Insistent Terminology: Difference between revisions

* In the opening scene of the Danish film ''[[Pusher]]'', a deadbeat drug buyer repeatedly asks to be called "Scorpion."

* From ''[[The Gamers|Gamers 2]]'': "I'm [[Chaotic Neutral]]!"

* ''[[Pulp Fiction]]'': "It's not a motorcycle, baby, it's a chopper."

* In ''[[Transformers (Film)|Transformers]]'', Simmons insists on calling [[Big Bad|Megatron]] "N.B.E.-1", even after finding out his name. This even carries into the second film, after Megatron is brought [[Back From the Dead]]. "N.B.E.-1 still ticking eh?"

** "Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo" was the first child's name, according to [[The Other Wiki]]. While claimed to be Chinese, about the only thing anybody agrees on about the tale's origins is the impossibility of it being Chinese.

** In the original version of the story, Tikki-Tikki-Tembo died because his brother kept running out of breath trying to say the absurdly long name and had to start all over again each time he tried to say it.

** The story has been retold numerous times, both by word of mouth and in published form, and has acquired a large number of variations because of it. Versions differ on whether the child lives or dies, and the specific manner in which his rescue is delayed varies as well (though it is always due to multiple repetitions of the very long name). The various names attributed to the unfortunate kid include Nikki Nikki Tembo No So Rembo Oo Ma Moochi Gamma Gamma Goochi, Sticky Sticky Stumbo Nos E Rumbo E Pro Pennyo Hara Bara Brisko Nicky Prom Po Nish No Menyo Dumbricko, and Ikky Bikky Stumbo Nozo Rumbo Addy Baddy Basco Tana Rama Tasco, among others. There are even non-Chinese versions, which in retrospect show their roots a bit, such as "Eddie Coochie Catchie Cama Toka Nera Toka Noka Sama Kama Wacky Brown".

* In the ''[[Redwall]]'' series, hares do not like to be called "rabbits". If the hare has a short enough temper, you may get beaten up for calling them a rabbit repeatedly. This is actually a justified instance, though, because most rabbits in the series are portrayed as stuck-up, prissy weaklings while most hares are soldiers.

** They're also world-class goofs, so they probably object just as much to the implication that they don't have a sense of humor.

* In ''[[The Dresden Files]]'', do ''not'' call [[The Fair Folk|the Sidhe]] "faeries". To them, the difference is as pronounced as calling a human an ape.

* [[Moon Over Soho|Peter Grant]] would like you to know that it isn't Black Magic, it is Ethically Challenged Magic, thank you very much.

* As a result of good old rivalry, some students and faculty members at one of the Oxbridge universities will insist on referring to the other as "The Other Place".

** A similar practice is used in the Houses of Parliament. In the House of Commons, one may not refer to the House of Lords by name, but rather by "The Other Place", and vice versa.

** Also, staff and students Oxford Brookes University will often refer to Oxford University as "The Other University".

* Students and alumni of some colleges and universities are very particular about what their school should be called.

*** Unless you go to Dartmouth College, which is, technically, a university. But don't call it "Dartmouth University" when talking to an alum. Even grad students will say, for example, "Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College."

** The University of California, Berkeley discourages people from calling it UCB or The University of California '''at''' Berkeley, but calling it Berkeley, Cal, California, UC Berkeley, or by its whole name is acceptable.

** And the ''real'' natives aren't Indians, they're Native Americans, First Nations, or Native people.

*** And the ''real-real'' Native Americans (''pace'' Pierre Burton) are by definition people born within America. Descendants of tribes who were not nomadic similarly object to descendants of nomadic tribes being elevated to "First Nation" status. Inuit people don't like to be called Eskimo, but non-Inuit northern tribes don't like having their name subsumed. [[N-Word Privileges|This will go on and on and on and on and never ever die]].

* ''[http://www.bangpdx.com/ BANG! The Entertainment Paper]'' is not a newspaper, since the people who make the stories and comics within strive to entertain, not to detail current events.

* TV Tropes has a few. For example, British television show ''[[Doctor Who (TV)|Doctor Who]]'' 's main character (other than the companions, according to [[Word of God]]) is named "The Doctor" as is ''[[Star Trek Voyager (TV)|Star Trek Voyager]]'' 's holographic doctor who never settled on a proper name for himself. Any reference to "The Doctor" of Voyager will be followed by "no not [[Doctor Who (TV)|that Doctor]]."

** Taken to a logical extreme, some BRT proponents have resorted to calling the buses as ''"BRT vehicles"''. Even more so, Ottawa's bus system, [http://www.octranspo.com/ OC Transpo], has considered the Transitway as the foundation of Canada's capital city's "Rapid Transit Network".

* The USA does not use "Torture"; it uses "Aggressive Interrogation Methods".

** [[Bill O Reilly]] called torture "coercive interrogation".