Oblivious to Hints
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Hans Gruber: (knowing that McClane is barefoot) "Karl, schiesse auf das Fenster." |
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Bob is trying to pass a clue or message on to Alice, but in a way that won't be too conspicuous. Perhaps he's talking in Igpay Atinlay, maybe he's leaning his head or eyes in the direction he wants Alice to look, he could even be winking. Whatever it is, Alice is completely oblivious to this, or she thinks Bob is trying to say something else.
Sometimes, Bob will get so fed up with Alice's cluelessness that he'll finally decide "To hell with it," and shout the message, such as "TURN AROUND AND LOOK BEHIND YOU!" Other things may occur as well.
This can also be a character trait where a person is oblivious to any amount of Hint Dropping. The more annoying ones will misunderstand every attempt or interpret it as the opposite. In a particularly bad case you can't get it through them even if you spell it out for them or shout it in their face, and don't even bother with subtlety anymore. They might also be immune to criticism via Insult Backfire.
Related to I Do Not Speak Nonverbal (and occasionally, Nonverbal Miscommunication).
Characters who tend to suffer from this:
- Clingy Jealous Girl - when you tell them that She Is Not My Girlfriend
- The Thing That Would Not Leave - when you tell it to Get Out!
- The Cat Came Back - when you ask it to Stop Helping Me!
Film
- When Mrs. Bennet in Pride and Prejudice wants to leave Jane and Bingley alone together, she starts winking conspicuously at Elizabeth and Kitty so they'll leave. Elizabeth ignores her, knowing she's being tactless and stupid. Kitty, after a few minutes, asks why Mrs. Bennet keeps winking at her.
- This exchange between the Big Bad and her sidekick in Men in Black II, when the former hears a suspicious noise in the kitchen:
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Serleena: *nods in the direction of the kitchen* |
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- Probably the funniest scene in the entire Indiana Jones series occurs in The Last Crusade.
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Obvious Nazi agent: Welcome to Iskenderun. The Director of the Museum of Antiquities has sent a car for you. |
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Live Action TV
- In one episode of Deal or No Deal, Howie Mandel tried to show a contestant and her family that her sister had flown in from Boston to play one of the show's models.
- In one episode of Fawlty Towers, Polly keeps hinting to an oblivious Basil that their gourmet chef is deeply drunk, while Basil entertains dinner guests.
Stand-Up Comedy
- George Carlin complained about this in his last show, It's Bad For Ya. He discusses at people's inability to take a hint that they're boring the crap out of him, when he finally rants.
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George: And while all of this is going on, you're searching through your mind for something gracious and diplomatic you can say to bring the conversation to a close; and all I can ever come up with is, "SHUT THE FUCK UP! SHUT THE FUCK UP! SHUT THE FUCK UP! SHUT THE FUCK UP!" |
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Theatre
- It happens in the play Boeing Boeing as the main character tries to inform his philandering roommate that the German stewardess girlfriend has arrived ahead of schedule—while his French girlfriend is in the room.
Video Games
- Sierra Petrovita from Fallout 3. She is pretty naïve and is blind to the fact that her neighbor, Ronald Laren, is constantly hinting that he wants to have sex with her, and the Player Character can even tell her outright that Ronald "only wants to get in her pants", to which she responds: "Who would wanna wear an old pair of women's pants?"
Western Animation
- There are probably many of these in The Simpsons, but one of the best known is when Homer and Bart are working the ringtoss booth at the carnival. Wiggum tries to get Homer to bribe him, but after three tries (one of which includes mentioning his friend "Mr. Bribe"), Wiggum decides "screw this", and shuts the booth down.
- Later in the episode, Wiggum refuses to help the Simpson family when the owners of that booth took over their house. Homer still doesn't get it.
- In The Emperor's New Groove, Kronk can't figure out that Yzma wants him to knock Kuzco out until she finally slams her fist into her other palm.
- Why are you giving me the secret signal to shut up?
- Three Amigos has Lucky making all manner of noisy bird-like calls to get the attention of Dusty and Ned. When they're sitting only a few feet away. He finally gives up and shouts at them.