I Thought It Meant/M-N

Just to clarify:

M

 * A MacGuffin does not refer to Scottish Muffins. Even if recipes for such things do indeed exist.
 * Macho Camp is not a camp where the macho guys are residing. Although a Macho Camp would probably like to visit such a camp.
 * Madden Into Madness does not involve torture with clips of John Madden, using him to narrate a descent into madness, an ill conceived game with him as a psychatrist, nor John Madden going Axe Crazy.
 * Nor even a person becoming crazy from playing too much of his games. That would be the executives that greenlighted Madden Nation.
 * Made of Iron is not someone constructed of the 26th element of the periodic table. It does not refer to Tony Stark's armor, either.
 * Well, that was a gold-titanium alloy, anyway.
 * The previous poster has been brutally murdered. Nothing to see here, folks...
 * Made of Plasticine is not a description of claymation.
 * TV Tropes Made of Win Archive is not kinda is is about something constructed of awesome. Examples made by Tropers constructed of awesome.
 * Maechen Period was not a period in Chinese history that has been popularized in historical dramas (though it can be as boring as that sounds).
 * Mage in Manhattan is not about the premise of The Wizard on 4th Street.
 * Magical Defibrillator: not a Magitek defibrillator powered by Bolt2 ...as nifty as that may be.
 * Magic Feather actually has nothing to do with Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle. Or Super Mario World.
 * The Magic Goes Away is not about Magic Johnson quitting pro basketball to become a business head.
 * Magic Misfire is not about the way Greedo missed Han firing at point-blank range in the Special Edition of Star Wars.
 * Magic Pants has nothing to do with Jareth's tights, nor chaos'.
 * The Magic Poker Equation is not a biography on David Williams.
 * Magic Skirt is not a skirt with magical abilities.
 * That's arguable...
 * A Magic Tool is not a tool used to do magic. Nor is it a mage who's also a Jerkass.
 * A Magnificent Bitch will not nescessarily win a dog show, unless maybe it's in a Funny Animal cartoon anyway.
 * Magnum Opus is not about a penguin with a gun.
 * A Malcolm Xerox is not a brand of photocopiers.
 * Malevolent Architecture is not a subtrope of Genius Loci.
 * A Man-Eating Plant is a plant that eats men, not a man eating a plant. (It also isn't a factory that eats men, nor one that produces man-eaters.)
 * Mangst is not angst about Manga.
 * Marathon Boss and the Marathon Level are not trademark features of Marathon.
 * The Mario does not involve swinging your arms from side to side.
 * Marshmallow Hell is not where bad Peeps go when they die. Nor is it greedy people being force fed marshmallows.
 * Nor is it a cartoon interpretation of 'hell' that really isn't all that bad. Quite comfortable, really.
 * Nor is it a Sugar Bowl so extreme it comes off as creepy.
 * Nor has it to do with the giant, demonic Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters.
 * Nor is it about the premise of that one Simpsons episode where Homer is sent to Hell.
 * Mary Tzu is not about a Mary Sue whose only defining characteristic is that she's Asian.
 * Nor is it some special genetic engineering project to create the first ever dog-human hybrid.
 * A Masquerade Ball is not what you give to a character when you need them to uphold The Masquerade, when they usually don't.
 * A Massive Multiplayer Scam is not a type of Allegedly Free Game.
 * You can't access the Master Console using the Sega Master System.
 * A Master of the Mixed Message does not do remixes.
 * Nor is it someone who is really good at anagrams
 * Master Race is not about PC gamers becoming masters of their own gaming experience.
 * Matchlight Danger Revelation is not a warning about a gas leak.
 * It is, however, the title of the new anime series I just started creating just now!
 * All royalties payable to the site, I assume?
 * Matzo Fever is not about an obsession with Jewish crackers.
 * The Maze will leave you confused because it changes direction a lot, not its gender.
 * May Contain Evil is not about devices that may be used to produce a Sealed Evil in a Can effect.
 * McLeaned does not refer to being turned into Chris McLean.
 * Or losing weight through eating at McDonald's.
 * Or Don McLean (although American Pie also involves death in a plane crash).
 * A McNinja is not employed by Apple Computer, or used against that company
 * Nor is s/he employed by McDonald's.
 * And unless the story takes place in the wackiest Alternate History universe possible, a McNinja will not explicitly be a member of an anciant clan of Scottish and/or Irish contract assassins.
 * Meaningless Lives is not a Take That against you. We promise.
 * Of course. Why would we lie to you?
 * Meat-O-Vision is not how burger ads are filmed.
 * Nor is it a new set of goggles made to find cattle.
 * That would explain why they do nothing.
 * Meddling Parents don't need to get away with it, and they certainly won't let you, either.
 * Medium Awareness is not smaller than Large Awareness.
 * Meet the New Boss is not a Team Fortress 2 parody.
 * Nor is it a type of scene you'd expect to find in a Work Com.
 * And it isn't about someone being the musical successor to Bruce Springsteen.
 * Mega Manning isn't what you get when you use a growth ray on Peyton or Eli. Or on Axel. No Katies, either.
 * It is also not about Mega Man, Mega Man X, Mega Man Volnutt-Trigger, MegaMan.EXE or Mega Man Geo-Omega growing to a giant size, though it has to do with them.
 * Not is about becoming extremely manly.
 * Yes, We have tropes enough as it is.
 * Meganekko is not about huge cats. That would be Mega Neko, which is, in turn, not about pretty girls who just wouldn't be the same without their glasses. (And neither of those has anything to do with the character "Big Pussy" from The Sopranos.)
 * Memento MacGuffin is not when it turns out you already got the MacGuffin, but forgot about it.
 * A Memetic Badass is not someone who gains power from memes.
 * Though that is an interesting idea for a super hero.
 * A Memetic Molester will not molest you using a leek.
 * Nor is it about someone who completly misuses memes by either saying them wrong or using in a nonsensical context.
 * Nor someone who molests people while Rick Astley is playing.
 * Memetic Mutation is about things turning into memes, not memes mutating or mutation caused by memes.
 * A Memetic Outfit is not made of memes.
 * Memetic Sex God does not involve deities being remembered only for the sex related parts of their domains.
 * Men Can't Keep House has nothing to with the opposition of Yaoi involving House.
 * The Men First has nothing to do with mysogony, nor the Sorting Algorithm Of Death.
 * Mercurial Base has nothing to do with fickle fans.
 * It's also not what spills out of a Broken Base. (You're thinking "thermometer".)
 * Mercy Kill is not the ritualised removal of merciful second-thoughts that a character undergoes before going on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge.
 * Me's a Crowd has nothing to do with Jar Jar Binks's Mooks, or those encountered in Black Mesa, or the genetic ubermensch planet in the Honor Harrington books.
 * The Messiah is not a Messianic Archetype or even The Chosen One. As the page says, "we need to choose these names better."
 * A Meta Fic is not a fanfiction about Meta Knight, who is also not an example of Meta Guy.
 * The Metagame
 * Metal Gearing is not entering an Humongous Mecha.
 * Metal Slime has nothing to do with steel jello. Or heavy metal. Nor is it the trail left by a Metal Slug.
 * Metaphysical Fuel does not describe works that inadvertently inspire philosophizing.
 * A Meteor Move is not an attack in which you move a meteor.
 * Metroidvania is not a crossover between Castlevania and Metroid, even though that should happen.
 * Metro Specific Underworld has little if anything to do with Shibuya's UG. It is also not where old Geos go to die. Nor is it a land of the dead only accessible by public transportation. Nor is it where Metroplex will go when he dies. Nor does it have anything to do with Magic Knight Rayearth character Geo Metro. Nor is it about a hell focused on fashion trends. Neverwhere is right out.
 * Mexico Called. They Want Texas Back. is not a Sub-Trope of X Called. They Want Their Y Back..
 * Mickey Mousing is not about creating a Funny Animal who is an Everyman Hero.
 * Mighty Whitey has nothing to do with Captain Underpants or Orbit Gum.
 * Miko is not a nun. Nor is it a paladin. Nor does it hang out with Bulkhead.
 * Mildly Military is not about Sergeant Wilson.
 * Miles Gloriosus is not a Good/Evil Counterpart to the Inglourious Basterds.
 * A Military Mashup Machine will not, well, mash up the military.
 * Milking the Giant Cow is not about a company devoting all its assets and workforce to its most profitable venture.
 * Nor is it about racking up tons of points from a giant cow boss in a Shoot'Em Up.
 * Nor is it about, well, milking a giant cow.
 * Milkman Conspiracy: If you've read Playing with a Trope, you might think it contains something like "The milkmen are really a front for an ancient conspiracy dedicated to impregnating the world's housewives."
 * Mind Rape is not when a Mind Screw is forced upon you.
 * Nor is it sexual intercourse with a brain.
 * Mind Screw is not Mind Rape, on the same note. Nor is it about an oddly shaped brain, or a tool for removing brains.
 * Nor is it a more polite way of referring to a character from Empowered.
 * Minion Shipping is about two minions, not shipping a minion with his/her master. It's also not when a villain reacts to a minion failing him by putting the minion in a crate and shipping him far away.
 * Misaimed Fandom is not about people trying to be fans of one series and ending up becoming fans of another. (How do you even do that?)
 * Oh, ve haf our vays.
 * Miscarriage of Justice is not about a female Complete Monster losing her baby.
 * Nor is it a miscarriage caused by Captain Falcon's knee.
 * Misplaced Nationalism is not to be confused with Mistaken Nationality, even though the latter does sometimes trigger the former.
 * Misplaced Wildlife is not about animals "liberated" by PETA and released in the wrong habitat afterwards.
 * "Mission Impossible" Cable Drop is not about dropping an USB cable on the floor, despite it not seeming possible.
 * Miss Kitty is not the page for the actress who plays Trixie from American Dragon: Jake Long and Taranee from WITCH, nor for the One-Scene Wonder from The Great Mouse Detective.
 * Mister Cleaver is apparently not an Axe Crazy psychopath who cuts people up with a meat cleaver.
 * Mister Seahorse is not the name for anyone in The Little Mermaid, Finding Nemo or SpongeBob SquarePants.
 * Misty May is not about Ash's female sidekicks. Nor a particularly foggy month in spring.
 * Mnogo Nukes has nothing to do with Flash Gordon. Unless a "Typhoon" class submarine turns up.
 * The Moebius Neighborhood is not the surroundings of the house belonging to the Oracle of Nosgoth. Nor is it where Sonic the Hedgehog used to live. Nor is it a town that keeps looping back on itself.
 * Nor is it about a neighborhood in Labyrinth.
 * Mock Cousteau is not our suggestion that you make fun of Jacques Cousteau, as he was actually really cool.
 * Mode Lock does not describe mode-toggle buttons such as caps lock, scroll lock, etc. It also has nothing to do with lasers.
 * Modesty Shorts are not short stories or cartoon shorts featuring Modesty Blaise.
 * Moe Couplet does not necessarily involve very cute poetry. Although there's no rule saying that it doesn't.
 * Nor two lines of verse uttered by a Stooge.
 * Neither it nor Moe Moe refer to a Crack Pairing involving Moe from The Simpsons, a Stooge, or both.
 * Moe is not about The Simpsons character. Oh dear God, no!
 * Moe Moe is not about a flying lemur.
 * Nor is it a mispelled command to hastily cut grass.
 * Mohs Scale of Rock and Metal Hardness does not refer to mineral substances. That's the original scale.
 * The Mole is not related to Mole Men.
 * A Moment Killer is not an object that stops another object from rotating. Nor is it someone determined to stop time.
 * Monopoly isn't about companies that are the exclusive producer of a particular commodity.
 * The Mons can be shown on TV without censorship.
 * It's also not an acronym for Pokémon, either.
 * A Monster Protection Racket doesn't involve trying to pull a protection racket on a monster.
 * A Monumental Battle is, sadly, not when two statues come to life and start fighting each other. Whether or not two Preteen Geniuses are involved.
 * "Mooks" is not the nickname for followers of the webcomic artist/writer behind Dominic Deegan: Oracle for Hire.
 * Nor does it have anything to do with the co-hosts of The Stephanie Miller Show.
 * Or Dirt Boss
 * The Moorcock Effect is not the Spear Counterpart of the Scunthorpe Problem.
 * Moral Event Horizon is not about any aesops in the film Event Horizon.
 * Moral Guardians are not a Superhero team where all the members are The Cape (trope).
 * The Moral Substitute is not a substitute teacher with high moral standards.
 * More Criminals Than Targets doesn't necessarily mean they've run out of department stores to rob.
 * Morph Weapon is not what the Power Rangers beat you up with.
 * Well, the first season did have those pistols that turned into swords...
 * The Most Common Card Game is not Magic: The Gathering...or Duel Monsters... Or Duel Masters... or Baten Kaitos.
 * It's not a card game about large breasts either.
 * Or Poker, Bridge, Hearts, Spades, Rummy, Cribbage, Pinochle, Skat, Canasta, Klondike, Freecell, or Crazy Eights.
 * The Most Common Superpower is not the ubiquitous combination of super strength, super speed, flight and nigh invulnerability. (You'd be forgiven for thinking it is, though.)
 * The Most Dangerous Game is not Dynamite-Bear-Tennis.
 * Simply thinking about it will not put you in peril.
 * Most Triumphant Example is not an example written by Bill and Ted. That would be most excellent, however.
 * Motive Decay has nothing to do with The Sims.
 * Moustache De Plume is not about drawing moustaches on pictures of people as vandalism.
 * It is not a bird's facial feathers.
 * Mr. Smith did not necessarily go to Washington.
 * Mr. Starship doesn't refer to Mickey Thomas, the lead singer and face of Starship.
 * A Multi-Part Picture is not a film serial.
 * A Multiple Head Case is not where the Serial Killer keeps his trophies.
 * That Mummy is not yours.
 * Mundanger is not the name of a new Super Sentai series starring boring people.
 * Murder the Hypotenuse is not what a mathematically-incapable Book Dumb character wants to do before moving on to the rest of the subject.
 * Nor is it what Minamimoto does after killing all the "radians".
 * Musical Gag is not how the "serious" film viewer reacts as soon as the first notes of the opening number play.
 * A Musical Spoiler is not telling your friend who hasn't seen Wicked that Elphaba lives.
 * Music Video Credits Sequence is not a credits sequence of a music video, but a film credits sequence which is done in a form of a music video.
 * Must Seek Leek could be about watching Henry V for the "eat my leek" line, but that's not what it's named for. Nor is it about Farfetch'd desperately searching for a weapon.
 * Although Multi Platform is a video game trope, it has nothing to do with the Platformer genre of video games.
 * My Beloved Smother is not about being a Stalker with a Crush to Dick and Tommy Smothers.
 * My Girl Is Not a Slut is not an author's attempt to make a female character less Stripperiffic.
 * My Hero Zero is not a trope about someone who perceives a feeble, klutzy zero to be a steeled, gutsy hero. Nor is it about The Hero losing badly at sports. And although somewhat related, it is not about being rescued from certain death at the hands of Vile, the Britannian Empire or Zero Enna either.
 * While we're on the subject, it has nothing to do with Schoolhouse Rock or prequels to My Hero (TV), either.
 * My Kung Fu Is Stronger Than Yours is not a declaration of a type of martial art being inherently and objectively superior in combat to another.
 * My Little Panzer is not the Rated "M" for Manly version of My Little Pony.
 * My Name Is Inigo Montoya is not about changing your name to Inigo Montoya.
 * My Own Grampa is not about someone really proud of his or her grandfather, and it's not related to the Grandfather Clause.
 * My Own Private I Do is not about gay marriage in fiction, much less with one or both underground like a wild potato closeted.
 * It does not refer to marrying one's own genitals.
 * And definitely not sex with the soldiers under your command.
 * My Rules Are Not Your Rules is not about moral relativism.
 * It is not a refusal to share your measuring devices.
 * My Sensors Indicate You Want to Tap That has nothing to do with robots playing Magic: The Gathering.
 * My Skull Runneth Over is not about the improvised goblet used by the humanitarian who likes A Glass of Chianti after dinner.
 * Myth Arc has nothing to do with Robert Asprin's Myth series.
 * Mythology Gag is not the result of reading about the birth of Odin's horse.
 * Nor is it when you make a joke about mythology, though in an adaptation of a myth, a joke about the original might be a Mythology Gag.

N

 * Naming Conventions is not about deciding what to call your fan get-togethers.
 * Nanomachines are not typical implements used by Nanoha. Those would be Magic Wands and Attack Drones.
 * Napier has nothing to do with the actor who plays Conner McKnight
 * It also has nothing to do with Jack Napier, alias The Joker.
 * Narm is not something Pinky says. Nor is Nerf or Zork.
 * National Stereotypes aren't models of audio equipment made in a country, no matter what Rob thinks. Particularly not Panasonic.
 * Near Villain Victory is a miracle for the heroes, not a spoiler for the end of Death Note.
 * Near-Death Experience is not
 * As for Near-Rape Experience, we're not going to go on that subject.
 * A Neck Lift will not make you look 10 years younger.
 * The Needless isn't a character or element the work could do without.
 * Needs More Love isn't about the poor Woobies and similar characters.
 * A NEET is not a Keet who has Super OCD.
 * Nerf has nothing to do with the creatures from Star Wars known for their scruffy herders.
 * The Nerf Arm is not a foam limb, it's not necessarily made by NERF, and isn't the arm with which game designers depower otherwise Game Breaker functionality.
 * Never Recycle a Building is not advice to game developers to avoid overdoing Copy and Paste Environments.
 * Never Say "Die" does not refer to never using the singular form of "dice."
 * Never Trust a Trailer has nothing to do with personal suspicion of those things that trucks drag behind them. Where does Optimus' go?
 * Wherever the hell it wants!
 * Never Trust a Trope doesn't refer to the opinion of those who have failed to understand that Tropes Are Not Bad.
 * If you work in the catalogue industry and you get a lot of impatient people who can't seem to read the date on which a book or sale starts, you may start to mutter that New Media Are Evil, but this page isn't about that.
 * The New Rock and Roll is not about trying to find a successor to that genre.
 * News Monopoly is not about how, when characters watch 24-Hour News Networks, if it's a Fox show it'll be Fox News, and if it's an NBC show it'll be MSNBC.
 * It's also not among the hundreds of versions of Monopoly.
 * Newspaper Dating has nothing to do with personal ads in the classifieds.
 * It also doesn't mean that sentient newspapers are dating, either, although Rule 34 says someone has written an explicit version of that.
 * Nice Job Breaking It, Hero is not an expression of appreciation when admiring the pyrokinetics after the Supervillain Lair and/or the Death Ray have been blown up by The Hero.
 * A Nietzsche Wannabe is not some random forum poster who thinks s/he's so damn clever for abusing Nietzsche's famous "he who hunts monsters" quote against someone s/he doesn't like.
 * Nightmare Fuel is not fuel for Knightmare Frames.
 * The "Nightmare Fuel" trope itself has had numerous problems in the past, because it wasn't obvious by its name that it meant unintentional nightmare fuel. This potential for confusion got so bad that eventually the page was transplanted to Accidental Nightmare Fuel and a more general "scary things" trope plugged into its place.
 * Nightmare Fuel Coloring Book is not the example page for Nightmare Fuel from coloring books.
 * Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant has nothing to do with the Cryptkeeper or Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, having to get a new job.
 * A Nightmare Sequence is not part of the gameplay of a Nintendo Hard game which motivates Sequence Breaking.
 * The 99 has nothing to do with the restaurant,Nights, or the problems of which a woman is not included among.
 * Ninja Butterflies are, sadly, not... well... butterflies who are Ninjas. Nor ninjas who use butterflies as shurikens.
 * A Ninja Log is not the logbook of a Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot Captain's journeys.
 * Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot is not a knock off of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
 * Ninja Run is not about the recommended course of action if you see one. (Don't bother; either you're too late, or they're not a very good ninja.)
 * It also has very little in common with a Stealth Run.
 * Ninja Tropes are not appreciably stealthier or deadlier than any other tropes.
 * Nintendo Hard is not about getting a hard-on while playing Nintendo games.
 * Nipah Virus will not cause you to become a cute child forced to relive the same 1980s summers over and over again.
 * Nippon Ichi is not about Mai Shiranui or her most valuable pair. Or Japan being itchy.
 * It's not "Me Bouncy!", by the way.
 * Nobody Can Die is not an alternate name for Death Takes a Holiday (the former describes settings wherein people should die, they just never seem to, while the latter describes situations in which nobody can die for good, in-universe reasons.)
 * No Can Opener isn't a situation where the villain is having trouble unleashing a Sealed Evil in a Can.
 * No Casualties Run is not the next line from the mouth of the guy who declared that No One Could Survive That.
 * No Conservation of Energy is not about someone who makes no attempt to reduce his or her power bill.
 * No Conservation of Mass is not a subversion of Christianity is Catholic.
 * No Cure for Evil is not a proclamation that evil people are beyond redemption. Neither does it have to do with As Long as There Is Evil.
 * It's also not about a rule that states that the bad guys of Pretty Cure series can't have a Cure of their own. (They had, and HOW!)
 * No Ending is not when a fictional work ends with a Big No.
 * No Fair Cheating is rarely invoked when you are Trying to Catch Me Fighting Dirty.
 * No Final Boss for You is not about games that don't have final bosses when released in other parts of the world.
 * No Flow in CGI is not about CGI characters who can't have their periods.
 * No Guy Wants an Amazon isn't about the failure of the Fire Phone to sell.
 * No Guy Wants to Be Chased is not about guys hating being the one being chased in a car chase, nor is it about The Guy not liking those Advancing Wall of Doom segments.
 * No Honor Among Thieves is not David Weber saying that there will be no Honor Harrington books called Honor Among Thieves.
 * Noisy Guns are not firearms that are running around hooting and hollering.
 * Nor are they guns that are unrealistically noisy when shot; that's Bang Bang BANG.
 * "No. Just... No" Reaction is not how Dr. No introduces himself.
 * Nom De Mom doesn't mean that a character's alias or only name is Mom. Nor does it refer to moms getting eaten.
 * Nominal Hero is not a list of works named after their protagonists.
 * No Mouth And I Must Scream seem to be one trope, but they're not.
 * Noodle Incident has nothing to do with the guitarist of Gorillaz. (Necessarily.)
 * Noodle Implements is not about tools made out of pasta. Believe me, I tried, don't ask.
 * No OSHA Compliance is not about policies that forbid Dan from taunting.
 * Nor does it refer to Osha refusing to submit to Theon Greyjoy.
 * No Party Given is not about a disappointing birthday.
 * No Periods, Period most certainly has nothing to do with punctuation.
 * No Recycling is not an aversion of Copy and Paste Environments.
 * Won't Work On Me is not about when a sales clerk has to open up a cash register just to make small change.
 * No Sex Allowed is not a proclamation that a certain person will never, ever get laid.
 * Nostalgia Filter is not a search engine exclusive to That Guy With The Glasses.com.
 * No Such Thing as Space Jesus is not about Space Jews.
 * Not Cheating Unless You Get Caught has nothing to do with cheating on your significant other.
 * Not Completely Useless is not about backhanded compliments given to The Load after a Crowning Moment of Awesome.
 * Nothing but Hits apparently doesn't refer to a soundtrack comprising entirely of orchestral hits.
 * Nor does it refer to someone with really good aim.
 * Nor is it about the Always Accurate Attack.
 * Nothing Is Scarier is not about the ultimate scare.
 * Nothing Left to the Imagination is not a description of the outfit Ms. Fanservice is wearing.
 * The Not Love Interest isn't the person that's accused of being your boyfriend/girlfriend all the time.
 * Not Now, Kiddo is not related to Kill Bill or Death the Kid.
 * Not Using the Zed Word does not involve refusal to talk about a certain Power Rangers villain or ignoring the boss of the Men in Black.
 * A "Not Wearing Pants" Dream isn't a longing to make the kilt more accepted.
 * Nor does it have anything to do with Strike Witches.
 * Not Wearing Tights is not about a male character or tomboyish female refusing to wear "girly" clothes.
 * No U is not a lipogram lacking the letter after T.
 * No Yay is not a moment in sports where the crowd boos.
 * No, You does not exclude the target.
 * A Nuclear Family has nothing to do with nuclear power. Well, except for The Simpsons. And PS238.
 * A Nuclear Option is not what Utsuho Reiuji's power-up would be if she became playable in the next Touhou game.
 * Number Two is not related to Potty Emergency or Bring My Brown Pants. Or, for that matter, Oh Crap.
 * Nu-metal is not what BlazBlue's Robot Girl is built with.