Stealth Insult: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

{{quote|'''Baloo''': I'll learn him all I know!

Character A is in no position to insult Character B... but does so anyway in a way designed to slip under Character B's radar.

 

 

Sometimes rendered in writing via an acrostic, a text in which the first letters of each line or word collectively form their own message. The page image is an example.

 

 

{{examples}}

 

* In ''[[V for Vendetta]]'', the gangster, Ally is hired by the new police chief, Creedy.

{{quote|Ally: Yer predecessor, Mr Almond wouldna' have had time fer a man like me, a verra superior man, Mr Almond. Now you sir, you're not superior. Quite the reverse, in fact.}}

* In the comic version of ''[[300]]'', Leonidas and the remaining Spartans are surrounded by Xerxes' army after they were betrayed by the Spartan {{spoiler|Ephialtes}}. Leonidas tells him, "May you live forever" before taking his last stand. This phrase may sound oddly complimentary until you realize that living forever in Spartan culture, as opposed to dying gloriously in battle, is a dishonorable fate.

 

* In Disney's ''[[Aladdin (Disney film)|Aladdin]]'', the Sultan insults ''himself'' in a very subtle way. He is wondering why Jasmine can't choose a suitor to marry, then adds 'Her mother wasn't nearly so picky.' It may take the audience a little while to notice the self-deprecation.

* In Disney's ''[[The Jungle Book (Disney film)|The Jungle Book]]'', Bagheera delivers a sharp one when Baloo is trying to make himself look like someone who can be trusted to raise Mowgli (see page quote).

* In Disney's ''[[Beauty and the Beast]]'', Belle casually calls Gaston "primeval". It's only a stealth insult because [[Book Dumb|Gaston]] has no idea what primeval means.

* In Disney's ''[[The Emperor's New Groove|The Emperors New Groove]]'', Kronk remarks that one would think [[Spoiled Brat|Kusco]] would have turned out better, in response to [[Evil Chancellor|Yzma]] stating that she practically raised him. It's not entirely certain if Kronk even ''intended'' this to be an insult, given he's [[Dumb Muscle]].

* In the comedy film ''[[Liar Liar]]'', [[Jim Carrey]]'s character, who has been cursed to tell the truth for one day, is forced to tell his coworkers ''exactly'' what he thinks of them (not very complimentary thoughts, to say the least), but manages to save himself from disaster by [[Sarcastic Confession|affecting a mocking tone of voice]], thus convincing his coworkers that his insults are [[The Roast|only outrageous jokes.]]

* ''[[Time Bandits]]''.

'''Wadsworth:''' You don't need any help from me, sir.

'''Col. Mustard:''' That's right! }}

 

== Literature ==

{{quote|'''Sybill Trelawney''': Everything went pitch black and the next thing I knew, I was being hurled headfirst out of the Room!

'''Harry Potter''': And you didn't see that coming? }}

'''Client:''' Meaning that I lie.

'''Holmes:''' Well, I was trying to express it as delicately as I could, but if you insist upon the word I will not contradict you. }}

{{quote|"A confederate who foresees your conclusions and course of action is always dangerous, but one to whom each development comes as a perpetual surprise, and to whom the future is always a closed book, is indeed an ideal helpmate."}}

* [[Older Than Print]]: In ''[[Romance of the Three Kingdoms]]'', Cao Cao manages to insult the capabilities of his surviving advisors by weeping for a dead one.

* ''[[Warrior Cats]]'' is good with these: in the later books of the series, most Gatherings consist almost entirely of the Clans taking jabs at each other in this manner.

{{quote|"I am pleased to hear that you are getting so much use out of a piece of land prey-poor by ThunderClan standards."}}

{{quote|'''Sgt. Colon''': I know something about seaweed, sir.

'''Vetinari''': You do?

* [[Jeeves and Wooster|Bertie Wooster]] calls out [[The Jeeves|Jeeves]] on the way he says "Well, sir," and "Indeed, sir?"

{{quote|'''Bertie''': "The impression I retain after hearing you shoot it at me a couple of times is that you consider me to be talking through the back of my neck, and that only a feudal sense of what is fitting restrains you from substituting for it the words 'Says you!'"}}

 

== Live-Action TV ==

{{quote|'''Simon Amstell''': I only read his wife's book, I can't believe that upset him... I mean, then again, I've read the whole thing and it upset me.}}

* This conversation from ''[[I, Claudius]]'':

'''Claudius:''' Mad? Why your majesty, you set the standard of sanity for the entire world! }}

* You better believe that [[Blackadder]] indulges in this from time to time. Especially prevalent in seasons 3 and 4, when he had more superiors than underlings.

{{quote|'''Helen:''' But I don't have any funny lines!

'''Jennifer:''' Don't blame your tools. }}

* Major Burns in ''[[M*A*S*H (television)|Mash]]'' is a frequent target, except for those times when people insult him to his face. Two examples:

{{quote|'''Burns''': Wasn't your nose broken?

'''[[French Jerk|Jean Paul]]:''' Thank you. }}

* The second season of ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' had the following exchange:

'''[[Deadpan Snarker|Oz]]:''' That's great, Larry. You've really mastered the single entendre. }}

* In ''Talking Funny'' [[Jerry Seinfeld]] and [[Louis CK]] recall a conversation about the F word (Jerry doesn't use it while Louis is Mr. [[Cluster F-Bomb]]), where Jerry compared it to an American sports car. Louis thinks Jerry means the F word is special and should be used sparingly, but after some thought realized that his wealthy car-collecting friend meant that the word is flashy, vulgar, and only really appealing to low-class people who don't know better.

* [[Mad Men]]'s Pete Campbell gets off a [[Crowning Moment of Funny|pretty awesome one]] in S3 when he assures his old college buddy that his idea for a national jai alai league is "exactly [[The Gambling Addict|my]] [[Impoverished Patrician|father's]] sort of investment."

* [[House]]: when House tests candidates for his team at the beginning of the 4th season, one of the candidates's theories is shot down by Foreman. When House confirms that the candidate's idea was actually good, the candidate subtly looks at Foreman and gets some dust out of his eye... with his middle finger.

 

== Newspaper Comics ==

{{quote|'''Calvin:''' What the... I'm not playing a full deck!

'''Hobbes:''' That's what they all say. }}

* In ''[[Dilbert]]'', Dogbert once gives the title character this epic zing:

{{quote|'''Dogbert''': I could never underestimate your intelligence.

'''Dilbert''': Apology accepted. }}

* Brilliantly played by Rat in ''[[Pearls Before Swine]]'':

{{quote|'''Pig''': My goal in life is to leave every place I visit a little better than when I arrived.

'''Pig''': ''Ohhh'', thank you!! Thank you!!

'''Rat''': ''(to Goat)'' The best insults are the ones that look like compliments. }}

 

== Tabletop Games ==

* ''[[Magic: The Gathering|Magic the Gathering]]'' has one in the flavor text for the joke card [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=74290 Zombie Fanboy] {{spoiler|(The implication being that gamers have a stench comparable to that of zombies.)}}:

{{quote|''The real advantage of being a zombie gamer? No one notices the stench.''}}

 

** Another notable example is ''[[Hamlet]]'', where the titular character made many of these comments, most notably urging his then-girlfriend Ophelia, "[[Get Thee to a Nunnery]]". ("Nunnery" was slang for "brothel" at the time.)

** Hamlet calls Polonius a "Fishmonger". When he was corrected, he responded with regret that Polonius was not so honorable a man. It seems to fit in with Hamlet's "antic disposition," but fishmonger is thought to be period slang for "fleshmonger." In other words, he's saying that Polonius is lower than a pimp.

* In [[Moliere]]'s play ''The Miser'', title character Harpagon wants his daughter, Elise to marry a much older man, because he'd take her without dowry. When Harpagon's steward, Valère, who's secretly in love with Elise, hears this, he comments: "When a man offers to marry a girl without a dowry, we ought to look no farther. Everything is comprised in that, and "without dowry" compensates for want of beauty, youth, birth, honour, wisdom, and probity." Harpagon takes it completely seriously.

* [[Cyrano De Bergerac]]: While [[Giftedly Bad|the baker Raguenau]] reads [[Stylistic Suck|his poem]] to his [[False Friend|poets ''friends'',]] [[Starving Artist|they are frenetically eating Ragueneau’s pastries]]. When Ragueaneau finishes, the [[Writers Suck|poets]] praise his poem with culinary terms.

* ''[[A Streetcar Named Desire]]'' has both Stanley and Blanche firing these off at one another at certain points. One memorable moment is when they talk about horoscopes, with Blanche under the assumption that Stanley is an Aries (forceful and dynamic) while Stanley scoffs at Blanche's sign being Virgo the Virgin (in which she's the opposite).

 

== Video Games ==

{{quote|'''Dr. Nefarious:''' Did you hear that, Lawrence?

'''Lawrence:''' You put the wit in twit, sir.

'''Lawrence:''' Even drooling imbeciles can achieve success in certain fields, sir. Mad Science, for example.

[...]

'''Lawrence:''' Yes, that should clear things right up, sir. }}

* [[The World Ends With You|Konishi]] manages it with Beat, but [[Idiot Hero|that's not too hard]]. Of course, Neku's right there to clarify things.

'''Beat''': "Damn straight!"

'''Neku''': "... Dude, she's making fun of you." }}

** Which is one of Nintendo Power's preferred methods of insulting games as they review because even when giving a very harsh rating they don't fully dismantle a game being published by Nintendo.

* In ''[[Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker]]'', many characters regularly make a [["V" Sign]]. Zadornov is fond of using the knuckles-outward version when talking to Snake.

** In the ending, when Snake gives his speech about turning his back on almost everyone he's ever known, {{spoiler|he's holding Zadornov's prosthetic hand in that same gesture}}.

 

** Not to mention a pun on Stanley's name.

* Used in [http://www.awkwardzombie.com/comic1-060809.php this] ''[[Awkward Zombie]]'' strip. The insulted characters do notice, but not until after the person handing out the insults leaves.

* In ''[[Irregular Webcomic]]'', a black market weapons dealer is trying to sell to Serron and Iki Piki. He says that a new weapon is a quantum leap above its predecessors. Iki Piki says that "quantum leap" [[You Keep Using That Word|actually means]] the smallest possible unit of change. When the dealer doesn't understand, Iki Piki says that his brain is obviously a quantum leap above primordial protoplasm. The dealer responds with "flattery will get you nowhere"

* When she needs to find a secret passageway in ''[[Girl Genius]]'', Agatha muses that they just need to “Think like a diabolical, paranoid, amoral megalomaniac.” Cue [[Chronic Backstabbing Disorder|Tarvek]] finding it [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20101124 right off the bat].

* ''[[Bobwhite]]''. [http://www.bobwhitecomics.com/?webcomic_post=20090429 Ivy's response to Marlene's film] comes across like she was trying to compliment Marlene but was insulting anyway.

{{quote|'''Ivy:''' Marlene, I gotta say. I'm as surprised as anyone, but I think... I think I like it! I think it might ''not be terrible!'' You're like the little retarded kid who finally learned how to fly.

'''Marlene:''' Okay, no talking during the movie. }}

 

* [[Acts of Gord]], [http://www.actsofgord.com/Annoy/ Book of Annoyances], [http://www.actsofgord.com/Annoy/chapter03.php Chapter 3];

{{quote|'''Gord:''' I'm sorry, I'm afraid I subscribe to the theory of intellectual osmosis. As such, I must now cease our conversation and move away from you before my intelligence begins to drop. Good day.}}

In their own not-that-heroic way }}

* See here and there on this very Wiki. For example, in the Film section of [[Pragmatic Villainy]]:

* Which is almost repeated in ''[[Constantine]]'', down to the name of {{spoiler|the rebel angel}}. However, ''The Prophecy'' could have been based on or inspired by the ''Hellblazer'' series. }}

 

== Western Animation ==

{{quote|'''Brad:''' "Mom and dad said I watch you good they'll let me take my driver's test again!"

'''Kick:''' "...Fifth time's the charm." }}

 

== Real Life ==

* A former student of Nicholas Murray Butler (who was then the [[wikipedia:Nicholas Murray Butler|president of Columbia University]]) was asked to contribute a piece to ''Poetry'' magazine. He obliged... with a [http://everything2.com/?node_id=1091716 poem] in which the first letter of each line spelled out the statement "Nicholas Murray Butler Is A Horse's Ass".

* [http://www.snopes.com/photos/signs/headstone.asp This creative headstone.]

** An American version could be the less offensive and somewhat insulting "If you see Kay, you tell her I said hi!" Say the first five words out loud slowly.

** There's the Irish "Whale oil beef hooked" (say it out loud, possibly with an Irish accent).

* After a public dispute between Robert Hooke and Isaac Newton, the latter wrote an open letter of apology to the Royal Society. It contained what became a famous quote of his "If I have seen further than most it is by standing on the shoulders of giants" (''and not twisted little hunchbacks like Hooke'').

** "Hawaiian Good Luck Sign" is still a popular euphemism for it in some regions.

** Pueblo's captain, Commander Lloyd Bucher, was tortured by the North Korean forces, who eventually succeeded in forcing him to confess. However, to quote [[The Other Wiki]], '' 'none of the Koreans knew enough English to write a confession, so they had Bucher write it himself. They verified the meaning of his words, but failed to catch the pun when he said "We paean (paean meaning a fervent expression of joy or praise) the DPRK. We paean the Korean people. We paean their great leader Kim Il Sung".' '' Another quote from the confession: "[We] beseech the Korean people to forgive our dastardly deeds unmatched since Attila."

Age 102

The Good Die Young. }}

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Dialogue]]

[[Category:Insult Tropes]]

[[Category:Oh Great a Snark Index]]