conspicuous Consumption
Convicted By Public Opinion: Cultural hegemony; Trial by jury.
Cool But Inefficient: The Tsar Tank. You could walk faster than it could move at top speed.
Cool Chair: Thrones, of course. And someone based a 15K chair off of the one Blofeld had.
Corrupt Corporate Executive: There are so many examples to list that this is considered standard procedure for any CEO. One good example is American bank execs spending bailout money (which was supposed to be spent on failing businesses and bank loans) on multi-million dollar bonuses for high-ranking bankers.
Cosplay: More common in reality than fiction. Just go to a fan convention.
Could Say It But
Crazy Prepared: Just read the Troper Tales about it.
Creepy Basement: All kids are afraid of their basement/attic. The only kids who aren't, don't have one.
Criminal Mind Games: The Zodiac Killer
Cuteness Proximity
Dan Browned: Happens far more in Real life than in fiction. Fictional creators who make shit up almost ever get called out on it. There are many hoaxes still alive today thanks to this.
Dark Horse Victory: Sometime happens in sports and politics.
Dead Artists Are Better: Still Life: Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers, a picture by Vincent Van Gogh, was never bought when he was alive. In 1987, almost 100 years after his death, that same picture was bought for Â£24,299,562 ($39,921,750) dollars in an auction at Christie's.
Deadly Doctor: To the surprise (and distress) of many. The reason why malpractice suits (and subsequently, malpractice insurance) exists.
Deadly Gas: The amount of chemicals belonging to that category are just too numerous to count.
Deadpan Snarker: Often done intentionally
Decade Dissonance: Compare Hong Kong to the Guangdong province just over the border, or downtown Rio de Janeiro to its slums. Hell, compare ANY inner city to the gleaming, tourist-laden areas.
- There is a tiny island off the coast of Scoland, St. Kilda, where the seas are so choppy and rough, that few people dare try to sail to and from it. People have lived there for centuries. The government sent an expedition there in about 1746 to see whether Bonnie Prince Charlie had taken refuge there after the Battle of Culloden. The locals hadn't heard of Prince Charles Edward Stuart—nor of King George II either. George I had been their king for twenty years.
Delegation Relay
Denied Food As Punishment
Deserted Island: All around the world. And not just in tropical regions as in fiction, but in temperate and polar regions as well.
Diagonal Cut: Real-life iaido practitioners actually cut up inanimate objects for practice, in exactly this fashion.
Did I Just Say That Out Loud?: Many examples in radio and TV interviews, and politics.
Distracted By The Sexy: Many Ad Councils have tried putting sexy things in their billboards to get people to pay attention to them. They end up causing more car accidents than they had been trying to prevent.
Divorce Assets Conflict: When you've shared the same stuff for years, of course you're going to fight over who gets what. Averted with prenups.
Does Not Understand Sarcasm: Especially among people with Asperger's or high-functioning autism.
- Plenty of normal people who don't get sarcasm. Like the Dumb Blonde.
- Aphasia and aprodosia, where because of a brain injury, physically cannot comprehend what you're saying.
Do I Really Sound Like That?: Some voice actors avoid watching their own work specifically to avoid this.
Doom It Yourself
- Do It Yourself Plumbing Project
Doomsday Device: We had a whole Cold War revolving around this.
Doorstop Baby: Less common nowadays because hospitals will take abandoned babies, no questions asked. Doesn't mean it doesn't happen.
Dream Within A Dream: Incredibly common.
Dress Code: High schools, particularly privately-operated schools. Many businesses, of the "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service" variety. Fancy restaurants may require a jacket or tie for men, and many bars and clubs prohibit hats
Dropped A Bridget On Him: Doesn't always end up as funny though.
Drowning My Sorrows: It doesn't work — sorrows are excellent swimmers — but that doesn't stop people from trying it.
Dude, Where's My Respect?: Honestly, who hasn't experienced this in their lifetime?
Dude, Where's My Reward?: Ditto.
Dungeonmaster's Girlfriend: As a DMG myself, and on behalf of all DM Gs everywhere, I'd like to apologize. Sorry we don't play as much as you, or have read the entire rulebook front to back as nighttime reading. Please give us a break.
- Apology accepted. Now go find a hobby you actually enjoy.
Dying Town: Extremely common in Europe and US where people move from smaller villages and towns to larger towns and cities. Also common in Australia. And India. And China...
- Mountain towns (like Viganella, Italy and Rattenburg, Austria) that are deprived of sunlight for winter are the most famous. The young will move away as soon as possible, leaving the towns inhabited by few dozen old people. Recently, mirrors have been installed to reflect the light from behind the mountains.
Earth Is A Battlefield: There have only been 80 years in the past 3000 where there hasn't been a war somewhere.
Electric Instant Gratification: Accidentally invented.
Elephant's Child: Toddlers are naturally precocious, some more than others. They want to learn about the world around them.
Embarrassing Middle Name: There's no shortage of people who dislike their middle name. This might be part of why a Full Name Ultimatum is so effective.
Emergency Broadcast: Everything from tests to tornado warnings in the US, possibly overused there..
Emergency Services
Emergency Weapon: Every half-decent army gives its soldiers at least knives for backup, and even the ones that don't still have their soldiers equipped with hands.
- It's the countries that take soldiers hands away you really have to watch out for.
Empty Cop Threat: Even if the cops can't actually charge the suspect with obstruction of justice, they can still threaten to do it — and some cops do.
The European Carry All: Just check out this "one leg pant", or as most people would call it, a skirt.
Even Nerds Have Standards: Nerds either have very low standards, or very high standards.
Everything's Sparkly With Jewelry
- Gem Encrusted
Everything Trying To Kill You: Where to begin...
- Australia would be a good start
Evil Debt Collector: ~~Most~~ All of them. No exceptions. See Palisade Collections or the collections department of Wachovia Dealer Services as typical examples.
Evil Power Vacuum: Anytime a dictator or a really powerful dude is deposed. Colombia, for example, sank in a chaos of guerrillas and rival crime lords after Pablo Escobar got killed.
Evil Uncle: the laws of primogeniture, where the deceased's son gets estates ahead of the deceased's younger brother, sometimes provoked younger brothers into this sort of thing.
Evil Versus Evil: Power-hungry dictators (the closest Real Life equivalent of evil) often fight each other in their selfish quest for power. Case in point: The drug cartel mafia wars in Mexico, fighting to monopolize an area and continue with their evil plans.
- Organized crime in general.
Explosive Overclocking: In memory of all those who turned their CPUs into grilled silicon after overclocking them to 6 GHz.
Extreme Graphical Representation: LainOS is a FreeBSD-based operating system whose goal is to recreate the extreme graphical pizazz of the computers from Serial Experiments Lain.
- Compiz is a window manager presently included with many Linux distributions. If you want, you can overload it with plugins so that your windows wobble like Jello when they move, your desktop is on the surface of a cube (with sharks inside), windows shuffle and dodge around one another when you switch between them, inactive windows go translucent and gain a mirror sheen, and a trail of fire follows your mouse around. Here are some videos of it.
Face Doodling: If you haven't done this to someone, you're either lying or you've had this done to you.
- Or both.
Family Business
Family Unfriendly Violence
Famous Last Words
Fan Girl: To an annoying degree.
Fan Boy: To an even more annoying degree.
Fashion Show: Another one that's existed in real life long before it was a trope.
Faster Than Light Travel: Averted due to relativity.
- Not so fast!
Fast Roping: Lifted directly from a standard (if somewhat dangerous) Real Life rappelling technique.
Fatal Flaw: ~~Lots of people~~ Everyone will have one. Some have more than one.
Fence Painting: Arranged by recruiters for militaries, fraternities, and sororities.
Feuding Families: The Hatfields and the McCoys in the US; the MacGregors and the Campbells in Scotland; The Italian mafia families in New York and Sicily (with a couple in New Orleans).
Firing In The Air A Lot: Another one that was real life long before it became a trope.
First Person Camera: Just look at You Tube videos of Iraq, 9/11, or the Virginia Tech shootings.
Flawed Prototype: Happens in many aspects from military gadgets to toys.
Fluffy Fashion Feathers: Lots less extreme and common than it used to be in general fashion, but still going strong in performance costumes, like dancewear, and stage costuming. Still around on hats, too.
Forbidden Fruit: Makes it all the more sweeter.
Force Feeding: Sometimes it's necessary when the person (or animal) is sick. But it has been used so that a torture victim can't starve themselves to death.
Foreign Queasine: There's a whole show based around it called Bizarre Foods on the Travel Channel. And of course, most of it is in Asia. But there are episodes that take place in North America, believe it or not. Anyone for fried nutria on a stick?
Foreign Sounding Gibberish: Known in business as "foreign branding", and in everyday life as "Häagen-Dazs".
- Also, Engrish. Seriously, they couldn't find an gaijin expatriate somewhere around Tokyo to hire?
Forgets To Eat: I guarantee you, every gamer has done this. This can also be applied to workaholics.
419 Scam: Truth In Television and in New Media. Don't believe it? Just take a look inside your spam folder....and realize this is one of the reasons why we have to have spam folders.
Freeze Sneeze
Friend Or Foe
Frivolous Lawsuit: This isn't just in America, they come from all over the world. Some of the most ridiculous are from Brazil and Britain.
Freudian Excuse: Used in many a court case.
- Mommy Issues
  - Daddy Issues
Freudian Slip: Whether or not you give any weight to Freudian psychology, it happens.
- Oh god, who doesn't have embarrassing memories of accidentally calling their teacher "Mom" or "Dad"?
Full Name Ultimatum: My mom's done it, so has yours. Sadly, people rarely use it on their parents.
Functional Addict: Most real addicts would fall under this category.
Funny Money: Happens due to hyperinflation; as of 2009, about 300 trillion Zimbabwean dollars are worth one single US dollar. The most famous example was the Weimar-era German mark.
Fun Size: Kittens, puppies, and the like. It wouldn't work in art if it didn't work in life.
Future Imperfect: Often due to Hollywood History, since TV Never Lies. Plus the fact that no one can predict the future.
Game Of Nerds: America's pastime is popular among the genius set, what with its love of statistics and all.
Gentle Giant: Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, a Hawaiian singer famous after his hit "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". André the Giant. A great many others, many of whom probably edit this wiki.
George Jetson Job Security: Oklahoma, Indiana and an increasing number of other states now have "fire-at-will" laws which allow employers to fire employees without explanation or advance notice, except as mandated by federal laws.
Giant Poofy Sleeves: The "leg of mutton" sleeves of the 19th century. The puff-and-slash sleeve of the Renaissance. The revival of leg o' mutton sleeves in the 1980's.
Gilded Cage
Girl On Girl Is Hot
Going Postal: We have a word for this: "massacre".
Goomba Stomp: Quite a few animals can actually be killed when jumped on, although that applies to mostly smaller animals.
Gorgon Gazing: Don't look directly at the sun or at a nuclear explosion. Or something being welded.
Great White Hunter: Jim Corbett was a naturalist and conservationist who hunted several tigers and other big cats that had turned man-eater.
- A hunter from France has been called in to find and kill Gustav, the giant Nile crocodile eating people on the shores of Lake Tanganyika in Burundi.
Groupie Brigade
Grumpy Old Man
Guide Dang It: Learning a foreign language. Oh my God.
- Harder than it sounds.
Hanging Separately
Handicapped Badass: This guy, for one.
Heads Tails Edge: Hey man, it can happen!
He Knows Too Much: The reason the FBI has the Witness Protection Program.
Heterosexual Life Partners: Known in North America as "bromance".
Hilariously Abusive Childhood: Sadly, far too often.
Holier Than Thou: Everyone has met or heard of someone who was a total jerk or hypocrite about religion. This is true for both theistic and atheistic beliefs.
The "Hollywood X" Tropes. Most of them have a germ of truth somewhere in them. The inaccuracy lies in taking a narrow definition and assuming that it's universal.
Honor Before Reason: Uncommon, but not nonexistent. Most likely to show up in the military.
Hot For Student: Debra La Fave◊ comes to mind. Or Mary Kay LeTourneau.
Human Popsicle: Cryonics companies such as Alcor and the Cryonics Institute offer to preserve your whole body or your brain (currently done by keeping the whole head) at low temperatures just after you're legally dead until someone finds out how to cure whatever was killing you. Research shows this might work someday, as the method they use now allows us to freeze and thaw small organs. They'll also, of course, have to cure the effects of freezing on the brain, which is somewhat more complicated. Oh, and figure out how to make new bodies for the heads-only crowd.
- A possible solution for the heads only folks (assuming the necessary technologies are ever developed in the future) would be to simply grow them a clone of their original body and do a synaptic transfer from the preserved brain to the clone's brain.
Humiliation Conga: A criminal once tried to trick someone into sending him an Apple PowerBook G4 he bought at eBay. He ended up receiving a binder with keys glued on the inside covers. Read the full story here!
I Always Wanted To Say That: You know you've done it.
I Cant Believe Its Not Heroin: Capsaicin (the stuff that makes chili peppers hot) is very addictive.
I Coulda Been A Contender: Bill Butterfield was so bitter about his football career ending in high school that he tried to push his son into athletic success. The results weren't pretty.
- Mothers of junior beauty pageant girls.
I Just Shot Marvin In The Face: Every 12 seconds, a kid accidentally fires a gun and hurts someone.
I Know Kung Fu
I Know Mortal Kombat: Used by many stupid kids.
If You Ever Do Anything To Hurt Her: Anyone with a younger sister has said this.
The Illegal
Implausible Deniability
Incompatible Orientation
Incompetence Inc: Enron
Ineffectual Death Threats: Admit it, you've made these.
Inelegant Blubbering: It's cute and charming when Hugh Grant does it. Not so much in real life.
Innocent Fanservice Girl: Show any person over the age of, say, 50 a picture of a random high school in America, and they'll likely insist this is what's going on. Also, the prevalence of Girls Gone Wild videos also leads one to think that the average drunken party coed may teeter into this area after 3-4 shots.
Insufferable Genius: Architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
Is That Cute Kid Yours?: Check the discussion page for examples.
Its All About Me: Unfortunately.
It's A Small Net After All: In Mexico, everybody uses MSN Hotmail, MSN Spaces, and MSN Messenger, thanks to an alliance between Microsoft and Telmex, the latter a nigh-monopolic telco led by Carlos Slim, the richest man in the world.
It's Not You, It's Me: You'd be surprised how much this line gets said in Real Life breakups. Heck, you've probably used it (or will use it), too!
Its Raining Salesmen: Sometimes they do this to people coming in with bags because they want to make sure you're not a shoplifter.
The Jail Bait Wait: Depending on the state, you may not even have to wait. Some go as low as 14. But yes, people are dumb enough to do this. By the time she's old enough, she'll already have a boyfriend.
Jerkass: Who hasn't met at least one in real life?
Jerk With A Heart Of Gold: ...On the other hand, you've probably met one of these as well.
Jewish Mother: As a (Reformed) Jew, I can tell you that not all mothers are like this. But there are a good many that are in more traditional families.
Jews Love To Argue
Joker Jury
Jump Off A Bridge Rebuttal: Used by everyone's dad.
Kangaroo Court: Unfortunately.
Key Under The Doormat: Burglars know this.
Kiai: See Calling Your Attacks above.
Kids Are Cruel: As anyone who went through middle school can attest.
Kids Prefer Boxes: And bubble-wrap. Sweet, sweet bubble-wrap.
Killed Off For Real: Believe it or not, this tends to happen to people in real life...basically always.
Killer Rabbit: A great many animals are meaner, sharper, or more poisonous than they look. This is why you don't play with wild animals. Don't believe us? Try to cuddle a panda (zookeepers consider them the most dangerous animals in captivity). On second thought, don't.
Kissing Cousins: Go check the [1] page for details. Or just go anywhere in the Deep South or Appalachia. Which, come to think of it, is where many of those Troper Tales come from. The interesting thing is that Kissin' Cousins isn't any more likely in those areas; what's more likely is that the people involved will be aware that they're related, and exactly how they're related.
Knocking On Heathens' Door: Door-to-door proselytizing does exist, most infamously with the Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons.
La Resistance: The French and Dutch Resistances were notoriously violent and strong.
- Krav Maga, the deadliest martial art, was made specifically for La Jewish Resistance.
Leave Behind A Pistol: It's happened.
Lensman Arms Race: World War II and the Cold War. Consider: the Germans only made very primitive payload rockets with long range work somewhat in WWII, and America couldn't launch a rocket as late as 1957. We were on the moon just over a decade later. (The Space Race being guided on both sides by genius German rocket scientists from Nazi Germany, who were unaware of each others' existence as competitors for quite some time). And of course, nothing says "my ~~dick is bigger~~ kung-fu is better than yours" like the ever-more-powerful nuclear weapons tests of the 50s and 60s.
Level Grinding: Sheer repetition is the best form of improvement. Well, most effective form, anyway.
The Libby: The stuck-up spoiled popular kid who won't invite you to parties unless you're "cool" enough... there's one in every crowd.
Living Lie Detector: Dogs have been shown to yawn when a human stranger yawns, but not when said stranger pretends to yawn.
Living Motion Detector: True for several animal species, which is why said species are so hard to film.
Locking Mac Gyver In The Store Cupboard: Surprising but true. The most memorable case would be John and Clarence Anglen's and Frank Morris' escape from Alcatraz (as hard as it is to believe someone would actually fall for the fake-dummy-head-in-the-bed trick).
Loners Are Freaks: People often wrongly jump to this conclusion when dealing with loners in real life.
- That's because many serial killers are loners.
  - Plenty of serial killers are also sociable types, though. See John Wayne Gacy for an excellent example, and even Ted Bundy came across as completely normal and trustworthy.
Lost Wedding Ring
Love Hurts: A list of personal examples would likely be the largest and most soul-crushing page on the Wiki.
- On the Internet.
Love Makes You Dumb: So, so painfully true.
Love Martyr: Nothing to laugh or smile about in real life.
Loving A Shadow: "Loveshys" and "Involuntary Celibates (incels)". This is the problem loving someone from afar.
Luxury Prison Suite: As noted, the Hotel Escobar. And Pinochet's exile.
- Elba
The Mafia
Ma'am Shock
Mars And Venus Gender Contrast: Will almost inevitably be claimed as this by anyone invoking it.
Meddling Parents: You've probably had these or know somebody who does. c.f. Jewish Mother.
The Men First: Insofar as their instructors can hammer it into their heads.
Might As Well Not Be In Prison At All: If you're not claustrophobic, house arrest.
- But if you're agoraphobic, then you're in heaven.
Military Brat: There is a whole subculture surrounding the family of military personnel.
Military Maverick: For every Colonel O'Neill you see on TV, there's far worse in real life.
Miss Conception: More common than we like to think, thanks to Abstinence-Only sex-ed (what an oxymoron).
Mission From God: From Joan of Arc to Osama bin Laden, religion has been a powerful motivator.
- The Crusades. Believe it or not, the Christian pope was the one who declared jihad that time.
Mistaken For Special Guest: See Guy Goma for an example.
Mistaken For Gay
Mistaken Nationality: Far too common.
Mister Muffykins: Most breeders call the little yappy dogs victims of "small breed syndrome." A lot of it is just plain stupidity on the owner's part.
The Mistress
Modesty Towel: Force of habit and shyness will often lead to this being used even when there is no reason for it. Paranoia can also be a factor, if your room has a window.
Monster Clown: Coulrophobia. Also applies to mimes.
Moral Guardians: Futurama parodied PETA's practice of trying to get "liberated" carnivores to live on a vegetarian diet.
- The FCC and "concerned mothers". Both are also Acceptable Targets.
Most Gamers Are Male: Keyword: most, not all, making that egregious quicktime sex scene in God of War 3 a very annoying Wall Banger for us female gamers.
- Unless you're a lesbian.
Mugging The Monster: For those who make a career of robbing people, there's always a chance they'll pick the wrong person to try to victimize and end up getting the shit beat out of them or shot. There have been quite a few cases of muggers trying to assault a van of karate students.
Mundane Luxury: To someone living in a third-world country, simple things like running water can be considered luxuries.
My Car Hates Me: Otherwise, we wouldn't have tow trucks.
My Dad Can Beat Up Your Dad: Because he totally can, and you know it.
My Hovercraft Is Full Of Eels: Mandarin Chinese.
- Icelandic (and by extent, Faroese) is considered the hardest language (grammatically) to learn, even for native Icelanders.
My Rule Fu Is Stronger Than Yours: This is what lawyers are for.
Mystery Meat
Naked People Are Funny: Streakers.
Nerds Are Virgins: Most of the time. Except the ones that get rich, like * sigh* John Romero.
Never Recycle A Building: Sometimes for historic value, sometimes because builders are lazy and architects want their plan used. There's also the unfortunate case of, say, a building that was clearly home to a Jack-in-the-Box now says "Wendy's" on the front, which just looks plain silly.
Nightmare Fuel: Locked-In Syndrome. Global Warming. Nuclear war. Leprosy. Jack the Ripper. The goblin's gonna getcha if you don't... watch... OUT!
No Can Opener: Can openers weren't even invented until several decades after tin cans.
No Fame No Wealth No Service
Non Sequitur: "No, I don't think the mailbox needs painting."
Normally I Would Be Dead Now
Not In My Back Yard: And another one used in Real Life long before it was a trope.
No You Hang Up First
Obligatory Swearing: Middle and high school.
Obligatory War Crime Scene: Yes, many of those war crime scenes actually happened and were most likely toned down for viewers. The exception would be But It Really Happened.
Oblivious Adoption: Oh, it happens alright. More often than we like to think.
- Fortunately, the other way around also happens.
Obsolete Mentor
Occupiers Out Of Our Country
Of Corpse He's Alive:
- Chinese Emperor Qin Shi Huang.
- It was once common practice to photograph someone post-mortem after posing them in a chair as if they were alive. The results are somewhat disconcerting.
Offered The Crown: Again, by default, any trope concerning royalty is automatically TIT
Off The Wagon: Not quite as often as portrayed in the Drugs Are Bad moral stories, but often.
One Man Army: Under the right circumstances, this is completely possible. Sometimes inverted in One Man Armies going down against sufficient numbers or overwhelming volumes of fire.
- An excellent real life example would be MSG Gary Gordon and SFC Randy Shughart at the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993. Technically a Two Man Army, but still qualify.
- Simo Häyhä.
Only Sane Employee: Been there, done that, burned the t-shirt.
Operation Blank: They've had some pretty silly names.
Operator From India: Dell is the biggest offender. Most big companies do it nowadays to save money. Off-shoring FTL
Overheating
Passive Aggressive Kombat: Some situations don't allow for a physical or heated confrontation.
Path Of Inspiration: Church Of Happyology, and other cults.
Pepper Sneeze: It irritates the mucus membrane of the nose.
Percussive Maintenance: Don't say you've never whacked your TV or computer when it failed. It's The Coconut Effect and you know it.
Performance Anxiety: Nervousness caused by being in front of people is one of the biggest sources of stress in the world today.
Perky Goth
Phenotype Stereotype: Happens in many places apart from Japan. In Mexico, for example, white people are automatically assumed to be American, Canadian or German.
- American and Canadian I can understand, but German?
- In the USA, all "brown" people are assumed to be either Mexican, Indian, or Middle Eastern.
Picked Last: Hopefully, this one doesn't happen to you.
Pimped Out Dress: Worn by rich women throughout history (and men), and a huge part of the Ermine Cape Effect.
The Plague: The Black Death.
- Spanish Flu
Playing Sick: Don't tell me you've never done it.
Plucky Middie: They had to be.
Police Brutality: Rodney King
Police Lineup
Pop Station: All the knockoffs of real products. Mostly from Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, or China (never Japan or Korea). During the Cold War, they came from Eastern Europe.
Porn Stash: You know what you're hiding deep within your closet, drawer, or hard drive...
Post Robbery Trauma: Something far more serious than it seems on TV.
Powder Trail
Pretext For War: Has happened quite a few times in history.
Pretty Fly For A White Guy
Pretty In Mink: Fur is often worn for style instead of warmth, which is why people give the wearers the stink eye.
Prison Rape: It only became a trope relatively recently because it was TIT
Privately Owned Society: See the article's Real Life section for details
Professor Guinea Pig: The mad scientist stories had to come from somewhere, and OSHA regulations tended to be a bit loose when science was in its infancy.
- The mad scientist stories, and the stereotype we associate them with, came from Nikola Tesla. Those lightning bolts in the background were Tesla coils. In Europe, abandoned castles were squatted in because (since there wasn't a UNESCO back then) there was a lot of free space and they wouldn't disturb anyone. Scientists back in the day really were experimenting with electrobiology.
Profiling: Racial and otherwise.
Punch Spin Gape: Its actually a legitimate theatrical technique for faking fistfights.
The Purge: How most people kick off dictatorships.
Push Polling: If you've ever taken a survey, you've probably been a victim and don't even know it.
Ragtag Bunch Of Misfits: Is there a chapter in the Mexican 19th century that doesn't has one of these?
- Reivers
  - Any revolutionary group in the history of forever.
Rain Of Arrows: A key strategy of the English during the Hundred Years' War and of the Chinese.
- [[Mythbusters HWACHA!]]
Raised By Wolves: There's a few examples: Kaspar Hauser, Genie, and a feral French boy. None of them ended up that well off.
Rant Inducing Slight
Recursive Ammo: TheMIRV, for starters.
Relative Error: Siblings get mistaken for lovers in real life a lot, oftentimes to the disgust of the siblings.
- Sometimes the opposite happens. Just as squicky.
Renaissance Man: Da Vinci
Requisite Royal Regalia: See Pimped Out Dress
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony: Happens from time to time.
Ring Ring CRUNCH: This is so common, there are actually products to prevent this: Meet Clocky and the Sonic Bomb.
Roboteching: Many guided weapons actually do this.
Rock Beats Laser: Though not common, superior tactics or sheer weight of numbers have defeated superior technology. This was apparently one of the reasons the Japanese won in the Russo-Japanese war, too. There's also the Whack-a-Mole theory: wherever you wipe out insurgency one place, they'll just pop up somewhere else, ad infinitum.
- Iraqi insurgents
  - Viet Cong
Runaway Bride: An anonymous bride left the groom at the altar and ran away with his witness who was also his best friend. And they all lived happily ever after (except the groom).
Sand Bridge At Low Tide: Mont Saint-Michel, a French islet near the coastline of Normandy.
Saved By The Awesome: Just like the Cowboy Cop and Military Maverick can be found in Real Life, so can this; this being the reason they exist in the first place.
Schoolgirl Lesbians: If you're in high school or college, you probably know a few. Aka LU Gs (Lesbian Until Graduation) or "Daddy's money lesbian".
Secondary Fire: Many weapons have burst and autofire modes or even grenade launchers attached to the gun.
The Scrappy: Bill collectors are one of the most hated professions out there largely in part due to their (justified) very bad reputation.
- Attorneys and estate agents.
- Media industry chief executive officers, with the rise of the internet, have also fallen under this due to their different opinions.
- And politicians. Always politicians.
- Used car salsemen, meter maids, the list goes on.
Scope Snipe: Carlos Hathcock pulled this off during the Vietnam War, but it's near impossible to do unless under the exact conditions.
Screw Politeness, I'm A Senior!
Screw The Rules, I Have Connections!: The reason why celebrities often get off the hook.
Screw The Rules, I Have Money!: Because only the richest can bribe their way to victory.
Screw The Rules, I Make Them!: Freaking politicians...
Screw The Rules, I'm Beautiful!: Paris Hilton in jail... complaining that the food wasn't good enough. And refusing to eat it. Sure it's bad, but everyone else has to eat it...
Screw The Rules Im Doing Whats Right: The only one here that isn't cynical.
Seinfeldian Conversation: It is arguable that there is nothing more realistic than this trope.
- Indeed, an argument over that would be the perfect example.
- Absolutely any conversation will turn into this if entered in the middle.
Senseless Violins: The 2008 Northern Illinois University shooter managed to bypass the campus security by packing a pair of shotguns inside a guitar case.
Serious Business: We don't know where to begin with this one.
Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: As noted in the entry, Williams Syndrome.
She Is Not My Girlfriend: At least four separate editors have had this happen to them. Check the page.
Shrinking Violet
Shy Bladder: It's called paruresis, and people have been fired because of it when they couldn't pee for a drug test. And yes, before you ask, there have been lawsuits.
Signs Of Disrepair: As a look around Fail Blog and occasionally where you live can tell you.
Slave Mooks: Unfortunately TIT.
Somebody Else's Problem: Fascinating to sociologists, not so much for the victims. Most notably the case of Kitty Genovese.
Smite Me, Oh Mighty Smiter: This is why many people are atheists.
Snipe Hunt
Something's Different About You Now
Solid Gold Poop: Ambergris is whale vomit. It's also extremely valuable for use in perfumes.
The Spiny: Sea urchins
Spock Speak: Asperger's Syndrome and legalese (though usually not to this degree).
- Justified in the legalese case, when the document has to be airtight.
Stage Mom: See I Coulda Been A Contender
Star Crossed Lovers: "Things just didn't work out."
Stealth Hi Bye: It happens when you're distracted and don't notice when someone is entering or leaving the room.
Stone Soup: Taxes. Volunteering. There are many examples. The opposite of Too Many Cooks Spoils The Soup.
Stout Strength: Incredibly strong men often look more rotund than body-building.
Stylish Protection Gear: Silk has properties that allow for diminished arrow penetration (note: there would still be non-lethal wounds). It was used by Mongol warriors and samurai. It's also fireproof.
Straight Gay: Contrary to historical portrayals, most gay people appear and act just like most straight people (except wittier and with a better sense of style).
The Straight Will And Grace: CS Lewis made a note in the "friendship" section of The Four Loves that platonic friendship between members of the opposite sex happened a lot in academia. (He ignored the gay angle, though.)
Street Urchin: One of the most serious social problems everywhere in the world.
Succession Crisis: Plenty of historical examples. There was even a whole war called "The War of Austrian Succession".
Suicide Attack: Kamikazi and suicide bombers.
Super Persistent Predator: Humans with their persistance hunting during the majority of the stone age.
Sure Lets Go With That: You've said it and you know it.
Surrounded By Idiots: Everyone who's ever had a day job can attest to this. Or been in ~~Public~~ ~~High~~ School.
Sweet Polly Oliver: Joan of Arc, Mulan (the REAL one).
A Taste Of The Lash: Flogging was a commonly used punishment in many real-world cultures.
Taught By Experience: You know that your mistakes have left a mark on you, probably a scar.
Televisually Transmitted Disease: Strangely, many of the miraculous recoveries you see in medical dramas actually have happened.
That Poor Car
The Password Is Always Swordfish: One of the most common passwords is... "password" or "password1" (since now most registrars require letters and numbers). The most common varies in length but is some form of ascending number sequence — i.e., "12345."
There Are No Therapists: Teen suicide rates are much higher than they should be, but it's more because they don't WANT to see a therapist for fear of rejection.
- Also because since they think with their amygdalas, which is the emotional part of their brain, not the logical part.
The Ugly Guy's Hot Daughter
Theme Naming: The Emperor Constantine's children.
- The Duggars' children all have names that start with J. They say this is so they can pick each other out in a crowd. ** Multiples (twins, triplets, etc) frequently get theme named.
This Is Not A Drill:
Those Two Guys: Those Two Guys are in every high school.
Tongue On The Flagpole: Yes, it does work. Check youtube if you don't believe it.
Too Dumb To Live: Everyone has met them at some point. Rad Girls. (NSFW)
Too Many Cooks Spoil The Soup: The opposite of Stone Soup.
Top Gunned: Some planes really can do that.
Toxic Friend Influence: As many juvenile delinquents can attest to.
Trash Of The Titans: As you can see in this site. It's called Collyer Bros Syndrome.
Trigger Happy
Troll: An undeniable Truth In New Media. If you spend any amount of time on the internet, you will see them, and you will likely interact with some even if it's just trying to banhammer them or keep them out.
Tropes Examined By The Myth Busters: Jamie and Adam taking this page to its logical conclusion. With explosives.
True Art Is Angsty
True Art Is Incomprehensible: This is one of those annoying ones that reinforces itself.
True Art Is Offensive: Performance artists. See above.
Trying To Catch Me Fighting Dirty:
TV Tropes Will Ruin Your Life: You will go on a wiki walk sooner or later. It will last longer than you expect.
Ugly Guy Hot Wife: Note: Being funny and unique will not get you chicks... until you turn 21. Money and influence also helps.
Ultimate Job Security: Having a relative at the company will make your coworkers hate you, but at least you'll never be fired.
Undisclosed Funds: Swiss bank accounts.
- Talking about money was once viewed as crass, so people used these methods to do so.
The Unpronounceable: Indians working in call centers with American customers typically use adopted "American" names... which Americans see right through. "Hello, my name is Steve." "Bullshit." "How can I help you?" "Well, Apu, you can help me by letting me talk to your fucking manager".
- Chinese names also tend to be particularly tough for English speakers, leading to most in relevant countries to adopt English names. Sometimes these names are unintentionally hilarious.
- My last name. I get used to giving ID when someone asks me to spell it. Althought I know person which last name is so long that it breaks some online check-in systems (and some time ago it was too long to enter).
- It's very common for immigrants to have an Americanized nickname, especially if they're from the Middle East or Asia.
Upper Class Twit: Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, and any socialite. Lotta good those fancy private schools did. Buddha was also one of such before leaving his castle.
Urban Segregation: The Independencia Avenue in Guadalajara, Mexico divides the city in two: the West side is the rich side, home to all the trendy malls, while the East side is the poor side, filled with gritty factories and impoverished ghettos.
Useful Notes: Useful because they're true.
Utopia Justifies The Means: Stalin, Mao, Robespierre, Pol Pot...
- Subjective. It's not clear who really fits this trope and who was just pretending to fit it — as part of a Xanatos Gambit, or because With Great Power Comes Great Insanity.
Verbal Tic: It happens, just not with every single person. Francophone Canadians often say "lá" ("there") at the end of each sentence, Mexicans do the same with "wey" and "ese" ("dude" and "this", respectively), Argentinians start their phrases with "che", and Americans use "like", like, every five words. And not just, like, the Valley Girl types (thanks to MTV). Most famously...
- It's become a pastime of many Canadians to use their verbal tic when around Americans.
Victory Gloating: TD dances.
Violent Glaswegian: Glasgow is the murder capital of Western Europe.
Virtual Ghost: Programmers working with the band X Japan made a hologram of a late member (lead guitarist hide) that was very, very close to this idea.
Vocal Dissonance: Radio DJs, Mike Tyson, Steve Blum, and several others do not look how you would expect them to based on their voice, and vice versa. This was a very real problem back in the days when "talkie" movies were new, and many actors lost their jobs because their voices were so silly.
Wacky Marriage Proposal: Geeks love asking their soulmates in ways like that. And people take great lengths (e.g.: ball games, fireworks, et cetera)
Walking The Earth: Being a hobo is about Walking The Earth for a while, finding all sorts of small jobs, with nothing but a backpack, enough money to stay fed, groomed and with a place to sleep.
- "So you decided to be a bum?"
Water Is Blue: But only a very slight amount.
- Go look at pictures of tropical beaches. It's either blue or green.
We ARE Struggling Together: The political spectrum is a line, not a circle. A very long line. But still a line.
Well Intentioned Extremist: The real world version is a lot scarier, actually.
- Case in point, Adolf Hitler.
  - Hitler had good intentions?!
  - Hitler thought he was saving the human race from eventual domination and destruction from the Jewish race. Emphasis on "thought".
  - By human race he meant the "proper" humans not polish, jews, gypsies, homosexual, disabled, jehovah's witnesses, etc.
We Sell Everything: Wal-Mart and Target and other wholesellers, who are steamrolling the competition.
Whammy Bid
What The Heck Is An Aglet?: Cruciverbalists of the world have been through this all too much. Which is why they've actually made Crossword Puzzle-specific dictionaries.
Whoa Bundy
Why Couldn't You Be Different?: Many parents of special needs children often feel this way, especially if it's their first child. This trope is why 4 out of 5 parents of autistic children divorce. Even if they don't outwardly say it to the degree it's portrayed in fiction, they often feel this way inside, because, yes, life would be a lot simpler and cheaper if their kid were normal.
Why Did It Have To Be Snakes: Phobias are common, even silly ones (like peaches, balloons, pickles, chickens, etc. Rule 38: if it exists, someone in the world has a phobia of it.
Wiki Walk
Will Not Tell A Lie: Very uncommon, but definitely real. This was ostensibly true in ancient Persia, since it was a religious edict of Zoroastrianism. They throw around the word "truth" like Americans do with "freedom".
Wind Turbine Power: Wind turbines sprout like mushrooms all over the planet because they work.
Wiper Start: To the embarrassment of many a new driver.
Wishful Projection: Another Freudian trope.
With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: Turkmenbashi was a very... eccentric ruler.
Wolverine Claws: Ninjas used the Nekode◊ and Indians used the Tiger's Claw for fighting
Worthless Foreign Degree: Sadly true.
Would Not Shoot A Civilian: See Screw The Rules Im Doing Whats Right
Wretched Hive: ~~Mogadishu~~ Somalia. The slums of Rio in Brazil. ~~Lagos~~ West Africa. A few very bad neighborhoods in the United States. Hell, look hard enough, and you will find them all over the world.
Yaoi Fangirl: You know who you are.
Yiddish As A Second Language: What kind of schmuck needs this one explained, anyhow?
You Cant Go Home Again: Examples can range from personal to those which affect the entire countries.
Your Money Is No Good Here: Switzerland, UK and Scandinavia will prefer their own currency despite being near several countries that use the Euro.
- Only a few border cities in United States will accept Canadian dollars, while Canada will gladly accept tourists' American dollars, especially because the USD has always been worth more.
  - This is less true in recent years for Canada, as the USD has either been on par, and even worth less on a few occasions.
  - Inverted in Mexico, where many merchants in border towns will accept US dollars but not Mexican pesos.
Your Other Left: The bane of those giving directions over a mobile phone.
Yuri Fan: You know who you are too!