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* Hey, how 'bout a nice [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86IpU3g-S8Q Hawaiian Punch?]
▲== Anime & Manga ==
* ''[[Revolutionary Girl Utena]]''
** ''Adolescence of Utena'': "Utena is the vehicle through which Anthy escapes from Ohtori."
** In the show, Nanami thinks she's (literally) laid an egg and asks her brother how he feels about girls who lay eggs. "Do you know why we've been able to live together so happily? It's because you aren't the type of girl who lays eggs."
* In ''[[Rocket Girls]]'', Yukari is offered a job that's "so simple even a monkey could do it."
* A variation occurs in an episode of ''[[Azumanga Daioh]]'', when Chiyo, overwhelmed at the preparations for the Culture Fest, begs someone to turn back the clock before it's too late. [[Cloudcuckoolander|Osaka]] takes this as literal instruction.
* In ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'', the last half of the episode{{context|reason=which episode?}} is set to a backdrop of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy". {{spoiler|When Kaworu enters Heaven's Door to merge with Adam (and destroy humanity)}}, they sing a part with two of these metaphors:
{{quote|''Freude trinken alle Wesen
''An dem Brüsten der Natur
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''Wollust ward dem Wurm gegeben
''Und der Cherub steht vor Gott'' }}
== Arts ==
* Guerrilla street artist [[Banksy]] used the phrase "[[Eat the Rich]]" in one of his works [https://web.archive.org/web/20130620114458/http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3440/3965058479_9ac1fbedf5_z.jpg with a much more literal slant.]
== Comic Books ==
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* [[Daredevil]] occasionally makes use of metaphors that use the word "devil" this way when he's in that kind of mood, like how in one story he tells the fugitive Leland Owlsley (who had promised to go straight, but couldn't) that it was "time to give the devil his due".
* ''[[Calvin and Hobbes]]'': Several of Calvin's [[Imagine Spot]]s involve this. Many other comics have since picked up on this and done it ''ad nauseum''.▼
== Fan Works ==
* [[Shantae]] asks Rottytops to "lend me a hand" in the fan art [https://www.deviantart.com/patdarux/art/Shantae-Rottytops-give-me-a-hand-786263333 shown here], and Rotty takes it too literally.
** Obviously the artist took inspiration from [https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=6G0zx6dsBXU a similar scene] in ''[[Toy Story]]''.
* [[DeviantArt]] deviant Daniel-Remo-Art creates an odd interpretation of "disco is dead" with [https://www.deviantart.com/daniel-remo-art/art/Disco-Is-Dead-Iray-568673665 this Deviation] of an [[Our Zombies Are Different| undead]] version of [[Dazzler]]. (Warning, slightly NSFW.)
* Another deviant from [[Deviant ART]]; the ''[[Beetlejuice (animation)|Beetlejuice]]''-inspired comic [https://www.deviantart.com/serisabibi/art/Scuzzo-the-Clown-and-Lydia-895714707 seen here] shows [[Monster Clown| Scuzzo]] capturing Lydia and subjecting her to [[Tickle Torture]] in order to produce literal canned laughter. Not that this Trope [[Understatement|wasn't unusual]] in the source material, of course.
* Two from ''[[Isekai by Moonlight]]'':
** Throw pillows. Especially after somebody's made a horrible pun.
** At a picnic, Sailor Mercury eats like a bird {{spoiler|after she learns how to fly, swooping down from the sky and grabbing a sandwich}}.
==
* In ''[[Chicken Run]]'', Rocky and Ginger are trying to escape from the chicken-pie-making machine. When they get pushed into one chamber, Rocky exclaims, "Whew! It's like an oven in here..." A second later, gas flames shoot up on all sides and the door starts to close.
* ''[[Shrek]]'': "You're on fire, donkey!"
* Happens in the film ''[[My Favorite Year]]''. Alan Swan is drunk, and hanging off a building by a fire hose.▼
▲* "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World"
▲* Happens in the film ''My Favorite Year''. Alan Swan is drunk, and hanging off a building by a fire hose.
{{quote|"I think Alan Swan is beneath us!"
"Of course he's beneath us. He's an actor!"
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{{quote|'''Paul:''' He can't just walk out on us like this!
'''John:''' Can't he? He's done it, son! }}
* In ''[[Village of the Damned]]'' (the original version), the protagonist focuses on the words "brick wall" to hide how he plans to kill the psychic children. We see their attempts to break through his [[Psychic Static]] as a literal brick wall, which slowly falls to pieces as they force their way in. {{spoiler|By the time they finish breaking through, there isn't enough time left to stop the explosives from going off.}}
* In ''[[Star Trek V]]'', Kirk at first assumes Spock is speaking metaphorically when he says that Sybok is his brother.
* A nice example in ''Keeping the Faith'', when Bonnie Rose is boasting about daughter Rose's professional achievements to the hot new Rabbi: "My mum does all my PR," Rose explains. "I know what you mean. Mine too," says the Rabbi. "No, I mean really. My mum's firm does all my PR."
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* Occurs in ''[[Bugsy Malone]]''. One of Fat Sams workers says he can't stop Dandy Dan's gang because "he's all tied up" (he's actually tied up). Fat Sam replies "I don't care how busy you are."
* ''[[In Time]]'', with its premise of using the time of your life as currency, regularly features phrases such as "spending time", "out of time", and "give me a minute" used in a literal sense.
* ''[[Airplane!]]'' as a visual gag, when someone is warned about the shit hitting the fan. Cut to a view of
== Jokes ==
* What did the Sphinx say when Oedipus answered his riddle? "Motherfucker!"
* [[Stephen Wright]]: "I wondered why the Frisbee looked like it was getting bigger
* Vampires suck.
** Werewolves bite.
* A man walks into a bar. He says "ouch".
* A common joke about [[Mail Order Bride]]s is that a literal [[Girl in a Box]] turns up in the post as [[Human Mail]].
== Literature ==
* In the book ''[[Anansi Boys]]'', {{spoiler|Tiger}} is trapped in a cave with the thoroughly annoying {{spoiler|Grahame Coats}}.
{{quote|{{spoiler|'''Grahame Coats:'''}} You keep using the phrase "bite my head off." Now when you say "bite my head off," I take it I can assume that it is actually some kind of metaphorical statement, implying that you'll shout at me, perhaps rather angrily?
{{spoiler|'''Tiger:'''}} Bite your head off. Then crunch it. Then swallow it. }}
* ''[[Discworld]]''
** ''[[
** In ''[[
* Inverted in ''[[The Dresden Files|Death Masks]]'': Dresden tells Molly she's sounding all grown up, and Molly snarks that "the breast fairy came to visit and everything". Quoth Dresden, to the reader, "Some might find it significant that it took me a second to realize she wasn't being literal about the faerie. Sometimes I hate my life".
* ''[[Dirk Gently's
{{quote|The word "impossible" is not in my dictionary. In fact, everything between "herring" and "marmalade" appears to be missing.}}
** A [[Brick Joke]]; earlier, when his secretary had tried to put the dictionary in a desk drawer it was too thick, so she ripped a handful of pages out.
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{{quote|'''Russ:''' It drives me round the bend.}}
** And again in "Flesh and Stone", the Doctor tells Amy to "get a grip"... {{spoiler|because the Weeping Angels are about to drain the last of the Byzantium's energy and accidentally deactivate the artificial gravity.}}
* In the new ''[[Battlestar Galactica
* In an episode of ''[[I Dream of Jeannie]]'', Major Healey has invited everyone to a party in his completely bare apartment. He tells Major Nelson that new furniture would be installed "in the blink of an eye. Um, where did you say Jeannie was?"
* From the ''[[Stargate SG-1]]'' episode "1969":
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{{quote|We're tearing down this place tonight... literally!
We're gonna set this sleepy town alight... literally! }}
== Music ==
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* [["Weird Al" Yankovic]]'s "Albuquerque" does this in two places. Once, where a guy sarcastically says, "Noooo, I want you to cut off my arms and legs with chainsaws!", and another time, when another guy says "Bite me."
== Newspaper Comics ==
▲* ''[[Calvin and Hobbes]]'': Several of Calvin's [[Imagine Spot]]s involve this. Many other comics have since picked up on this and done it ''ad nauseum''.
* In an early ''[[Garfield]]'' strip, the protagonist wakes up and steps out of bed, not realizing it's at the edge of the table, which he falls off of. Jon frantically asks what happens, and Garfield replies, "I got up on the wrong side of bed."
* From ''[[The Wizard of Id]]'', [https://www.gocomics.com/wizardofid/2016/06/03 this strip] takes the term "hung jury" a little too far.
* ''[[The Far Side]]''; in one cartoon, [[Albert Einstein]] discovers that [https://i.pinimg.com/564x/29/1b/29/291b290fe7de5d77a60e75ebf7b70758.jpg Time is actually Money.]
== Puppet Shows ==
* Tons of jokes on ''[[The Muppet Show]]'' involve Literal Metaphor. In fact, if one were to say that on the show, you would be accurate in predicting that one character would ask if he means that there are a lot of them, only to be shown thousands of pounds of joke books.
* This extends to a number of other Muppet works. ''[[The Muppet Movie]]'', for example, features jokes about "starting off with a bang", "drinks on the house", and a "fork in the road".
== Radio ==
* In the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' audio drama "The Whispering Forest", Turlough and Nyssa are wandering through tunnels, and Turglough says the hairs on the back of his neck are sticking up. Nyssa assumes he means the caves are spooky, but he actually means they're filled with static electricity.
== Tabletop Games ==
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** In the ''Years of Yarncraft'' game, Torg was once [http://sluggy.com/comics/archives/daily/080811 handed his ass by the Forest Yetis of Black Rook Caverns]. First literally, and then figuratively too in all likehood.
** Torg negotiates with Eugene with the help of Mr. Franklin in his wallet. [http://www.sluggy.com/comics/archives/daily/050429]
** [https://archives.sluggy.com/book.php?chapter=74#2024-03-19 Sam and Bun-Bun]:
* A page of the webcomic ''Real Life Fiction'', aptly titled "[http://rlf.smackjeeves.com/comics/772566/too-literal/ Too Literal]", has a cold medecine that "may cause drow-siness". {{spoiler|For the non-''D&D'' gamers, [[Don't Explain the Joke|"drow" being another name for the dark elves]].}}▼
{{quote|'''Sam''': Dude! It's like three in the afternoon! Can't a vamp get some sleep?
'''Bun-Bun''': You can sleep when you're dead!
'''Sam''': That's what I'm trying to do!}}
▲* A page of the webcomic ''Real Life Fiction'', aptly titled "[https://web.archive.org/web/20110801005744/http://rlf.smackjeeves.com/comics/772566/too-literal/ Too Literal]", has a cold medecine that "may cause drow-siness". {{spoiler|For the non-''D&D'' gamers, [[Don't Explain the Joke|"drow" being another name for the dark elves]].}}
* Done occasionally in ''[[Sinfest]]'' by playing off sexual euphemisms, such as [https://web.archive.org/web/20140209190205/http://sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=3247 "wax my missile"] and [https://web.archive.org/web/20140209174234/http://sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=3646 "sowing wild oats."]
* From ''[[Hark! A Vagrant|Hark a Vagrant]]'': [[Julius Caesar|Cry "Havoc!"]] and let slip the [http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=307 dogs of war]!
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* In ''[[Meat Shield (webcomic)|Meat Shield]]'', Leonid the pseudo-lich once did [http://www.meatshield.net/archive/179-a-little-soul-searching/ a bit of soul-searching]. Since at the time he was a disembodied head that had been stuffed inside his [[Soul Jar]], this didn't take very long. (For that matter, the fact that this particular phylactery is indeed a jar may fall into Literal Metaphor too.)
* ''[[Gunnerkrigg Court]]'' had Coyote and Renard referring to Annie as "fire-headed girl" and telling her "there's a fire in you... fire that belonged to your mother!"—repeatedly. She took all these mentions as cringe-worthy attempts at being poetic they seem to be. {{spoiler|It's not the case. This wasn't about her temper or anything, at least not directly. They said what they meant, as straightforward as possible. By her basic nature [[Elemental Embodiment|she is a fire creature]], and got this from Surma}}.
* In ''[[Lowroad]]'', when Giselle [http://lowroad75.comicgenesis.com/d/20090427.html was followed by] her (deservedly) [[Unlucky Childhood Friend]], [http://lowroad75.comicgenesis.com/d/20090402.html Garon]:
{{quote|'''Butler''': Madam, I thing you should know he is undressing you with his eyes. }}
* ''Pitch Black'', on [http://pitchblack.thecomicseries.com/comics/102/ friendly fire].
* In [http://www.dorktower.com/2016/08/25/inspiration-go-dork-tower-25-08-16/ this] ''[[Dork Tower]]'', Carson chases inspiration... and catches one.
* ''[[The Argyle Sweater]]'' has a lot of these - like Shotgun Wedding on [https://www.gocomics.com/theargylesweater/2014/04/10 this page].
* ''[[Wrong Hands]]'' likes this trope:
** There are five Literal Metaphors in "[https://wronghands1.com/2020/02/14/lives-of-quiet-desperation/ lives of quiet desperation]": squeaking by, pecking away, keeping its head above water, clamming up, and sticking his neck out.
** "[https://wronghands1.com/2020/07/10/idiomatic-classic/ idiomatic classic (an open book)]" has fourteen Literal Metaphors, including the titular open book.
* For most birders, a "nemesis bird" is a species that the birder keeps failing to see. [https://www.birdandmoon.com/comic/nemesis/ This instalment] of ''[[Bird and Moon]]'' gives the term a more literal meaning.
== Web Original ==
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* [[JesuOtaku]] often says metaphorical-sounding things in her anime reviews immediately before showing clips of those exact things happening—for instance, that one villain crushes the heroes' lives like marbles, or that another abandons the goals for which his sister sacrificed everything and [[Brother-Sister Incest|screws her]].
* [[Transolar Galactica]]'s first episode revolves around Captain Trigger ordering his helmsman to steer to the "second star to the right, straight on 'til morning".
== Western Animation ==
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{{quote|'''Villain:''' The ancient scrolls said its power shone like a lantern... We always assumed it was a metaphor.
'''Stroker:''' Yeah... I guess it must have seemed a lot cooler before they invented flashlights. }}
* ''[[Futurama]]'':
** An example from when the crew are floating in space collecting [[Plot Coupons|Chronotons]]:
{{quote|'''Leela:''' All right, cool your jets, hotshot.
'''Fry:''' C'mon Leela, why won't you go out with me? We both know there's something there!
'''Leela:''' No, I mean ''cool your jets''. You're melting Bender's face. }}
{{quote|'''Zoidberg:''' Ladies and germs...
''(rimshot)''
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{{quote|'''Barney:''' Hey look, Fred. The volcano's flipping it's lid!
}}
* ''[[The Simpsons (animation)|The Simpsons]]'':
** When Lisa is talking about guest-star [[The Critic|Jay Sherman]]:
{{quote|'''Lisa:''' I like him! He's smart, he's sensitive, he's clearly not obsessed with his physical appearance --
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'''Lisa:''' Uh, I wasn't talking about you, Dad.
'''Homer:''' No, my ears are really burning. I wanted to see inside so I lit a Q-Tip. }}
{{quote|'''Louie:''' Hey, I thought you said Troy McClure was dead.
'''Tony:''' No, what I said was: "[[But You Screw One Goat!|He sleeps with the fishes]]". You see...
'''Louie:''' [[Brain Bleach|Uh, Tony, please, no. I just ate a whole plate of dingamagoo...]] }}
*
** In one episode:
{{quote|'''Man:''' Wow, Lois Griffin. Hey, I love your act! Nice melons.
'''Peter:''' Hey, listen pal!
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'''Man:''' No problem. ''(beat)'' [[Rule of Three|Your wife's hot!]]
'''Peter:''' All right, that's it! }}
* ''[[Phineas and Ferb]]'':
** Used a couple of times in the episode "Comet Kermillian". While at the park, Candace's screams of "I have [[Squirrels in My Pants]]!" are misinterpreted by a couple of performers, who think she's referring to her crazy dance moves. Then the squirrels get out, and one of the guys comments, "We just got served." Later on, when [[It Makes Sense in Context|steaks are falling from the sky]], the same guy catches one and comments, "We keep getting served."
** Parodied in "Let's Take a Quiz".
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'''Candace:''' [[Flat Joy|Yay.]] ''([[Beat]])'' I'm not actually on fire, am I?
'''Buford:''' Nah, you're good. }}
{{quote|'''Doofensmirtz''': I'm not speaking metaphorically,
The platypus controlling me is underneath the table! }}
* ''[[Archer]]'':
** [[Double Subverted]] and played straight in the same
{{quote|'''Rudy:''' I'd try the Cockfight.
'''Archer:''' A cockfight?
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'''Charles:''' Oh, you meant literally.
'''Archer:''' Yes! }}
{{quote|'''Malory''': And is Krieger...hard at work?
'''Archer''': He literally might be, yes. }}
* [[Looney Tunes]]:
**
** In one cartoon, Yosemite Sam builds his house on top of Bugs' burrow, and then kicks Bugs out; furiously, Bugs says he'll take Sam to "the highest court in the country" to get his home back. Next scene, he start to regret this, as the highest court is on a mountain and getting there requires a long trek uphill.
** In another "Knighty Knight Bugs", the Black Knight (ie, Yosemite Sam) has a dragon with a bad cold (it caught cold for letting its fire get low) and constantly sneezes; near the end, Bugs traps them inside a tower full of explosives. As it starts to sneeze again, Sam panics and yells, "No, no! Don't sneeze, ya stupid dragon! You'll blow us to the moon!" But the dragon sneezes anyway, the last scene showing the tower flying to the moon like a rocket.
* In ''[[The Cleveland Show]]'', Mr. Waterman is trying to find the rest of his Santa costume:
{{quote|'''Mr. Waterman:''' Where's my [[The Beard|beard]]?
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'''Finn:''' Oh, right, I'm sorry--
'''Marceline:''' No, literally. You can't kill my dad. He's deathless. }}
* In ''[[American Dad]]'':
{{quote|'''Steve:''' We don't have an instrument for Jeff.
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'''Steve:''' ''(bursts out laughing)''
'''Bob:''' ''(holds up a flute bound with animal skins)'' }}
** This might possibly be a [[Shout-Out]] to [[If It Was Funny the First Time| the exact same joke]] from the original ''[[George of the Jungle]]'' cartoon series.
* From ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]''
{{quote|'''Uncle Iroh:''' ''(stops Zuko and a pirate captain from fighting)'' Are you so busy fighting you cannot see your own ship has set sail?
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'''Uncle Iroh:''' It's no proverb!
''(cut to pirate ship being hijacked)'' }}
* In the ''[[Lite Sprites]]'' special, the sprites are lost in a cave, and Meadow begins to glow. The other girls try to tell her this, but she takes it as a compliment instead.
* Used to the point of a [[Hurricane of Puns]] in the [[Tex Avery]] short "Symphony in Slang", where Noah Webster and St. Peter try to interpret the slang-filled life story of a new arrival at the Pearly Gates.
* Old-joke-new-twist version in an episode of ''[[Tale Spin]]'':
{{quote|'''[[Sky Pirate|Don Carnage:]]''' FIRE AT WILL!
''(Mooks fire at another mook, who runs screaming and dodging.)''
'''Don Carnage:''' ''No'', don't fire at Will, fire at ''them!''}}
* From ''[[DC Super Hero Girls]]''; Jessica is a [[Badass Pacifist]], but has no problem charging into battle against Poison Ivy's plant monsters, saying, [[Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner| "I eat plants for breakfast!"]] Which is 100% true, as she is a vegan.
* In ''[[Beetlejuice (animation)|Beetlejuice]]'', the title character's parents are so dull, their picture is in the Netherworld dictionary, under "Boring". Literally.
== Real Life ==
* [http://iamnotashamed.org/ I am not ashamed], an [[The Fundamentalist|Answers in Genesis]]-powered website, encouraged
* Most people take the name of the restaurant "Hooters" to be a euphemism for breasts, whereas they assert, probably for legal reasons, that they are talking about [[Blatant Lies|owls]] (especially during [[Super Bowl|Superb Owl]] time) and everyone just misunderstands.
* Any truck stop in the USA which has a sign informing you that you can "Eat and Get Gas". (For example, [http://www.businesspundit.com/how-not-to-advertise-a-restaurant/ Sherrill's] on US Route 31 near Tipton, Indiana.)
{{reflist}}
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[[Category:Comedy Tropes]]
[[Category:Truth and Lies]]
▲[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
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