The Mysterious Benedict Society: Difference between revisions

* [[Fun With Acronyms]]: The Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened becomes L.I.V.E., which becomes, [[Sdrawkcab Name|well... you know.]] In fact, Mr. Curtain seems to be quite fond of acronyms. Had his scheme in the first book succeeded, he would have gotten himself declared "Master and Secretary of All the Earth's Regions," or M.A.S.T.E.R. Additionally, he made up pamphlets describing a supposed "Sudden Amnesia Disease," with sufferers known as "S.A.D. cases." In actuality, S.A.D. was just a smokescreen to attract anyone who was hearing voices from his Whisperer to Nomansen Island, where he would then use the Whisperer to wipe their memories himself, so they wouldn't be a threat.

* [[Gang of Bullies]]: ''The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict'' has The Spiders, a group of three bullies. Rather dimwitted, they've nevertheless managed to terrify the whole orphanage. Benedict almost always manages to outsmart them, escaping their torments, though they still cause him trouble by making him remain constantly on the alert and also terrifying anyone who would be friends with him.

* [[Hidden Purpose Test]]

* [[Improbable Age]]: It's quite a shock to the group that {{spoiler|Constance is only three in the first book}}.

** Throughout most of the story, she's {{spoiler|''two''}}.

* [[Living Lie Detector]]: Both Constance Contraire and Nicholas Benedict can usually tell when someone is lying about something.

* [[Malaproper]]: S.Q. Pedalian, who tends to combine real words to form new ones, for example, "astounded" and "astonished" to make "astoundished," and also gets confused when it comes to figures of speech.

* [[Rhymes On a Dime]]: Constance Contraire, when writing her poetry. In describing the poem that she wrote about donut holes, Mr. Benedict mentions recalling a "particularly felicitous rhyme between 'flaky bereft' and 'bakery theft'."

* [[Room 101]]: The Waiting Room, which is so horrible that even those who have never been there cringe in fear of it. Sticky gets sent there, and it's just a room full of mud and insects; nevertheless, he is nearly broken by it. Later, Milligan gets captured and sent to it and it turns out to work to the party's advantage. He is able to hold his breath and sink down below the mud and then escape.

** {{spoiler|It's now been revealed that Constance was an orphan who ran away from the orphanage in order to avoid the Ten Men.}}

* [[School for Scheming]]: The Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened.