Literal Metaphor: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
[[File:
[[Alice and Bob|Alice]] uses a figure of speech. Bob reiterates the usual metaphorical meaning. Alice says no, she meant it literally.
There's also a variation in which Bob questions the metaphor, and Alice responds ''[[Ask a Stupid Question|sarcastically]]'' that she meant it literally. See also [[Visual Pun]] for when a play on words is given literal visualization. Related to [[Not Hyperbole]], where what seems like an exaggeration isn't, and [[Made From Real Girl Scouts]], where the literal meaning is true... and you really wish it wasn't.
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If you want a ''[[A Worldwide Punomenon|clitoral]]'' metaphor, that would be [[Country Matters]].
{{examples}}
== Advertising ==
* Hey, how 'bout a nice [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86IpU3g-S8Q Hawaiian Punch?]
== Anime and 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 ''[[
* A variation occurs in an episode of ''[[
* In ''[[
{{quote|
''An dem Brüsten der Natur
''Alle Guten, alle Bösen
''Folgen ihrer Rosenspur
''Kusse gab sie uns und Reben
''[[I Cannot Self-Terminate|Einen Freund geprüft im Tod]]
''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 ==
* From ''[[Birds of Prey]]'' #93:
{{quote|
'''Gypsy:''' But Shiva's already in that seat...
'''Lady Blackhawk:''' No. I mean -- I call '''[[Shotguns Are Just Better|shotgun]]'''. }}
* In ''[[
* A variant, making it part of the mystery, in a Mickey Mouse comics story that casts Mickey as a professional detective: A man accused of destroying evidence against the local mob boss is in a mentally not very stable condition, and some of his ravings include the mention of "the monkey on my back". It turns out this refers to the actual pet monkey of the mob boss, who likes to jump down to the backs of intruders and tear them with his claws.
* [[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".
==
* [[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}}.
== [[Film]] ==
* 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!"
* ''[[It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World]]'' - yes, it is.
* 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!"
"No! I think Alan Swann is beneath us right now!" }}
* ''[[A Hard
{{quote|
'''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."
* In ''[[
{{quote|
'''Cooper:''' "We don't need no water let the motha..."
'''Scott:''' I'm not kidding! Look!
'''Cooper:''' Oh, holy shit! }}
* This happens in ''[[Indiana Jones and
* In ''[[Hocus Pocus]]'', the witches sing "I Put a Spell on You" to a crowd of party-goers. It puts them into a trance.
* Happens in ''[[
{{quote|
'''Mrs. Doubtfire:''' He was quite fond of the drink. It was the drink that killed him.
'''Miranda:''' How awful, he was an alcoholic?
'''Mrs. Doubtfire:''' No, he was hit by a Guinness truck, so it was quite literally the drink that killed him. }}
* 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."
* ''[[
* ''[[
== 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 ''[[
{{quote|
{{spoiler|'''Tiger:'''}} Bite your head off. Then crunch it. Then swallow it. }}
* ''[[
** ''[[
** 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
{{quote|
** 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.
* In ''[[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire]]'', Tom Riddle tells Wormtail he will get to "perform a task most [his] followers would give their right hand to perform" - little does Wormtail know that to perform the task you literally have to sacrifice your right hand as a flesh offering for Dark Magic.
== Live-Action TV ==
* This is a regular gag for Sophia on ''[[The Golden Girls]]'':
{{quote|
'''Dorothy:''' Aww, you ran out of steam.
'''Sophia:''' No, I actually hit a wall! }}
** Spoofed on ''[[Robot Chicken]]'' when she describes her encounter with a high school basketball team: They run a (model) train on her and she gets their (basket)balls in her face.
* Used in the ''[[Wings (TV series)|Wings]]'' episode "Plane Nine From Nantucket":
{{quote|
'''Helen:''' Fay licked me.
'''Joe:''' She beat you, huh?
'''Helen:''' No, she licked me. She literally ''licked'' my hand. I was so startled, she caught me off-guard, pinned me to the table. }}
* A recurring element on [[Sabrina the Teenaged Witch]]
* ''[[
{{quote|
'''Elliot:''' Bite me.
'''J.D.:''' Oh, come on, I was kidding! It's a joke!
'''Elliot:''' No, I mean it. Like you did last night. ''(takes off her shirt and throws it at him)'' Come bite me. }}
* ''[[Babylon
* ''[[Pushing Daisies]]''
** "Smell of Success":
{{quote|
'''Napoleon:''' Who are you to criticize my life's work?!
'''Emerson:''' ''(deadpan)'' Your book. Was a bomb. It ''exploded.'' }}
** "Bad Habits":
{{quote|
'''Olive:''' It's a frickin' convent. Show some respect.
'''Emerson:''' ''(pointing at the white-streaked wall of the bell tower)'' I'm showing you bat crap. }}
* ''[[
** Inverted:
{{quote|
'''Giles:''' I've been living on the hellmouth too long... that ''was'' metaphorical, wasn't it? }}
** A somewhat different kind of inversion occurs in "A New Man", after Giles has been turned into a demon:
{{quote|
'''Giles:''' Yes, just a little, uh... Hurts when I sit.
'''Spike''' I mean someone's following us. }}
** Played straight by the Mayor:
{{quote|
** Part of the modus operandi of Vengeance Demons.
{{quote|
'''Anyanka''': Wish granted. }}
* ''[[Arrested Development (TV series)|Arrested Development]]''
** One doctor does this a few times, saying that "[[No Longer
** In another episode, Michael repeatedly asked his imprisoned father about finances, only to be told "There's money in the banana stand." Michael assumes that just meant that the sales from the banana stand would always be there but really {{spoiler|the banana stand is lined with $250,000 in unmarked bills but Michael doesn't learn about it until after the stand burns to the ground}}.
* In one episode of ''[[The Gruen Transfer]]'', "The Pitch" had two advertising agencies competing to "sell ice to Eskimos".
* In ''[[Jonas]]'':
{{quote|
'''Kevin:''' There is a bug going around.
'''Nick:''' No, she was swimming in the swamp and got an ''actual'' frog ''in'' her throat. She's at the hospital right now getting a frog-ectomy. }}
* In one episode of ''[[Spaced]]'' Mike walks off in the pub saying he has to "point the pink pistol at the porcelain firing range". When he gets back he is carrying an actual pink pistol.
* In ''[[Supernatural (TV series)|Supernatural]]'':
{{quote|
'''Guy:''' Fallujah -- two tours. Got back a little over a year ago. Takes one to know one. Where'd you serve?
'''Dean:''' Hell.
'''Guy:''' No, seriously.
'''Dean:''' Seriously. Hell. }}
* ''[[
** In one of the Sontaran episodes of ''Nu Who'', when describing the ATMOS GPS system while driving:
{{quote|
** 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
* From the ''[[Stargate SG-1]]'' episode "1969":
{{quote|
'''Col. O'Neill:''' ''(innocently)'' Weapon?
'''Maj. Thornberg:''' Our cameras saw some sort of weapon.
'''Col. O'Neill:''' Oh. Well, it's hard to say.
'''Maj. Thornberg:''' Some sort of state secret?
'''Col. O'Neill:''' No, just [[The Unpronounceable|difficult to pronounce]]. }}
:: It was a Goa'uld Zat'nik'tel, for reference...
* ''[[Smallville]]''
** One is lampshaded in the episode "Icarus". After Hawkman jumps from a window with his wings on fire, General Wilson points out that he had intended the name to be a metaphor for Clark's fall from grace. Or to use the paraphrasing given [http://www.comicsalliance.com/2010/12/13/recap-smallville-episode-10-11-icarus/ here:]
{{quote|
** In an earlier episode, when Clark Kent catches a life-threatening fever, a doctor tries to give him a shot:
{{quote|
{{spoiler|''(the doctor tells him off and sticks the needle in, which goes in fine because the fever neutralized Clark's invulnerability)''}} }}
* ''[[Being Human (
* In one ''[[
* In ''[[30 Rock
{{quote|
'''Liz:''' So what else is new?
''(cut to show a phone where Tracy should be)''
'''Tracy:''' Line! }}
* During a song at the 2006 Oscars, Jack Black bolsters Will Ferrell by telling him they may not win any awards, but they'll win "the ultimate fight".
{{quote|
* "Gay Witch Hunt", the third-season premiere of the U.S. edition of ''[[The Office]]''.
{{quote|
'''Michael:''' Exactly.
'''Toby:''' I mean for real.
'''Michael:''' Yeah, I know.
'''Toby:''' No, he's attracted to other men.
'''Michael:''' Okay, little too far, crossed the line.
'''Toby:''' Okay, I am telling you Oscar is an actual homosexual. }}
* In ''[[
* In the pilot of ''[[Mr. Sunshine]]'', after {{spoiler|Crystal dumps Ben for Alonzo}}, they are just proceeding in opposite directions when [[Brick Joke|the missing elephant]] turns up.
* ''[[Wizards of Waverly Place]]'':
{{quote|
'''Crumbs:''' I wish I could, but my hands are tied.
'''Alex:''' You don't believe me either?
'''Crumbs:''' No, I mean ''my hands are tied. (shows Alex he's handcuffed to the table)'' }}
* Mark's discussion in ''[[
* In ''[[
{{quote|
'''George:''' That's not supposed to be vomit; it's dabs of light.
'''Baldrick:''' No, it's vomit. }}
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qSkaAwKMD4&feature=bf_next&list=PLCF5D9BCE18EF60FF&lf=results_main The Viking song] from ''[[Horrible Histories (TV series)|Horrible Histories]]'':
{{quote|
We're gonna set this sleepy town alight... literally! }}
== Music ==
* "''At your command, before you here I stand, my heart is in my hand'' -- yeucch!" from "[[Tom Lehrer|The Masochism Tango]]".
* Variation in [[Gorillaz]]'s ''We Are the Dury'':
{{quote|
'''2D:''' We've got a chimney flue?
'''Murdoc:''' I'm speaking metaphorically, D. I'm using the analogy of the chimney flue to describe the, um, passageways of our flowing creativity. The zombies, in this case, are used as a metaphor for blockages to the airways, figuratively speaking.
'''2D:''' Really?
'''Murdoc:''' No. There really are about six undead carcasses stuck up the studio chimney.
'''2D:''' Oh. Well, that'd explain the smell. }}
* [["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
* 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 ''[[
== Tabletop Games ==
* ''[[
** One of the bits of flavor text:
{{quote|
** Being a game about [[Anthropomorphic Personification
{{quote|
* ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' has a subtle one with the spell ''detect thoughts'', which allows the caster a brief look at what the subject is thinking, and has the [[Eye of Newt| Material Component]] of a single copper piece. That means, in effect, the caster gives the subject "a penny for your thoughts", literally.
== Video Games ==
* Something similar happens in ''[[Grim Fandango]]'', with Glottis complaining that being fired is like they reached into his chest, tore out his heart, and tossed it into the woods, while '''doing exactly that''' to himself. This is rather too serious for Manny to bother questioning the odd choice of metaphor or why he's bothering to act it out literally at the same time.
* ''[[Evil Genius (
* ''[[Command
{{quote|
'''Sydney:''' ... PIG!
'''Havoc:''' No, ''cow''. ''(points)''
'''Cow:''' MOO! }}
* The bloody mess trait/perk from the [[Fallout]] series leaves a literal bloody mess of organs whenever you kill an enemy if you have it.
* Bridget from ''[[Guilty Gear]]'' is a warrior who uses a yo-yo as a weapon, and her Fatality is a very literal interpretation of a "shoot the moon"; she literally propels her foe into space, causing said foe to crash-land on the moon.
== Web Comics ==
* In an early episode of ''[[
* One patron in ''[[
* In ''[[
* [http://exterminatusnow.comicgenesis.com/d/20080112.html This strip] from ''[[Exterminatus Now]]''.
{{quote|
'''Virus:''' Well, I wouldn't go that far.
'''Rogue:''' I would. Just noticed. Watch your step there.
'''Virus:''' Oohh, right, '''NOT''' a metaphor. }}
* ''[[Dan and
{{quote|
'''Alexsi:''' ''(not looking)'' I'm sure they are, Dan... }}
* ''[[Everyday Heroes]]''
** Jane confesses to her neighbor Joan that she used to be a villain. When Joan expresses doubt, Jane assures her it's true; "Been there, done that, got the T-shirt!" And to prove it, she [http://www.webcomicsnation.com/eddurd/everydayheroes/series.php?view=single&ID=116236 shows Joan the T-shirt]. (Also a [[Shout
** Also, it's not polite to say "don't get all bent out of shape" to a man with a [http://www.webcomicsnation.com/eddurd/everydayheroes/series.php?view=single&ID=175292 spinal injury].
* ''[[
** Celia's ex-boyfriend is caught "[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0269.html slipping the wood]" to some dryad hussy. At least it was a potted wood.
** [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0349.html Strip #349]:
{{quote|
'''Roy:''' Like dressing up for him?
'''Sabine:''' No, I meant a literal sacrifice. I have a desecrated altar waiting for your corpse in the next room. We should get like nine months of [[Unholy Matrimony|evil happiness]] by eating your heart. Twelve, [[Virgin Sacrifice|if you're a virgin]]. }}
** [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0487.html Strip #487:]
{{quote|
** [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0490.html And #490:]
{{quote|
** In #757 ("[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0757.html Something Blue]"), Tarquin mentions that some of his previous wives got cold feet before the marriage. [[Cold-Blooded Torture|The flashback reveals that it was quite literal.]]
** Done again in [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0794.html strip #794]. Sabine apparently enjoyed making out with Elan in an inversion of [[All Girls Want Bad Boys]], and...
{{quote|
'''Nale:''' Oh really? Why don't you go chase after him, then?
'''Sabine:''' Nale, you know I love you. I didn't--
'''Nale:''' No, I mean literally. Go chase after him. He's escaping. }}
* ''[[
** What is either Bun-Bun himself or Gwynn's internal representation of Bun-Bun mocks her current problems (possessed by a demon, imprisoned in a sort of fantasy world within her mind) by playing the world's smallest violin. Then he [[Crowning Moment of Funny|drops it down his ear]].
** Elsewhere, the [https://web.archive.org/web/20120830045308/http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=020412 invention of the Chick Magnet].
** 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]:
{{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]!
* [http://www.webcomicsnation.com/shaenongarrity/skinhorse/series.php?view=archive&chapter=49004#195313 This] ''[[Skin Horse]]'' comic does it with a metaphor that doesn't even exist.
* This is a commonly used punchline in ''[[Penny Arcade (Webcomic)|Penny Arcade]]''.
* In ''[[Meat Shield (
* ''[[
* 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 ==
* ''[[
* [[
* [[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 ==
* Used in ''[[Stroker and Hoop]]'' to turn protecting [[MacGuffin|the sword of the fire lotus]] into a [[Shaggy Dog Story]], when all it did was [[Power Glows|light up]].
{{quote|
'''Stroker:''' Yeah... I guess it must have seemed a lot cooler before they invented flashlights. }}
* ''[[
** An example from when the crew are floating in space collecting [[Plot Coupons|Chronotons]]:
{{quote|
'''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|
''(rimshot)''
'''Zoidberg:''' What? That wasn't a joke! I was addressing Professor Staphylococcus over there! }}
* ''[[The Flintstones]]''
** Done in the episode in which Barney Rubble and Fred Flintstone meet Dr. Sinister.
{{quote|
}}
* ''[[The Simpsons (animation)|The Simpsons]]'':
** When Lisa is talking about guest-star [[The Critic|Jay Sherman]]:
{{quote|
'''Homer:''' My ears are burning.
'''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|
'''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.
'''
'''Lois:''' Peter, I'm holding melons.
''(she's holding two watermelons)''
'''Peter:''' Oh.
'''
'''
'''Lois:''' Peter, I'm holding hooters!
''(she has two owls perched on her arm)''
'''Peter:''' Oh, sorry.
'''Man:''' No problem. ''(beat)'' [[Rule of Three|Your wife's hot!]]
'''Peter:''' All right, that's it! }}
* ''[[
** 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".
{{quote|
'''Candace:''' [[Flat Joy|Yay.]] ''([[Beat]])'' I'm not actually on fire, am I?
'''Buford:''' Nah, you're good. }}
{{quote|
The platypus controlling me is underneath the table! }}
* ''[[Archer]]'':
** [[Double Subverted]] and played straight in the same episode. Charles and Rudy are two gay guys trying to help Archer seduce a gay spy named Ramon:
{{quote|'''Rudy:''' I'd try the Cockfight.
'''Archer:''' A cockfight?
'''
'''
'''Charles:''' Latinos... you take the bad with the good.
''(later, in The Cockfight)''
'''
'''Ramon:''' Why don't you buy him one? He could use one.
''(pan to huge Hispanic guy crying over a dead rooster)''
'''Archer:''' Why don't we all have one, and... ''(notices Ramon is gone)''
''(still later)''
'''
'''
'''
'''Rudy:''' Then where were you all night?
'''Archer:''' Way the Christ out in the Everglades, burying some Dominican guy's rooster!
''
''(beat)''
'''Archer:''' Wha...
'''Charles:''' Oh, you meant literally.
'''Archer:''' Yes! }}
{{quote|
'''Archer''': He literally might be, yes. }}
* [[Looney Tunes]]:
** Marvin the Martian's "[[Earthshattering Kaboom|Earth-shattering kaboom]]" was a literal metaphor. Then it became metaphorical again—the Trope name for the explosion of a whole planet or moon ([[That's No Moon|or humongous spacecraft]]), not just the Earth.
** 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]]?
'''Mrs. Waterman:''' Right here. ''([[Beat]], then holds up a Santa beard)'' }}
* On ''[[Justice League Unlimited]]'', Braniac 5 and [[Green Arrow]] find the [[Five-Bad Band|Fatal Five]] waiting for them.
{{quote|
'''Green Arrow:''' I know. I was hoping they'd be out looking for us.
'''Brainiac 5:''' No, shoot! }}
* From ''[[Adventure Time]]'':
{{quote|'''Marceline:''' Finn! You can't ''kill'' my ''dad''!
'''Finn:''' Oh, right, I'm sorry--
'''Marceline:''' No, literally. You can't kill my dad. He's deathless. }}
:* Also, earliest appearances, Cinnamon Bun has a reputation of being dimwitted and clumsy, something that Princess Bubblegum claims is a result of being "half-baked". While this seems like her attempt at snarky humor (Cinnamon Bun is, [[Meaningful Name| as his name implies]], a [[Anthropomorphic Food| living cinnamon bun]]) she's not joking. In the episode "The Red Throne", Cinnamon Bun spends most of the episode in the Fire Kingdom, where the environment bakes him right, making him smarter and more mature; in effect, becoming a fully baked adult.
* In ''[[American Dad]]'':
{{quote|'''
'''
'''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?
'''
'''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.
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hvyI3hwdrQ The "Yakety Yak" video] from ''[[Tiny Toon Adventures]]''; [[The Coasters]]' famous song done with backup singers that are actual yaks.
== 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.)
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[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Comedy Tropes]]
[[Category:Truth and Lies]]
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