The Big Bang Theory: Difference between revisions

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'''Leonard:''' Oh God no! ([[Beat|long pause]]) But [[Money, Dear Boy|the money's good]]... and I used the equipment to build my own [[Bat Signal]]. }}

 

 

 

A cute new neighbour called Penny moves in next door, and Leonard almost instantly develops a crush on her. Penny is a perfectly normal person with an average intelligence level, but is seen as a [[Dumb Blonde]] compared to Leonard and Sheldon.

Rounding out the cast are two other genius geeks who are always visiting Sheldon and Leonard: Howard Wolowitz, a [[Casanova Wannabe|a wild but unsuccessful womanizer]] who never stops hitting on Penny; and Rajesh "Raj" Koothrappali, who suffers from [[The Voiceless|crippling shyness]] whenever attractive women are around (unless he's drunk or otherwise intoxicated).

 

 

And for the most part the scientific and nerd references are ''[[Shown Their Work|accurate]]'', or at least close enough that somewhere between the writing and the acting someone knows what they're talking about. As for the show's [[Rule of Drama|drama]] and [[Story Arc|overarching plot]], most of that relies on [[UST]] between Leonard and Penny. The series almost runs on [[Give Geeks a Chance]].

Starting in season four they added two new characters as semi-regulars, Bernadette Rostenkowski (Microbiologist) and Amy Farrah Fowler (Neurobiologist). Bernadette was Penny's friend and co-worker who began dating Howard. Amy is a [[Distaff Counterpart|female counterpart]] and asexual love interest to Sheldon accidentally discovered through an online dating service prank. While they are also extremely intelligent, they ended up forming a trio with Penny that contrasts the four guys and gives [[The Bechdel Test|a new female perspective on the show]].

 

 

{{tropelist}}

 

== 0-E ==

* [[Above the Influence]]: Leonard in "The Middle Earth Paradigm". After a brief confrontation between Leonard and Penny's ex at her Halloween party, Penny visits Leonard in his apartment a little drunk and upset over what happened. Leonard ends up comforting her and she starts kissing him. While obviously enjoying it, he pulls away:

'''Leonard:''' Because if all men were like me, the human race wouldn't survive! }}

** {{spoiler|Subverted in the third season finale where a drunken Penny takes Leonard to bed, though he did genuinely mistake it for a desire to get back together and was upset when that wasn't the case}}.

* [[Abusive Parents]]: Leonard's mother is emotionally abusive and neglectful. Naturally this is [[Played for Laughs]].

* [[Accidental Kiss]]: When a drunk Rajesh attempts to kiss Bernadette, Howard gives a [[Big No]] and interposes himself between the two. And he doesn't kiss his girlfriend.

* [[Acceptable Feminine Goals]]: Despite being a renowned scientist with a brilliant career, Amy believes strongly in those, mostly because she was always deprived of ever believing it could be a possibility for her in the first place.

* [[Actor Allusion]]: In one episode, Kaley Cuoco's character Penny is talking about an upcoming play and says, "This could be my only chance to play Anne Frank." In ''[[8 Simple Rules]]'', Kaley Cuoco's character Bridget was Anne Frank in her school play.

** Penny later got a commercial gig that showed her riding horses. Kaley is an avid rider, and in fact broke her leg the previous season after she fell and the horse trotted over it.

** In an early episode, the boys consider recruiting "TV's Blossom" (Mayim Bialik) to their Physics Bowl team, as Raj has heard she has a Ph.D. in "neuroscience or something." ''Dr.'' Bialik does, in fact, have a Ph.D. in neuroscience, and later appeared on the show as Amy Ferrah Fowler, a neurobiologist.

* [[Adam Westing]]: [[Wil Wheaton]].

* [[Afraid of Needles]]: Leonard is so afraid of having to get stitches for his hand that he vomits - and when Howard sees them, so does he.

* [[All Germans Are Nazis]]: Subtly invoked to nip Sheldon's bachelor party suggestion in the bud;

'''Howard''': Then it probably isn't for me! }}

* [[All Girls Want Bad Boys]]: Penny seems to be attracted to muscular and obnoxious guys (Kurt from the pilot episode and the unseen boyfriend of the first season finale) and subsequently hates herself for it. One of the main reasons she gives Leonard a chance is that he was so far removed from the previous guys she would date.

** Inverted in "The Flaming Spittoon Acquisition" with Sheldon, Amy and Stuart. {{spoiler|Stuart asks Leonard about Sheldon and Amy and, after being told that they're not actually dating, asks Amy out. Stuart and Amy go on two dates before [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|Sheldon charges back and asks Amy point-blank to be his girlfriend.]]}}

* [[All Just a Dream]]: The majority of {{spoiler|"The Recombination Hypothesis" consisted of Leonard daydreaming/wargaming a date with Penny}}.

** Leslie (not to mention Howard and Sheldon) is convinced Penny's addiction to ''Age of Conan'' is a result of sexual frustration.

** Averted and played straight by Leonard's mother, a psychologist (and [[TV Genius]] ala Sheldon), who acknowledges briefly that many of Freud's theories are obsolete. [[Rule of Funny|She still uses informal Freudian analysis]] on Penny, Howard, and Raj, the latter of whom she insists are in [[Heterosexual Life Partners|an ersatz homosexual relationship]]. They immediately begin arguing the point... [[Like an Old Married Couple]].

* [[All Women Love Shoes]]: Penny, many examples.

* [[Ambiguously Gay]]: Raj. His sister even admitted that his family was wondering that about him. But besides some awkward moments both in the show and [[Noodle Incident|spoken of in passing]], it's made pretty clear that he isn't gay... through a series of daydreams about his attraction to Bernadette. "Dance number aside, I am SO not gay." so he may be more [[Camp Straight]].

** There was that time Leonard's psychiatrist mother described Raj and Howard as being in "an ersatz homosexual relationship".

** In the episode before he daydreams about Bernadette, however...

'''Howard''': It means next time we play handball I'm showering at home. }}

** Amy has all but stated she has a big crush on Penny (and has admited Bernadette as well), but could be interpreted as a [[Stupid Sexy Flanders]] in that she appreciates her own gender but is otherwise straight.

'''Amy''': There's not a hair on my body I wouldn't let this woman trim. }}

* [[Amicably Divorced]]: {{spoiler|Penny and Leonard after their break-up. This of course causes friction when Leonard gets with Priya.}}

* [[Anachronism Stew]]: In-universe at a Renaissance Faire the main characters attend, with historical inaccuracies discussed by Sheldon. Later, Sheldon invents Three Person Chess and adds several new pieces and rules to the game, the result being that the medieval-styled classical chess pieces can now move using golf carts, time machines, transporter pads and jetpacks.

* [[Armor-Piercing Question]]: In a girl's night out when they ended up playing "Truth or Dare" Bernadette asked Penny why she hung out and talked with Leonard so much even though she broke up with him. Penny replied that he was a great guy but felt he got too serious, which led to another question that what if she wanted him back and he was taken by someone else ''because'' he is a "great guy?" Penny didn't know how to respond to that and declared the game over.

* [[The Art of Bra Removal]]: Howard is making out with Bernadette and fumbling with her bra, only for her to tell him it unhooks at the front.

* [[Ascended Extra]]/[[Demoted to Extra]]: Leslie Winkle showed up three times in the first season, and her character was liked enough that the production team announced her as becoming a regular early in the second season. After about 4 episodes in they quickly realized that she worked largely because she was a staunch, stubborn [[Arch Enemy]] to Sheldon with no real room for her own stories or even [[Character Development]]. They quietly put her character aside and she shows up more sporadically since.

** Both Bernadette and Amy Farrah Fowler started out as sporadic recurring characters introduced in the third season and given their own little plot lines in the fourth. While they may not always show up unlike the core 5, they are credited as stars in the episodes they appear, and have appeared much more frequently than before. Starting from season 5, they can be expected to appear in any given episode and get just as much focus as any of the other characters.

* [[Asexuality]]: This is Sheldon's 'deal'. He's familiar with the concepts of physical or romantic attraction but doesn't apparently experience those things himself. Any time he "clicks" with someone in a romantic way, it is always juxtaposed with a common scientific enthusiasm. While the possibility of sexual attraction has appeared from time to time, he is written largely as someone who puts intellect and science first and mocks his friends for not doing the same.

'''Sheldon:''' [[Sarcasm Blind|My point.]] }}

** Similarly his [[She Is Not My Girlfriend|Not-Girlfriend]]/[[Distaff Counterpart]] Amy Fowler refuses to touch or have sex with him. But the more she hangs out with Penny she displays more signs of sexual repression rather than straight asexuality, along with hints towards [[Bi the Way|seeing the appeal of either side]].

*** Further realized when Amy gets roaring drunk and demands to know what or how much it would take for Sheldon to "take her to that skeezy motel and ravish her."

* [[Astonishingly Appropriate Interruption]]: In the second Season 5 episode, Amy Farrah Fowler is playing the harp and singing "The Girl From Ipanema" when Sheldon pays her a visit.

'''Sheldon:''' (Knock, knock, knock) Amy? (Knock, knock, knock) Amy? (Knock, knock, knock) Amy? }}

** Also [[Invoked Trope|invoked]] by Penny, who knows that Sheldon always knocks on her door in a certain way with three knocks and then saying her name:

'''Sheldon:''' Penny? }}

* [[Attention Deficit Ooh Shiny]]: Sheldon. Penny sometimes, most often when she attends any of their science lectures but there is also this gem "My mother smoked pot when she was pregnant with me and I turned out fine... Oh, more wine!"

* [[Bad Bad Acting]]: Sheldon and Amy trying to put on a web series "Fun with Flags." They always stare straight into the camera, even when having a "conversation" with each other.

* [[Barrier-Busting Blow]]: Penny is casually climbing upstairs, minding her own business, when Sheldon and Leonard's door bursts apart and a killer robot of their own invention rampages into the hallway, making her flee in terror.

** Howard tries to perform one, but just bounces right off the door.

* [[The Beard]]: Penny asked Leonard to pretend that they are still together when her father came to visit, because Leonard is "the first guy he ever approved of. [[Long List|You're a scientist, you went to college, you don't have a neck tattoo or outstanding warrants... or a baby.]]" Leonard, delighting in the irony, proceeds to make out with her at every opportunity.

** Amy asked Sheldon to pretend to be her boyfriend so that her mom would get off her back. Sheldon initially confused it for an invitation to actually ''be'' her boyfriend, and was relieved when that wasn't the case. As they meet her mom over web cam, he made certain to talk about [[Have I Mentioned I Am Heterosexual Today?|how much sex they have together]].

* [[The Bechdel Test]]: Narrowly succeeds. Penny being the sole prominent female character, it was to be expected but the later addition of Bernadette and Amy to the cast, gives the girls more opportunities to occasionally speak about something else than men. Relationship issues usually comes up with their various get-togethers, as each have a romantic counterpart on the guys side, but on the whole they aren't always just talking about men (they actually had a "Truth or Dare" game where Penny ended it when they asked some uncomfortable questions about her feelings for Leonard).

* [[Bedmate Reveal]]: In the final episode of season 4, Raj and {{spoiler|Penny}}.

** Don't mention [[Wil Wheaton]] around Sheldon, unless you want a "WHEEEEEAAAATOOOOOONNN!" that would make [[Big Word Shout|Shatner proud]].

*** They made up at the end of "The Russian Rocket Reaction" and are now good friends (according to Sheldon, anyways). Unfortunately, [[Brent Spiner]] then inadvertently replaces [[Wil Wheaton]] on Sheldon's Mortal Enemy list.

** Also for Sheldon... Goofy

'''Leonard''': Beats me... he's fine with Pluto. }}

** And don't sit in Sheldon's spot on the couch. You will regret it.

** While Sheldon is perfectly fine with cheap shots aimed at his mother, ''do not insult his memaw.''

** You do not touch the thermostat.

** Hating trains is also a friendship-ender for Sheldon.

** On a similar note, do '''not''' mention Sheldon within earshot of Leslie Winkle unless you want to get her to join your effort to subject Sheldon to a [[Humiliation Conga]].

** Bernadette with children.

** Believe it or not, Sheldon. He has on numerous occasions talked about using chemicals untraceable in autopsies against his enemies and has the same temper when something gets under his skin that Bernadette does, shouting out angry yet often childish insults in the same way.

* [[Big Book of War]]: The Roommate Agreement

* [[Big Brother Instinct]]: Sheldon briefly becomes [[Knight Templar Big Brother|very protective]] of who his twin sister dates, though subverted as its only because he comes to the conclusion that residing in her loins possibly lies the potential building blocks for her to have an offspring who is ''another'' remarkable individual like himself; Sheldon 2.0, if you will.

** Cue one [[Groin Attack]] from Missy.

** Sheldon lets one out when he realizes that he locked himself out of his apartment, ruining his perfect night alone.

** Sheldon when a "terrifying" song bird flies through the apartment window and lands on his couch space.

** Raj when he gets too attached to the female voice on his phone, has a sex-dream about her as a woman, only to find out that once again, he can no longer speak.

* [[Bilingual Bonus]]: Amy Farrah-Fowler invokes this in Episode 22 of Season 4. You can still get the gist of the sentence, but Amy was called a whore in Spanish.

** Chinese speakers will recognize that Sheldon asking the Chinese restaurant owner to "[[My Hovercraft Is Full of Eels|show me your mucus]]" in "The Tangerine Factor" is indeed a very mangled attempt to say "show me your tangerine peels".

* [[Birthday Hater]]: Sheldon has some mental scars from past birthdays relating to his general aversion to socialization. Leonard is pretty apathetic as far as birthdays go because his mother didn't like the concept, but appreciates the gesture when his friends plan a surprise party for him.

* [[Bi the Way]]: Amy seems to be largely heterosexual, but has made sexual overtures more than once to Penny.

* [[Blah Blah Blah]]:

'''Sheldon''': Of course I'm listening. Blah, blah, hopeless Penny delusion, blah, blah, blah. }}

** "I have no difficulty believing you're not butter."

** Leonard, Penny, and Sheldon watch an episode of ''Oshikuru Demon Samurai''. The actual dialogue heard played is from real series ''[[Boogiepop Phantom]]''. ''Oshikuru'' is a fictional anime series also mentioned in ''[[Two and A Half Men]]''.

*** However, in "The Zarnecki Incursion," many of the ''WoW'' references were true to the game.

* [[Blind Date]]: Penny sets Raj up with a [[Disabled Love Interest]].

** Howard meets Bernadette through a blind date, after Leonard convinces Penny to have one of her friends go on a double date. It goes poorly until [[Not So Different|they bond over their overbearing mothers]].

* [[Bollywood Nerd]]: Raj milks this for all it's worth, claiming to have grown up in poverty before moving to America to pursue his dream of becoming an astrophysicist.

** He later admitted that he grew up in a large home with servants and according to him "We don't allow our poor people to have dreams."

* [[Book Dumb]]: Although Penny is more street-smart, sociable, and tolerant than any of the guys, she's easily exasperated and put off by even trying to learn anything related to science. Except that fig Newtons are named after the town in Massachusetts, not the scientist.

** "Don't write that down!"

* [[Break the Haughty]]: Sheldon is sometimes caught up by karma. The rest of the gang occasionally succeeds in proving him wrong, humiliating him or shutting him up but it's subverted by the fact that he never seems to lose his arrogance.

* [[Breaking Bad News Gently]]: Leonard says he's in bed when told to sit down.

** In "The Creepy Candy Coating Corollary", Leonard says "Warlord beats Troll, Troll beats Elf, Elf beats Water Sprite, and basically everything beats Enchanted Bunny". During Sheldon & Raj's final match with [[Wil Wheaton]] and Stuart, {{spoiler|Sheldon feels bad for Wil's grandma dying, so he plays Enchanted Bunny... and loses.}}

** Another one in Season 3. In the first scene, Raj, Howard and Leonard run down the stairs shouting "Kites ho!", incurring Sheldon to give a speech on the correct use of the term 'ho'. Later, when Sheldon asks why Leonard went through the trouble of learning the rules of American football so as not to embarrass himself in front of Penny's friends - and therefore still be able to see her - when he could have more easily paid someone else to have sex with him.

*** Which becomes a brick joke again in another episode:

'''Sheldon''': Yes, but I didn't want to offend the hoes. }}

* [[Brief Accent Imitation]]:

** Howard occasionally imitates an exaggerated Indian accent. For example, in “The Grasshopper Experiment” he pretends to be Raj on the phone.

** Leonard does point out that confirming results ''validates'' the major scientific experiments and that just because its not cutting-edge research, doesn't mean its not very important work. When Sheldon came up with a new theory that was highly praised, Leonard was quick to remind him that he created the experiment that ''proved'' it; the scientific community wouldn't just "[[Insufferable Genius|take his word for it]]".

* [[Brutal Honesty]]: Sheldon is a practitioner.

'''Sheldon:''' ...the statement stands for itself. }}

* [[But I Would Really Enjoy It]]: Amy invokes changing the physical parameters of her relationship with Sheldon at various points.

 

* [[Butt Monkey]]: Wolowitz. Raj has taken over as the primary [[Butt Monkey]], although really all four nerds take it in turns.

* [[But Thou Must!]]:

'''Sheldon''': I'm familiar with everything... but go on. }}

* [[But You Screw One Goat!]]: What Raj believes "get back on the horse" means.

'''Raj''': That's disgusting, dude! }}

* [[California University]]: Averted; Caltech is of course a real (and well-known) university in Pasadena, CA. In a strange variation though, given the ages of each character it is unlikely they would have stayed with the same university as long as they have, at least since about 2002. It's largely just practical for the purposes of a show but it could also be that they are just comfortable with the [[Status Quo Is God|current status of their careers]].

** In the fourth season Penny gave Leonard a surprise kiss in front of her father, trying to placate him by pretending her and Leonard were together. Leonard stumbled back into his apartment and explained what happened to the guys, and they started joking over Leonard pining after Penny again, with Raj making a direct quote from the pilot episode as a Leonard classic "Our children will be smart ''[[Nerds Are Sexy|and]]'' beautiful."

*** In Season 5, Sheldon's mom actually sings it to him.

* [[Calling Your Bathroom Breaks]]: Sheldon actually insists on a bathroom schedule, occasionally attempting to discuss it with others. Leonard's mother, likewise, stands and says "I have to urinate," before going to the bathroom.

* [[Cameo]]: In the episode where Raj gets in ''People'' Magazine's "Top 30 under 30", he brags about it to Charlie from ''[[Two and A Half Men]]'', who tells him to call when he's on the cover. (This is a direct reference to the fact that [[Charlie Sheen]] has indeed been on the cover of ''People'' many, ''many'' times.)

* [[Camp Straight]]: Apparently the reason why many people (including his parents) think that Raj is gay, much to his chagrin;

'''Raj''': Yeah ok, ''that'' time I heard it! }}

** Sheldon. {{spoiler|It helps him get over his stage fright, but boy, does it send him off the deep end.}} In a later episode, he uses tequila as an impromptu mouthwash and admitted he might have swallowed a teeny bit. He immediately follows by an offhand "I love you so much" to Leonard. Even coffee to keep him awake makes him quite hyperactive.

*** Likewise, [[Distaff Counterpart|Amy]]. {{spoiler|It not only renders her incapable of multiplying 14x16 and causes massive vomiting followed by passing out, but she also flirts with and ''kisses'' Sheldon.}}

** In an interesting case of [[Reality Ensues]], Raj finds that he can't talk to woman without a little bit of a buzz (it has sometimes just required one sip or at least the [[Placebo Effect]]). Initially, while capable of talking to women he also very quickly became drunk and obnoxious. As he continued, his ability to hold his liquor improves drastically, and that trailed into his success with women.

'''Penny:''' Injured and drugged is a kind of sick }}

** Howard.

* [[The Cast Showoff]]: Leonard has been shown playing the cello, Howard and Sheldon both play the piano. And they sing!

** Amy plays the harp and sings as well.

* [[Catch Phrase]]: Sheldon created his own with "Bazinga!" whenever he attempts a joke or prank. Unusually, it is only used a handful of times a season.

** "Here we go...." whenever someone causes Sheldon to go into an explanation he has apparently said previously numerous times.

** Somewhat lampshaded by Wolowitz:

'''Howard''': I know you, you're stupid enough to break it up! }}

* [[Celibate Eccentric Genius]]: Dr. Sheldon Cooper before Amy Farrah Fowler came along. Even his dynamic with Amy isn't particularly conventionally romantic.

** Sheldon, despite all of his eccentricities and very regimented lifestyle, has come to appreciate social interaction much more. Throughout the first three seasons he often complained about Penny hanging around them since she didn't have much, if any, of the same interests. After a scare that she might stop hanging out with them late in the third season he admitted that he had come to enjoy her presense. In Season 5 he also began pushing against the boundaries of his regimented life more often and admitted that his life didn't fall apart as a result.

** Amy started off in the series as a straight [[Distaff Counterpart]] to Sheldon, having no sexual impulses, is condescending to others and even speaking in a similar manner with a dry wit. She started to show an interest in social activities with Penny and Bernadette and now considers Penny to be her "bestie" (best friend). By the beginning of the fifth season she still has a little of the Sheldon-esque weirdness about her but is otherwise a very social and friendly individual who knows how to have fun. {{spoiler|By Season 5 Episode 10 ("The Flaming Spittoon Acquisition") Sheldon and Amy became an official couple... complete with documentation, i.e. The Relationship Agreement}}

** In the first episode Sheldon was basically just Leonard's even more geeky roommate with a dry sense of humor, although he still largely had the same quirks and qualities that have come to define him. The first episode has the "his spot on the couch" gag and he criticized Leonard's board of equations. But he seemed to be more socially astute (recognizing Leonard's crush on Penny and his chances with her) and not completely asexual (he appreciated the attention Penny gave him and was described as a "semi-pro" when at a sperm bank). It wasn't until the second episode that his arrogance and social ineptitude took hold (where Leonard had to make a "[[Sarcasm Mode|sarcasm]]" sign for him).

** Similarly, Penny was a lot dumber initially (for example, claiming her screenplay isn't based on her life because she's from Omaha not Lincoln). She quickly moved from [[The Ditz]] to [[Closer to Earth]].

* [[Chekhov's Gag]]: The [[Object Ceiling Cling]] in "The Classified Materials Turbulence"

* [[Chewbacca Defense]]: Sheldon frequently employs this. See main entry for examples.

** In most episodes, Penny is the token female, and as often as not, she acts the part. (Occasionally subverted, as when she kills cockroaches for the guys. In such situations, one or more of the guys will take on the role of [[The Chick]].)

** [[Captain Obvious|Although she's a chick]], Leslie Winkle is almost never [[The Chick]]. Whenever she makes an appearance, at least one of the guys turns into [[The Chick]]. She lampshades this when attempting a relationship with Leonard "I believe you should take on the male role."

** Almost any of the female characters who appear on the show, but Penny most of all.

** Also, Leonard compared with the other guys.

** Most female characters are [[Closer to Earth]] than the four guys. Leslie Winkle, however, is more on a par with Wolowitz, Koothrappali and all the other 'average' nerds. Which makes her [[Closer to Earth]] than Sheldon, but much further from Earth than Leonard.

** And then there's Amy, who is about as far out as Sheldon.

* [[Cloudcuckoolander]]: Raj is a bit like this, and the trait seems to be more prominent in more recent episodes.

** Sheldon is basically on another planet as far as social norms are concerned.

* [[The Cobbler's Children Have No Shoes]]: Leonard's mother Beverley is a professional psychiatrist, but she has a very distant and unemotional relationship with her own children, having apparently treated them more like long-term test subjects than a family.

* [[Cold Open]]: Every episode, although some use the rotating electron diagram and whoosh noise before starting.

** Sheldon with most social interaction, but a notable example that doesn't quite fit into that category:

'''Sheldon''': You know, I never considered that! That is going to completely change [[Happy Place|my visits there]]. }}

** A hurricane of them in "The Plimpton Situation", when Leonard tries to hint to Howard and Raj that he was up all night with the titular scientist.

* [[Comically Small Bribe]]:

'''Sheldon:''' "Now that you are in my debt, could you..." }}

* [[Continuity Nod]]: Sheldon's explanation for "his spot" on the couch used in the pilot is repeated at several other times, once ''verbatim'' by Penny when Bernadette first joins the group. In the [[Flash Back]] in late season three Sheldon's explanation for his original spot, using a lawn chair, was identical ''except'' that it ''discouraged'' communication in a group, reflecting how far he had come socially.

* [[Cool Big Sis]]: Penny ends up being like this to the others, a normal person who helps them with fashion and relationship issues, lampshaded with a discussion with Sheldon where this is played more literally when she talks him into letting her cut his hair.

* [[Costume Test Montage]]: Penny takes Sheldon to get a new suit that should give him confidence for his awards banquet.

* [[The Couch]]: Leonard and Sheldon's couch in their apartment. Just look at the picture above.

* [[Cow Tools]]: You could spend forever looking at Leonard and Sheldon's apartment and the comic book store and see all sorts of geeky collectibles. You can also make out computer manuals and software cases in their bookshelves.

* [[Crazy Cat Lady|Crazy Cat Man]]: Briefly. After a falling out with Amy in which he terminated his relationship with her, Sheldon buys 25 cats.

'''Sheldon:''' I have a pre-packed emergency 48 hour survival kit recommended by the Department of Homeland Security... [[The Sarah Connor Chronicles|and Sarah Connor]]. }}

** For example, the one at the end of the ''Age of Conan'' episode details Lorre's recent trip to Vegas and his imagining of a man going home and "blowing his brains out" after reflecting on his unsatisfying job.

** Sometimes CBS' radar ''still'' manages to catch them, and they're blanked out when they actually air (but not on Lorre's web site).

* [[Cringe Comedy]]: Howard hitting on [[Summer Glau]] in the most obnoxious and creepy way possible. Poor girl.

** Raj also can't seem to stand the idea of going home.

** Raj and Howard go back and forth on their respective cultures, as noted by Penny when predicting the guys' orders at The Cheesecake Factory in "The Panty Pinata Polarization"

** Sheldon is also one regarding his mother's religious lifestyle. He resents that he was forced to go through Cotillion, pointing out the lack of application that having all the social graces to be able to function in ''18th Century Vienna'' presents.

** Sheldon also affects an more upper-class accent, only slipping into his native Texan drawl when flabbergasted, irritated or angry.

* [[Cutting the Knot]]: Penny has to get Sheldon's Flash drive from inside a puzzle box. Before he gives her the instructions on how to open it over the phone, Penny asks if he has any emotional attachment to the box. When Sheldon answers no, she simply smashes it open.

** In another episode, Howard tries using a robot hand to pleasure himself. After Leonard and Rajesh run out of ideas of what to do, they take Howard to the Emergency Room. There, the Nurse suggests simply turning the hand off, and despite Howards pleas not to do so, she turns it off, and the hand lets go.

** In the first scene of the pilot, while Leonard and Sheldon are at a sperm bank to make donations for extra cash:

'''Leonard:''' "Are you kidding? You're a semi-pro!" }}

** When Leonard wonders how he can date someone who believes in psychics, Howard draws a diagram showing how few women will share his views, like him and be liked by him. When Leonard complains, Howard draws a dot on Leonard's palm.

'''Howard''': Your new girlfriend. You two have fun tonight. }}

** Subverted in “The Love Car Displacement”: We see Raj, alone in his room, cheerfully step out of the bathroom with a box of tissues. He grabs two tissues and gets under the covers, shivers with anticipation and turns on the TV.

{{spoiler|'''Raj''': ''(sniffing)'' Oh God, I’m crying already.}} }}

** Female example with Amy:

** Leonard muses that it's wonderful his girlfriend is 9000 miles away; he can do anything he wants.

** Amy once again in "The Werewolf Transformation", musing on Sheldon growing his hair out.

** The entire cast takes turns with this.

** This is basically all Leonard does now since he got with Penny.

** Pissed the dog off something terrible though.

* [[Defcon Five]]: Leonard falls victim to this trope and is then lectured by Sheldon.

* [[The Dev Team Thinks of Everything]]: When Sheldon's trying to learn to drive, the simulator he uses ends up allowing him to drive onto the second floor of a mall and then, with accurate whimpering, destroy a pet store.

* [[Development Gag]]: In the season three special features the cast does a fortune cookie Q&A about their lives and favorite moments on the show, which looks to be ad libbed. Simon (Howard) makes a joke while reading a fortune cookie "Help, I'm trapped in a fortune cookie factory!" This same joke is referenced in the fourth season as a joke that Howard is always saying and trying to get a laugh from people.

* [[Disabled Love Interest]]: The girl that Penny finds for Raj is deaf. So he can talk around her.

* [[Disappeared Dad]]: Howard's father left when he was 11.

* [[Distaff Counterpart]]: Amy to Sheldon, for sheer longevity. Leonard's mom Beverly also possesses similar quirks, such as having a very particular way of having her tea.

* [[The Ditz]]: Many of the female characters. Penny on occasion, especially in the first few episodes.

** When Leonard and Penny are together several episodes deal with them as if they were a married couple with Sheldon as their child. It is heart-breaking.

** In reference to the ordeal of becoming Sheldon's roommate in "The Staircase Implementation":

** Leslie and Sheldon's argument about their respective theories in "The Codpiece Topology" was amusingly comparable to an argument over religious beliefs.

* [[Dogged Nice Guy]]: Leonard. Less so during Season 3, but then he's finally with Penny.

* [[Don't Explain the Joke]]: Yet another social convention Sheldon doesn't understand.

* [[Drama Queen]]: Howard's mother is this. If she's not bugging Howard dramatically, she's getting dramatic about something else.

* [[Drives Like Crazy]]: Penny does not actually drive badly, she drives like a person who has driven for a very long time and will sometimes bypass 'normal' behavior for a quicker route, such as not slowing down much over speed bumps. Her constant ignoring of the Check Engine light is a running gag, though.

** Sheldon doesn't drive normally; part of the Roommate Agreement was that Leonard would take care of the driving. They eventually forced him to get a learner's permit but he will likely never get his license because even in a simulator he does horribly. In a later episode he had to drive Penny to hospital and while they got there in one piece, it wasn't a relaxing experience.

* [[Driving Test]]: The gang try to teach Sheldon to drive using a computer simulation. He ends up driving through a virtual mall like in ''[[The Blues Brothers]]''.

'''Sheldon''': Remind me to compliment Wolowitz on the software. The detail is remarkable. }}

* [[Dropped Glasses]]: and the inevitable [[Blind Without'Em]], Leonard.

* [[Dumb Blonde]]: Penny can be flighty at times, but overall she isn't stupid. The first couple of episodes she was more [[The Ditz]] but this was replaced with her generally being more [[Closer to Earth]].

** Many early episodes display Sheldon without traits that later become trademark actions, such as knocking on Penny's door once instead of thrice, and without stopping to say her name.

* [[Easily Forgiven]]: Beginning of Season three. You know the one.

** In "The Justice League Recombination" the guys have to apologize to Zach for making fun of him.

'''Zach:''' Oh I LOVE Milk Duds! ...okay, we're cool. }}

* [[Eldritch Abomination]]: Not a straight example, but the painting of Penny and Amy from "The Rothman Disintegration" is hilariously treated as though it ''is'' one, by both Penny and Bernadette.

** There is also Howard's mother who though never seen onscreen is described as an extremely obese, bald(ing) old woman who takes thirty minutes to climb three flights of stairs and needs help putting on dresses as she can't put her front and back in at the same time on her own.

* [[Elmuh Fudd Syndwome]]: [[Recurring Character|Wecuwwing Chawactuh]] Bawwy Kwipke.

* [[Epic Fail]]: Exhibited by both Sheldon and Barry Kripke in their one-on-one basketball game to decide who gets the corner office in "The Rothman Disintegration." Leonard's comment while watching the "game" says it all:

** Between Raj and Sheldon in "The Hot Troll Deviation".

** Between Penny and Sheldon when Penny finally had enough of Sheldon's insistent quirks, but it started largely because Penny got her "third strike" and Sheldon banished her from the apartment. Penny struck back by using up all the washing machines during Sheldon's laundry day, knowing how regimented his schedule is, but Sheldon has no boundaries he isn't willing to step over.

* [[Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas]]: Sheldon's mom is the ''only'' one who can override Sheldon's irrational behavior.

* [[Even Beggars Won't Choose It]]: When looking through Leonard's wardrobe, Penny picks out several shirts and tells Leonard to throw them away, noting that he shouldn't even give them to charity because: "Seriously, you won't be helping anyone."

* [[Even the Subtitler Is Stumped]]: Howard is briefly stumped by Raj's [[Disabled Love Interest]]'s fast and furious signing.

* [[Everyone Knows Morse]]: Subverted in the episode "The Cooper-Nowitzki Theorem". Sheldon attempts to use Morse code; however, Leonard claims he doesn't know Morse code and refuses to learn it at three in the morning.

'''Leonard:''' "Oh yeah. I'm uh... oh, [[And That's Terrible|that's terrible!]]" }}

* [[Cute Kitten]]: Sheldon's favorite childhood lullaby "Soft Kitty" proves you don't even need an actual kitten for this trope.

** Sheldon does not, however, enjoy [[LOLcats]]; an email of such from Penny gave her her first strike.

** Raj when Penny tries talking to him and he just keeps eating his meal as though she didn't say anything

** Penny when she hugs Leonard and Sheldon and offers to buy them dinner

** Leonard's mother and her constant psycho-analysing. Capable of reducing Penny to a flood of tears in the space of ''three'' flights of stairs... ''twice''.

* [[Embarrassing Tattoo]]: Penny has one she claims is the Chinese symbol for "Courage". According to Sheldon, it actually means "Soup".

* [[Establishing Series Moment]]: The "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MACSw5SkF4 Sarcasm Sign]" of the second episode

** You kind of have to agree with him about the cell phone voice recognition software.

'''Rajesh:''' Impressive! ...and a little racist. }}

* [[Evil Counterpart]]: Late in the second season a new neighbor moved in above Leonard and Sheldon, Alicia. She is pretty, blonde, an actress and very quickly acquires the attention of the guys, much like when Penny moved in. The main difference is that Alicia was a shameless flirt and manipulated the guys to do everything for her. While Penny did many similar things, she generally treated them with respect and didn't abuse them. Partially out of jealousy and partially out of concern for her guys, Penny eventually [[Cat Fight|clashes]] with Alicia.

* [[Evil Genius]]: Sheldon occasionally invokes this on purpose (see [[Evil Gloating]] and [[Evil Laugh]] below). Leonard has already noted that Sheldon's "one lab accident away from becoming a supervillain".

* [[Evil Gloating]]: "Hello, Kripke. This classic prank has been brought to you by the malevolent mind of Sheldon Cooper."

** "Hello puny insects!"

** Sheldon has a rather droll example.

** Raj's laugh in "The Bat Jar Conjecture".

* [[Evolutionary Levels]]: Invoked by Sheldon to explain why he shouldn't have to learn to drive. One of the ''many'' indications that Sheldon isn't the [[Omnidisciplinary Scientist]] that he thinks he is.

* [[Expospeak Gag]]: Sheldon's "I'm polymerized tree sap and you're an inorganic adhesive, so whatever verbal projectile you launch in my direction is reflected off of me, returns to its original trajectory and adheres to you." And this is just one of '''many''' instances.

** Sheldon's attempt at 'trash talk': "I am given to understand that you mother is rather overweight. Of course, if this is the result of a glandular problem and not over-eating, I will gladly retract my statement."

** Not to mention this gem from "The Desperation Emanation":

'''Leonard''': There you go. }}

 

 

== F-J ==

* [[Fast-Forward Gag]]: Played with; when the main characters buy a [[Time Machine]] replica, they ''pretend'' they're moving in fast forward.

* [[Fate Worse Than Death]]: In a purely silly sense, it's taking care of Sheldon when he's sick, or if someone aside from Leonard drives him to work.

* [[Fawlty Towers Plot]]: Subverted in an episode where the lie works perfectly, but Sheldon overcomplicates it when he notices minute flaws in it. The lie never actually falls apart.

** Also subverted in "The Recombination Hypothesis" Leonard ended up having to explain to Sheldon why he was returning to the apartment at 3 in the morning, when Sheldon was getting out of the bathroom. The real reason was {{spoiler|Penny dragged Leonard over to her apartment to have sex and start seeing each other again}} but Leonard didn't want to tell Sheldon about it. So it slowly got more and more implausible as Sheldon poked holes into the explanation, until Leonard actually had some evidence to back up his claim (an [[Chekhov's Gun|asthma inhaler brought up in the previous scene]]).

* [[First Kiss]]: Sheldon gets one from a drunken Amy. It's mostly awkward for both of them.

* [[Five-Man Band]]: Done through [[Conversational Troping]], Sheldon has grouped the cast into his own ''Star Trek''-based version and crossing over into the [[Command Roster]].

'''Sheldon''': You're [[The Kirk|Kirk]], I'm [[The Spock|Spock]], Wolowitz is Scotty, Koothrappali is [[Red Shirt|the guy who always gets killed]] [looking at Leonard's doctor girlfriend at the time] and now we've got McCoy. }}

** Sheldon also determined the four guys' roles in a Four Man Band. He is [[The Smart Guy|"the smart one"]], Howard is [[Fun Personified|"the funny one"]], Raj is the [[Funny Foreigner|"lovable foreigner who struggles to understand our ways and fails"]], and therefore Leonard is [[The Big Guy|"the muscle"]] by default.

** An inversion of this trope is done in the [[Whole-Episode Flashback]] to when Leonard and Sheldon first met. The Sheldon of the series has all sorts of quirks but still makes awkward attempts at social interaction and understanding how normal people think, the Sheldon of the [[Flash Back]] was basically a flanderization of his current personality where his Control Freak and Insufferable Genius mannerisms were about all he was. While not really elaborated upon, it's suggested that being friends with Leonard is the reason Sheldon of today is even remotely workable.

* [[Fleeting Passionate Hobbies]]: Sheldon after losing his job. One of them has him ''at a loom.''

** [[Brick Joke|Brought back in season 4]], Leonard does say that he got good at it and made them matching serapes.

** Sheldon once quoted Shakespeare to Penny about how she made him miss an Autograph signing with [[Stan Lee]], making dramatic poses with his ''index'' finger in the air. When he left the room Penny felt like he gave her the finger in some way.

** In general, Penny [[Does Not Like Shoes]] except for flip-flops.

*** Although a point is often made about how many shoes she buys, she never actually seems to wear them.

** The episode explaining how Leonard and Sheldon met had this in the present day sequences.

* [[For Science!]]

'''Sheldon''': [[For Science!]]! }}

* [[Freudian Excuse]]: Averted by Raj, when he decides to be a douche for no apparent reason on the penultimate episode of season 4.

** The reason why Leonard is so needy in relationships, likely comes from the fact that his mother maintains a cold detachment from him and treats him as more like a test-subject. His need for intimacy resulted in him building a ''hugging machine'' as a child.

* [[Freudian Trio]]: Confirmed by [[Word of God]], the Penny/Leonard/Sheldon relationship was designed to be like this. Sheldon is [[The Spock]], who represents "logic" and the aspirations of science over all else. Penny is [[The McCoy]], who represents "emotion" and the promise of a full life to experience. Leonard is [[The Kirk]], who is torn between those two worlds.

* [[The Friend Nobody Likes]]: Sheldon frequently takes this role.

** Barry Kripke.

* [[Friends Rent Control]]: It's not as bad as it could be, since they aren't living in a luxury New York suite, but a smaller building with a broken elevator in Pasadena. Sheldon mentions that if he could afford it he wouldn't have Leonard as a roommate. Penny seems to mostly afford her apartment on a waitress paycheck (and tips) with little trouble, at least until it's plot relevant. Unlike other examples of this trope, rent issues are relatively common. Penny has had to leave work from time to time because of the guys, and she always points out that losing a day's pay is not helpful.

** It might have more to do with the fact he needs Leonard to drive him to work than to pay for the apartment. He seems to have more than enough money as he doesn't cash his paychecks.

* [[Full-Name Basis]]: Amy is often referred to by her full name, Amy Farrah Fowler.

* [[Fun T-Shirt]]: There's even [http://www.sheldonshirts.com/ a website] that keeps track of the characters' shirts and where you can buy them. In one episode, a gag was about Raj having a shirt with a speaker built into it. It could play everything from the Imperial March to the Final Jeopardy theme. You can get it [http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts-apparel/interactive/a5bf/ here.]

** Sheldon's suggestion for the name of Leonard's iPhone app.

'''Penny:''' This [[Sticky Bomb|plasma grenade!]] (Sound of large explosion) Ha! Look! It's raining YOU! }}

* [[Geeky Analogy]]: Most explanations of anything involving social conventions.

** When dating, Penny suggested that she and Leonard make out on Sheldon's spot on the couch. This was seen as quite a taboo thing to do.

* [[Girl-On-Girl Is Hot]]: Averted, when a very tipsy Amy gave Penny a mouth kiss ("Come here, Bestie, give me some sugar") it was not only very ''under''played but Penny even gave an embarrassed laugh after it happened. In addition, there wasn't any rising laughter by the [[Laugh Track]].

** A similarly understated moment happens when Penny and Bernadette discuss the awkward things Amy likes to talk about with them such as painting fertility symbols on Bernadette's naked body as being a wedding ritual. The guys noticeably quiet down after they say that, with Raj in particular (being silent anyway) subtly staring off into space.

* [[Give Geeks a Chance]]

* [[Gold Digger]]: Raj's [[Disabled Love Interest]] lets him shower her with many, many gifts. Penny also muses that Raj is hotter now that she knows he's rich.

* [[Gone Horribly Right]]: The foam in Kripke's office was supposed to be a prank on just Kripke, Sheldon didn't expect it to fall on the president of the university and the board of directors.

** And Leonard, starting at the end of season two and well into season three with {{spoiler|the Arctic incident,}} for example.

** Also Penny & Howard can be pretty mean at times.

* [[Goofy Print Underwear]]: On one episode Howard talks Leonard and Raj into being his wingman at a bar. They all change out of their standard Superhero symbol boxer shorts .... just in case.

* [[Gosh Darn It to Heck]]: Sheldon when drunk at Howard's bachelor party starts saying "Jeepers!".

* [[Gravity Is a Harsh Mistress]]: Almost mentioned by name.

* [[Gray and Grey Morality]]: In "The Speckerman Recurrence," Penny, Bernadette and Amy have a change of heart after nearly taking clothes from a donation bin. {{spoiler|Bernadette goes back for suede boots, screaming her justification, "It's OK, I serve soup to poor people!"}}

* [[Groin Attack]]: Sheldon's sister's method of keeping Sheldon in line.

** Howard sets Leonard up with a date that knows 100 ways to rip a guy's nuts off. She's not shy about demonstrating them in a restaurant.

* [[Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow]]: In the flashback episode late in season three, Leonard had long, wavy locks, Howard had a [[Funny Afro|Jewish Afro]] and Raj had something of a mullet. Sheldon was the only one with the same hair-style, and with the exception of Howard their current looks are big improvements.

* [[Halloween Cosplay]]: The group, plus Penny's then-current boyfriend dress up as the Justice League of America for a costume contest

'''Sheldon''': [[Memetic Mutation|Oh, the Humanities!]] }}

* [[Heartbreak and Ice Cream]]: Raj [[Book Ends]] a brief relationship with a [[Disabled Love Interest]] by comforting himself first with pie then with cheesecake.

** In one early episode Penny is seen eating an entire tub of ice cream while crying her eyes out due to a breakup.

** In "The Russian Rocket Reaction," one of Sheldon's mortal enemies crosses himself off of Sheldon's list.

* [[Helium Speech]]: Kripke fills Sheldon's office with helium while the latter is on call for an [[NPR]] interview. The pitch of his voice increases throughout the entire interview.

* [[Her Codename Was Mary Sue]]: The episode where Penny becomes addicted to ''[[Age of Conan]]'' everyone's characters were clearly named after them: Sheldon was Sheldor (The Conqueror), Penny was (Queen) Penelope and Howard was... Sir Howard of Wolowitz.

* [[Heroic Blue Screen of Death]]: Sheldon when he discovers that Leonard, Howard and Raj lied to him about the results of his experiments at the North Pole ''after'' he has already boasted about changing the face of physics to ''everyone'', earning him a ton of ridicule when he has to print a retraction.

* [[Heroic Sacrifice]]: Sheldon in "The Skank Reflex Hypothesis."

* [[Heterosexual Life Partners]]: Howard and Raj argue like a married couple, and are generally paired together in team activities and usually serve as each others "wingman." Leonard and Sheldon are a more mild version, as Leonard can only stand Sheldon for limited periods of time.

* [[Hidden Depths]]: Sheldon proves to be surprisingly understanding and helpful when hearing about his friends' love problems.

* [[Hilarious Outtakes]]: You can only imagine the slip-ups that occur due to all of the terminology the characters throw around. Jim Parsons in particular had no end of trouble with the "Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock" explanation, just by the sheer length, the hand motions, timing and not letting the audience laughter throw him off.

* [[Hollywood Dateless]]: We are supposed to believe Leonard is awkward with women, and in a way he is. However, his dating history includes many hot women - Penny, Dr. Stephanie, the Korean spy, Leslie and now Priya - so one has to wonder why would he think he is unlucky with women.

** Type 2. None of the four main guys are particularly bad looking, but Leonard, played by Johnny Galecki, is the most prominent example. Are we really supposed to believe [http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3230243328/nm0301959 this guy] is a nerd who has trouble with the ladies?

* [[Hollywood Pudgy]]: Poked at when the guys managed to convince Penny and her date Zach to join them at a costume party as the [[Justice League of America]]. Penny got upset over things both overt and subtle and refused to go, and Sheldon tried to convince her to come by claiming to know why she was upset... that she thought she looked fat in the [[Wonder Woman]] costume. That was obviously not the reason she was upset (and [[Fan Service|clearly not the case]] in the show) but Penny then started to worry that maybe she did look fat... and Sheldon tried to "comfort" her saying it doesn't matter since [[Amazonian Beauty|Amazons were supposed to be "beefy gals."]]

** Invoked again by Sheldon when, after Penny takes the last dumpling, supposedly one reserved for a guest of honor, he curtly tells her, "I've seen your mother. Keep eating." The downcast look on Penny's face says she really took that one to heart.

** Averted as practically the poster child for the trope, Sara Rue, guest starred in a short story arc in season two as a [[Love Interest]] for Leonard (and briefly Howard). She is depicted as being exceptionally attractive and that Leonard was lucky to have her.

** How about this gem?

'''Howard''': It means next time we play squash I'm showering at home. }}

** Leonard's mother has never been wrong about anything in her psychiatric evaluations of the cast, therefore her ideas about Howard and Raj must be correct as well.

** Taken to ridiculous lengths in the second episode of season 5 when Raj and Howard use a simulator to make out with each other.

** Later in season 5, Howard mentions that he can't imagine receiving a massage from another man.

** Leonard ends up taking Raj to Switzerland on Valentine's day, who squees at discovering the champagne and chocolates meant for Penny.

'''Raj''': But I never will. }}

** Howard in one of his masturbation fantasies imagines [[Katee Sackhoff]], Bernadette... and [[George Takei]].

'''[[George Takei]]''': So you say... ''yet here I am''! }}

* [[Honey Trap]]: As found out through flashbacks, Joyce Kim.

* [[Humorless Aliens]]: Frequently referenced when people call Sheldon an alien, ask what planet he's from, etc.

* [[Hypocritical Humor]]:

** While she ''is'' normally very sweet and bubbly, Bernadette once raked Raj over the coals for implying there was something between them and you can't help but notice the irony in this statement:

'''Bernadette''': "[[Beware the Nice Ones|I'M NICE TO EVERYONE!!!]]" }}

** [[No Social Skills|Sheldon]] once claimed that Barry Kripke "lacks the basic social skills that we take for granted". He also accused Leonard of having Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

** When on a "non-date" as friends hanging out, Leonard and Penny argued over the things they hated doing together (Leonard doing karaoke at 2AM and Penny watching a documentary). But when trying to strike up a conversation with other people, they used those same things to make themselves seem more interesting.

** When Sheldon points out that Hindu customs mean that Raj ''does'' get to say who Priya dates. Also that by disobeying it, she'd be "reborn as a jackal with many diseases". She counters that by eating beef, Raj would have to "live with a cow for several months and drink their urine".

* [[I Have This Friend]]: While Penny admits it's her own story, she tells Sheldon in "The Flaming Spittoon Acquisition" about how she never took the chance to tell a guy about her feelings for him until it was too late. It's fairly obvious to the audience she was talking about Leonard (the episode even shows her with signs of depression by [[The Alcoholic|drinking excessively]]) but Sheldon [[Comically Missing the Point|mistakes "the guy" she liked as being him]], which she corrects him for.

* [[I Know Mortal Kombat]]: Scattered around various episodes are claims of knowing how to perform a certain sport by practicing with video games. Sometimes not even that, Sheldon claims to know how to swim by practicing in the living room.

* [[I Owe You My Life]]: {{spoiler|When Sheldon saved Leonard from the rocket fuel explosion that destroyed the elevator}}, the main reason Leonard lets Sheldon get away with as many demands as he does.

* [[I Resemble That Remark]]: When Leonard's mother claimed that Howard and Raj were in an "ersatz homosexual marriage", they are bothered by this... and instantly start arguing the point [[Like an Old Married Couple]].

** When Penny and Leonard had a fight, Sheldon goes to Penny to try and rectify the situation, only to end up confessing to her that Leonard is highly annoyed by some of her habits but has never told her because, according to Leonard, Penny "is overly sensitive and has a temper". Penny's response is to tell Sheldon to tell Leonard to drop dead.

** Howard often responds to his mother's treating him like a child by reminding her that he is 26 years old. Followed by agreeing for her to bring him a popsicle.

** In defense of having Amy around Sheldon once listed off all the things he had to silently put up with having Penny around. Leonard didn't argue any of the things listed, but got rather upset with the "silently" part.

* [[I Think You Broke Him]]: In one episode, Penny is giving Sheldon acting lessons, and they are acting out a play Sheldon wrote when he was 10. He is acting as his mother, and begins to improvise, relating it to his real life. When he breaks down and starts crying, Penny calls up his mother and says, "Mrs. Cooper? Hey, it's Penny. Yeah, I think I broke your son," and hands the phone to Sheldon. "Mommy I love you!"

* [[I Want You to Meet An Old Friend of Mine]]: There are several people on this show who also featured in ''[[Roseanne]]'', first and foremost Johnny Galecki as Leonard. Sara Gilbert plays Leslie Winkle who briefly dates Leonard and Laurie Metcalf plays Sheldon's mom. Galecki also pointed out at a convention that his first kiss was with Mayim Bialik when he guest starred on ''[[Blossom]]'' years ago.

* [[I Was Quite a Looker]]: Mrs. Wolowitz, apparently...

* [[Idiosyncratic Episode Naming]]: Episodes are titled as theorems, postulates, conjectures, etc. And it is usually descriptive ie "The Nerdvanna Annihilation" involves Leonard contemplating selling his nerdy collection. Sometimes it's about something major to the plot, other times it's a [[Title Drop|throwaway line]].

* [[Imagine Spot]]: The episode "The Recombination Hypothesis" has a big one, {{spoiler|almost the entire episode is Leonard considering whether to ask Penny out and the consequences that would follow.}} Later at the end, {{spoiler|Penny imagines herself at a [[Shotgun Wedding]] heavily pregnant and at Leonard's side. She promptly decides to stop at the drug store before meeting up at the real date.}}

** Leonard imagines how he could have handled a situation with Penny differently in "The Nerdvanna Annihilation" and has him become the hero by opening the elevator shaft and taking her down himself.

** Raj has a series of daydreams about how Bernadette could leave Howard and they get together. Each one starts off normal only to progressively become weirder, culminating in a [[Bollywood]] dance number.

* [[Improbably Predictable]]: In "The Lunar Excitation":

'''Raj:''' Howard wanted to write mumbo jumbo, but I said no, our Sheldon would say hokum. }}

* [[In Soviet Russia, Trope Mocks You]]: "You don't screw [[Serious Business|the roommate agreement.]] The roommate agreement screws you!"

* [[Incredibly Lame Pun]]: Raj is full of them.

* [[Insane Troll Logic]]: Sheldon hates being wrong and when he can't refute something with normal logic he resolves to this trope to get his way, such as claiming to be a new evolution of mankind that are far more intelligent but incapable of [[Drives Like Crazy|driving properly]].

** It appears that Sheldon and Amy's made-up game "Counterfactuals" runs on this trope. For example, a question asks "In a world where mankind is ruled by a giant intelligent beaver, what food is no longer consumed?" The correct answer is "cheese danish" rather than "cinnamon" which is made of tree bark. They explain this as because of the Dams built to worship and appease the Beaver overlord, which would have left low-lying countries like Denmark completely flooded and thus deprived the world of it's namesake confectionary.

** Sheldon does not play "pranks"; he subjects people to his ''classic'' pranks.

** A mild example: Penny, at computer games.

** Sheldon often thinks he's this. His attempts at learning Mandarin [[My Hovercraft Is Full of Eels|met with failure]].

* [[Instant Web Hit]]: Penny Blossoms and the "fighting physicists" video.

* [[Insufferable Genius]]: There's a reason why Sheldon is the page image.

'''Sheldon:''' [[I Take Offense to That Last One|You tell them I'm a rocket scientist?]] I'm a theoretical physicist! }}

* [[Interrupted Intimacy]]: Sheldon is quite happy to interrupt Leonard and whoever his partner is in the middle of the act- for example, with Joyce Kim. Sheldon decided to interrupt by knocking on the door. Leonard was thinking of ignoring him, but Sheldon knew he was being ignored. Sheldon then came in to remind Leonard of their Roommate Agreement. Due to its terms, Joyce decided to leave.

** ''Everyone'' (except Sheldon) in "The Adhesive Duck Deficiency" - Leonard, Howard and Raj through {{spoiler|"special" cookies}} and Penny through painkillers.

** Sheldon's diet virgin Cuba Libres "turned out to be kinda slutty."

* [[It Got Worse]]: see [[Evil Gloating]].

* [[It Will Never Catch On]]: "I assure you, you'll be sorry you wasted your money on an iPod when Microsoft comes out with theirs."

* [[It's All About Me]]: Sheldon, thy [[Pride|vanity]] knows no bounds.

'''Sheldon''': I didn't. [Beat, as Leonard collapses on the couch] Let's go! }}

** Amy is this about Howard and Bernadette's wedding. This goes so far as wearing her dress to City Hall complaining about her missed opportunity when the wedding might be put on hold.

** Wil Wheaton (at least, his character, not the man himself) for intentionally increasing the wedge between Penny and Leonard, just to get back at Sheldon.

'''Sheldon:''' Wheeeeeatooooon! }}

* [[Jewish Mother]]: Howard's.

* [[Jews Love to Argue]]: Howard and his mother. A lot.

* [[Just One More Level]]: Penny in "[[Show Within a Show|The Barbarian Sublimation]]".

 

 

== K-O ==

** [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]] in the episode where Leonard meddles in Penny's date with Stuart.

** Penny's ex boyfriend Kurt in the pilot and "The Financial Premability".

* [[Killer Robot]]: "MONT-E" whom the guys built for a robot fighting competition.

* [[Kissing Cousins]]: Howard and his cousin Jeannie, aparently.

* [[Laser-Guided Karma]]: Raj invokes this when Leonard intentionally tries to screw up Stuart's date with Penny;

* [[Laugh Track]]: After every line, complete with [[Beat Panel|pause]], since it's the [[Studio Audience]]'s actual laughter. People going to the tapings even say that they have to ''tone it down''. Occasionally, you hear one laugh after the [[Techno Babble]] part of an [[Expospeak Gag]] and another when it's translated into [[Layman's Terms]].

** It also leads to no end of people complaining about the laugh track and how [[Reality Is Unrealistic|fake it is]].

* [[Let's Get Dangerous]]: Sheldon, of all people, gets a moment like this in the penultimate episode of season three. It's revealed that the reason Leonard puts up with Sheldon is due to the fact that before the series began, {{spoiler|Leonard, Raj, and Howard were messing with some rocket fuel despite Sheldon's objections, which then threatened to explode. As Leonard got into the elevator to take the smoking fuel out of the building, Sheldon calmly entered the elevator, set the canister down on the floor and pushed Leonard out before closing the doors and leaving himself. When Leonard complained that he had plenty of time, the elevator doors exploded outward. Sheldon simply said "You're welcome" and walked back into the apartment.}} This is also why the elevator has not worked since the start of the show.

** Lampshaded by Penny and Sheldon in season 5.

*** Heck, lampshaded by Leonard's mom somewhere in season 2 or 3, when she called it an "ersatz homosexual relationship" created to fill the void left by their repeated failures at maintaining heterosexual ones.

* [[Limited Wardrobe]]: In a fun mix between this trope and [[Unlimited Wardrobe]], everyone has a series of outfits that they rotate through. Sheldon has a [[The Flash|Flash]] t-shirt that shows up often, Leonard has a jacket over a hoodie and brown pants he is always wearing, Raj is usually wearing a sweater-vest and Howard wearing uncomfortably tight turtlenecks and odd colored jeans. Penny has a wider variety, but her leisure clothing also tends to repeat.

* [[Lipstick Lesbian]]: Lakshmi

* [[Local Hangout]]: The Cheesecake Factory, largely by virtue that Penny can be involved with the scene while she is working. The Comic Book Shop also comes up in later seasons.

* [[Logic Bomb]]: At least for [[Dumb Is Good|Zach]]...

'''Zach:''' Then who are you talking to!? ...Babe? }}

* [[Loser Gets the Girl]]: Leonard at Penny's Halloween party (though he ends up being [[Above the Influence]]).

** From the same episode, Raj hooks up with a (admittedly) drunk girl. ''Specifically because he's too afraid to say anything''.

* [[Lovable Nerd]]: Leonard and Raj.

* [[Ludicrous Precision]]

* [[Manic Pixie Dream Girl]]: In it's own way, this is what Penny is to all of the guys and especially Leonard. The guys are generally happy in their own closed-off world of science, sci-fi and comics and Penny encourages them to expand their social horizons a little. In a reversal, Leonard (and Sheldon to a similar degree) have introduced Penny into a different world of higher thinking and education. In "The Ornithophobia Diffusion" Leonard and Penny argued over how they hated the things they do together (Leonard hated doing karaoke at 2AM or going on hikes, Penny hated watching a documentary on dams), only to later use those same things when talking to other people about their "hobbies" to make themselves seem more interesting.

* [[Master of the Mixed Message]]: Before Leonard openly admitted his feelings to Penny (she was well aware of his crush beforehand) she had given him several mouth kisses, once [[Accidental Kiss|when drunk]] and once as a "happy birthday" thing. But it also shows this trope depends largely on interpretation as Leonard went into a mental maze analyzing Penny's reaction to a brief relationship he had with Leslie. He wasn't certain if it was "Genuinely happy you're with someone" or "Too bad you're taken now" and (post breakup) "Genuinely sorry it didn't work out" or "Glad you're now available."

* [[Meaningful Name]]:

** [[Dumb Blonde|Penny]].

*** [[Linked-List Clue Methodology|What's her name? Penny. Where is she from? Nebraska. What's the capitol of Nebraska? Lincoln. Where's a common place to find Lincoln's picture?]] On a penny. [[Epileptic Trees|We're through the looking glass, people.]]

*** And also, "''Penny'' for your thoughts?"

** Leonard's middle name is Leakey; his parents named him for [[wikipedia:Louis Leakey|archeologist and paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey]]. It's not related to his [[Embarrassing Middle Name|history of bedwetting]].

*** His last name, Hofstadter, is a [[Shout-Out]] to [[wikipedia:Robert Hofstadter|Nobel laureate Robert Hofstadter]] and his son [[wikipedia:Douglas Hofstadter|Douglas Hofstadter]] of ''[[Godel Escher Bach]]'' fame.

*** Possibly also to [[wikipedia:Richard Hofstadter|Richard Hofstadter]].

*** Also, the second syllable of his first name is...[[Nerd|you guessed it.]] Leonard [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshades]] this in "The Adhesive Duck Deficiency".

** [[wikipedia:Raja|Rajesh]] [[wikipedia:Ramayan|Ramayan]] Koothrappali.

** The head of the Entomology Department at the University is Professor Crawley, he mentioned he had the nickname of "Creepy Crawley" in school.

** Mary and Shelly Cooper have to be a shout out to the writer of ''[[Frankenstein]]''.

* [[Meta Casting]]: Mayim Bialik, who plays Amy, actually has a PhD in Neuroscience (closely related to Amy's neurobiology). That makes her the only one in the cast who understands her dialogue.

* [[Metaphorgotten]]: Sheldon, referring to [[Dreadful Musician|Penny's singing]].

* [[Milestone Celebration]]: Celebrated the 100th episode in the fifth season with an appropriately big episode.

* [[Minor Flaw, Major Breakup]]: Leslie breaks off her brief relationship with Leonard when she finds out that, in her ongoing debate with Sheldon over whether loop quantum or string theory is the superior model of spacetime, Leonard doesn't actually care, and would have let their hypothetical children "decide for themselves" which one they thought was correct.

* [[Minor Injury Overreaction]]: Inverted, on a date with Penny at the gun range Leonard shot himself in the foot. It turned out that it merely grazed his foot but Leonard tried to play it off as being badass that he had a gunshot wound.

** Leonard and Sheldon often introduce themselves as "living together" and causing people to initially jump to the wrong conclusion, done before the opening credits of the pilot episode. Raj's parents, after hearing Sheldon say he lived with Leonard, replied that they were "like Haroon and Tanvir." Leonard then intervened and explained the actual situation, although later as Sheldon ran to get their special-edition DVD of ''Fiddler on the Roof'' he remarked to himself that "maybe we ''are'' like Haroon and Tanvir."

** Sheldon also once went looking for an available male to distract Penny from an online gaming addiction. His technique was to approach a man in the cafeteria and ask if he was in a sexual relationship. Getting a no, he replied, "Would you like to be?" and walked away with the man's number scrawled on his hand - possibly the sole example of someone successfully picking up a stranger in the series.

*** Leonard's mother calling Raj and Howard a homosexual couple is introduced in her first appearance on the show, the Season 2 episode "The Maternal Capacitance". Leonard loves the concept so much that he brings it up again in the above-mentioned third season episode, "The Maternal Congruence".

*** According to Raj's sister Priya his whole family thought he was gay

'''Priya''': No. I found poems he wrote about her. Very disturbing. “Oh, Bernadette, please play my clarinet.”... And for years, everyone in my family was convinced that HE was the '''clarinet''' enthusiast. }}

* [[Modesty Towel]]: Penny calls out for help because she slipped and fell in the shower. She's able to get the attention of one of the male characters, who she convinces to come in despite the fact she took a shower (and presumably is naked). He walks into the bathroom, and despite that she can't move because she broke her shoulder, she's lying on the bottom of the tub completely covered by a towel.

** Another season 5 episode wraps up with {{spoiler|Leonard finding out Priya had cheated on him}} and while contemplating this, {{spoiler|Sheldon scares the crap out of him by jumping out of the couch.}}

* [[Ms. Fanservice]]: Penny. Her regular attire in the first two seasons was [[Absolute Cleavage|low cut]] tank tops and [[She's Got Legs|short shorts]]. Although it has gradually become averted as about mid-way through the second season she started showing less skin until the early third season where she hardly wears anything like that anymore unless going out to a party or dancing (although no less attractive).

** The sequence when Sheldon and Raj try to solve the physics calculation on Sheldon's board: A series of still shots of them staring at the board, from different angles, set to "The Eye of the Tiger." Played for laughs, of course. With an aspirin break in the middle, during which the music stops. It resumes when the staring does.

** Pretty much ''every'' time the guys play video games together, you can expect them to be chewing the scenery into oblivion. "I possess the [[Feed Me|SWORD OF AZAROTH!]]"

** In "The Infestation Hypothesis" the guys use an expensive piece of lab equipment as a panini press.

* [[Must Have Caffeine]]: Penny definitely seems to be this in the mornings. Drinking coffee while driving in the early morning is just one of the things she does that irritates Sheldon, and in the episode "The Vartabedian Conundrum", she comes into the apartment half-awake, saying desperately, ''"Out of coffee; need coffee."''

** Leonard's mother is an inversion; she is pretty much a female Sheldon. At one point, [[Parental Neglect|Leonard confesses to Penny that he built a hugging machine when he was a kid to use on himself.]]

*** [[It Got Worse|And his dad borrowed it often.]]

** When Sheldon's planning to move away, a section from his videotaped goodbye message to Leonard, Raj, Howard, and Penny: "The four of you are three of my closest friends, and one treasured acquaintance." The lowly "acquaintance" in question turns out to be {{spoiler|Howard Wolowitz}}.

** The fact that Sheldon, Leonard and Raj are all doctors and Howard technically isn't is pointed out by several characters, including Dr. Gablehauser, who pointedly addresses him as "''Mister'' Wolowitz" and Sheldon, of course, who has referred to him as "Not-A-Doctor Howard Wolowitz."

'''Dr. Gablehauser''': Who doesn't? }}

*** When Sheldon gets a girlfriend who's a doctor and Wolowitz gets a girlfriend who's becoming a doctor.

** Sheldon actually sees himself as this to Wolowitz. He refers to Raj as Wolowitz's best friend, Leonard as his secondary friend and himself as his tertiary friend.

* [[My God, What Have I Done?]]: Howard says this when he and Raj find the ''perfect'' match for Sheldon at the end of "The Lunar Excitation".

* [[My Hovercraft Is Full of Eels]]: Sheldon's attempts to learn Mandarin.

<Your monkey sleeps inside me.> }}

* [[My Rule Fu Is Stronger Than Yours]]: After years of putting up with Sheldon's ridiculously elaborate roommate agreement, Leonard starts dating a lawyer, who knows how to exploit every loophole in the language of the contract.

** In fact, the tagline of the show's first season was "Smart is the new Sexy".

* [[Nerds Are Virgins]]: Plays with. It's pointed out early on that everyone, even Raj (although Sheldon has no interest whatsoever), has had some intimate moments in the past. Their love life isn't exactly a feast though.

* [[Nice Guy]]: Leonard Hofstadter. And there is Zack, one of Penny's exes. He is [[The Ditz|conspicuously thick]] but in refreshing contrast to [[Jerk Jock|the rest of Penny's exes]] doesn't seem to have a bad bone in his body.

* [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero]]: Penny had a bad break up with an unseen boyfriend at the end of season one, and Leonard decided to go be a comforting friend (though admits to Howard he isn't her gay friend). As he tried to make her feel better about the situation (the boyfriend posted intimate details with her on his blog) she took from it that she should give him another chance and thanks Leonard for getting her to see the big picture, which left him with the irony of ''fixing'' her relationship. In a double layering of the trope Penny's attempts to reconcile with the boyfriend fell apart (due to him already in bed with another girl) and [[Mood Swinger|briefly got angry]] at Leonard for his "advice," leading Raj to say, "Wow! You managed to screw-up the screw-up!"

** Several other episodes don't really resolve the story and just continue on with the next episode. In the second season premiere Leonard accidently insulted Penny when discussing their relationship and the episode ended with her closing the door in his face. It was some 5 episodes later we even learn that they had an uneasy agreement to stay friends and ignore their attempts at a romantic relationship, but the exact details of which are never seen.

* [[No Guy Wants an Amazon]]: S4 Ep05, "The Desperation Emanation", Bernadette sets Leonard up with her tough friend, Joy. Leonard ends up being miserable on their date due to her overbearing personality, including constant references to how strong she is and how much she's into fitness and martial arts (including 101 ways to rip a [[Groin Attack|guy's nuts off]]). Though just to have some sort of companionship he still agreed to be her date to a wedding.

** "WHO'S CAWLING AT THIS UNGAWDLY HOWAH?!"

* [[No Man Should Have This Power]]: Parodied in "The Precious Fragmentation", where Leonard announces that he's mailed the prop One Ring back to Peter Jackson where it belongs. {{spoiler|[[Subverted Trope|He's lying.]]}}

** Sheldon's childhood seems to be filled with these. Among the ones mentioned are Sheldon's dad fighting a bobcat over some liquorice, his parents arguing as his father trap shoots the family's commemorative plates off the roof, his mom's secret smoking habit, trying to build a nuclear reactor in his back yard, trying to frighten neighborhood bullies with a homemade [[Death Ray]], being chased up a tree by a neighbor's chicken, getting beaten up by his [[Hot Amazon]] sister, and losing an uncle who died chasing a badger up a chimney. Assuming Sheldon really [[Can Not Tell a Lie]], it's a miracle he didn't turn out even more neurotic.

** Amy's 'firm cervix' and her 'tilted uterus' was supposed to be next.

* [[No OSHA Compliance]]: In "The Engagement Reaction" there is a patient in the hospital being treated with radiation sickness. As it so happens the door doesn't have a latch and swings open freely, allowing Sheldon (who is desperate to avoid any sick people) to accidently walk in without seeing the quarantine sign.

* [[Notable Commercial Campaigns]]: To promote the Season 4 move from Monday to Thursday nights, the gang is seen sitting around eating food when Sheldon announces that he invented a transporter to help them move from Monday to Thursday. Everyone 'beams out' of their chairs then 'beam back in' in the exact same positions. Leonard notes that it doesn't feel very different, while Howard complains that his food is now cold.

* [[Not Helping Your Case]]: Amy and Sheldon accused Leonard of being a sore loser after he "lost" an attempt at Counterfactuals. The game ''is'' very hard to win (unless you think like Sheldon and Amy), but Leonard's response didn't exactly do him any good...

'''Leonard''': You bumped the table, and YOU KNOW IT! }}

* [[Not So Different]]: Amy ended up looking through Leonard's yearbook and based on the comments noticed how unpopular he must have been, only to reveal that no one even ''signed'' her yearbook except her mother. This actually ended up as an ice breaker between them, who didn't really talk much before then.

* [[Not That Kind of Doctor]]:

** In reference to Leonard's new girlfriend, an actual ''medical'' doctor.

'''Penny''': Nice. A doctor doctor, or a you kind of doctor? }}

'''Leonard:''' Not the kind with access to drugs. }}

* [[N-Word Privileges]]: Lampshaded. Raj claims that whenever ''he'' talks about India negatively, it's not racist.

* [[Object Ceiling Cling]]: Howard's faulty space toilet malfunctions, and during their attempt to fix it, he launches a piece of meatloaf onto the apartment ceiling. It falls down some time later when Penny is there.

* [[Off-Screen Breakup]]: Howard and Bernadette. They got back together, though.

* [[Official Couple]]: Leonard and Penny. It was semi-official as of the pilot episode, and they were an actual couple for most of season three.

* [[Oh Crap]]: Penny in "The Roommate Transmogrification" when she {{spoiler|wakes up and discovers that she has had sex with Raj.}}

** Sheldon when he realizes that he {{spoiler|told an FBI agent that Howard crashed the Mars Rover.}}

** [[Truth in Television]] - anyone who's ever worked with extremely high-IQ academics will marvel at their often-paired lack of common sense and/or inability to perform mundane tasks.

** This trope is generally subverted on other occasions, Howard (the engineer) boasts that he designs items for the international space station but he has no idea how to fix the elevator and when their car breaks down Leonard has this to ask:

'''Raj, Howard and Sheldon''': Not a clue. }}

* [[Once a Season]]: A couple of recurring gags you can expect every season: "Soft Kitty" being sung to or by Sheldon, Leonard and Sheldon's parents visit (although somewhat sporadically), everyone appears in costume for some event (Halloween party, Renaissance fair, the punishment for losing a game...) and from the third season on, at least one appearance by [[Wil Wheaton]].

** On the other hand, Howard's [[My Beloved Smother|overbearing]] [[Jewish Mother]] still treats him as if he's a child, which he loathes. Not that he always argues against it, or is even completely aware of it. Despite that, he has moments where he wants Bernadette to be a mother figure, such as when he asks her to drive him to the dentist and lets slip "mothers take their kids to the dentist all the time".

** "Soft kitty, warm kitty..."

* [[Only Sane Man]]: Mostly Leonard. Since his fixation on/relationship with Penny [[Shipping Bed Death|drifted away from center stage]], this has become a big part of his role.

'''Leonard:''' Because THIS IS NOT ''STAR TREK!'' }}

* [[Ordered Apology]]

* [[Outdated Outfit]]: Leonard's collection of ugly suits, including a felt maroon-ish one. Sheldon also has a suit more appropriate for the 1930's.

* [[Out-of-Character Moment]]: When a new, pretty girl moved upstairs and was manipulating the guys with her looks Penny had a conversation with her in the laundry room. She tried to explain the idea that they don't know how to put their shields up...

** This fuels the comedy when Sheldon is the only one to help Penny when she dislocates her shoulder in the shower. Penny asked him to try to be "comforting" and Sheldon's attempt to be comforting is so alien that Penny is visibly disturbed by it.

* [[Out-Gambitted]]: Sheldon tries the old "joy-buzzer" prank on Howard by getting Howard to shake Sheldon's hand with the buzzer attached. Howard collapses and Bernadette is immediately upset, reminding Sheldon that Howard has a heart condition. Bernadette pulls out an adrenaline needle and insists that Sheldon inject it into Howard's heart, claiming not to be strong enough to do so herself. Howard opens his eyes and reveals the ruse. This one seems like it had to have taken some planning and anticipation on Howard and Bernadette's part for whatever Sheldon had in store, but it may have been easier if you factor in Howard's familiarty with The Sheldon as demonstrated in the above [[Improbably Predictable]] example.

** It gets even better when Sheldon smacks himself in the forehead for falling for it and gets a dose of his own joy-buzzer.

 

== P-T ==

* [[Paintball Episode]]: The guys play on their own time and there is some company activities there with teams divided by department (apparently the pharmacology department were hyped up on experimental steroids). They are generally accurate to the game, using masks that reasonably cover the face and body armor, although they do remove their masks when in a bunker. As common for the trope, they are strategizing and constantly worrying about when their "time" will come.

* [[Parental Substitute]]: Penny is often forced to mother Sheldon. This sometimes includes Leonard acting as a father, including Sheldon being frightened when they fight and after the break-up where they act like ''divorced'' parents. Sadly, this partially comes from Sheldon having bad memories of his parents fighting.

* [[Passive-Aggressive Kombat]]: Sheldon

* [[Personality Swap]]: A very mild version, but Penny once dislocated her shoulder and was taken to the hospital by Sheldon. Returning home ''high'' on painkillers, she convinced Sheldon to sing "[[Running Gag|Soft Kitty]]" to her. Usually the roles are reversed.

** There are a few times where the other characters mimic Sheldon's idiosyncratic door knocking, specifically Penny when Sheldon stole her laundry during an [[Escalating War]].

** Made all the funnier by the fact that Sheldon ''never went'' to high school to begin with.

* [[Pity Sex]]: The proxy version. Leonard and Raj hire a prostitute for Howard on a trip to Las Vegas that happens right after Leslie Winkle breaks up with him, though any sex that might ensue is glossed over.

* [[Plato Is a Moron]]: Sheldon compares himself to Isaac Newton in one episode, declaring that "Gravity would have occurred to me without the apple."

* [[Poor Communication Kills]]: After Leonard and Penny's first date, she confided in Sheldon that she lied to Leonard about getting a community college degree, and swore him to secrecy. Sheldon nearly went crazy holding it in, and told Leonard only when he was [[It Makes Sense in Context|drugged up on Vicodin]]. Leonard assumed Penny was embarrassed over not completing college and tried to show support by giving her a Community College brochure. The problem was Penny didn't care so much about college as she was worried Leonard considered himself too smart for her, and him bringing over the brochure validated her concerns. This is largely the reason for their [[UST|romantic false start]] in the second season.

* [[Portmanteau Couple Name]]: In-universe. "Shamy" in the Season 4 Premiere for Sheldon and Amy.

** Amy is quick to put an end to it, though.

* [[Precision F-Strike]]: After Sheldon says that Howard's robotic hand is no more than a minor upgrade from fast food animatronics, Howard makes the hand give Sheldon [[Flipping the Bird|the finger]]. Subverted since it ended up giving him the peace sign.

** Sheldon rarely swears, so when he does it comes as a surprise. He swears more often when quoting someone than of his own accord: "He was very understanding; he said, 'Got you back jack, bitches be crazy'".

** Amy invited Leonard to be her date to a wedding and made a conscious effort to be social and engaging, with Leonard not really being good company. Eventually she calls him out on his moping around and said, "I have a kinda-sorta boyfriend who is playing with model trains tonight and you don't hear me bitching about it."

* [[Prehensile Tail]]: Parodied in an episode as the foursome are playing a group roleplaying game as bad guys approach.

** All of Chuck Lorre's recent projects, including ''Two and a Half Men'', use and place Safeway products around the set.

** All of the gang's shirts are available for purchase (most of them can be found [http://www.thinkgeek.com here]), as is the periodic table of elements shower curtain.

*** Episode 5x07 had several #1 issues from the September DC reboot. Presumably those issues will be missing the page adverts for this show.

*** After being synidcated to [[TBS]], the station has two different forms of the trope going; A), using clips from the show and splicing in TBS (sometimes pretty [[Lip Synch|badly]]), and B) having static shots of the main apartments, particularly the guys' formula boards, where the product placement of the day equals funny/delicious/good (anything from pizza to beer to a service) even if the show doesn't have anything to really do with the product.

** In "The Plimpton Stimulation", Bernadette. Offscreen, no less.

*** [[The Bus Came Back]]: She returned in "The Hot Troll Deviation" becoming a regular character {{spoiler|and got back together with Howard. As of the end of Series 5 they're ''married.''}}

* [[The Rainman]]: Sheldon, to some extent. Also either subverts or takes this trope to the extreme, depending on your point of view.

** Some of the nastier aspects of him seem to have been based on the writings of J. Arturo Silva, a forensic psychiatrist who famously diagnosed Jeffrey Dahmer with Asperger's.

* [[Real Life Writes the Plot]]: Penny was absent for two episodes in Season 4 and was behind the bar of the Cheesecake Factory when she returned. This was to work around Kaley Cuoco suffering a compound fracture in her leg after she fell off her horse and it stepped on her leg.

** Penny objects to being perceived this way after Sheldon calculates the number of men she's slept with in her lifetime based on her current statistics. The thing with Penny isn't that she sleeps around but that she really appreciates a physical relationship with her boyfriends, she just seems to have a new boyfriend every other week in the early seasons.

* [["The Reason You Suck" Speech]]: Penny's brutal rundown of why Howard is a lonely creep instead of the suave ladies' man he fancies himself to be.

* [[Reckless Gun Usage]]: An interesting case is that Penny is shown using proper procedure in clearing the chamber before loading the clip with the safety on. Doesn't stop Leonard from [[Visual Pun|shooting himself in the foot]].

* [[Red Alert]]: Sheldon getting a cold is serious enough to cause Leonard to run out of the apartment in the early hours of the morning, frantically calling ''everyone'' so they can bunker down and avoid looking after him.

'''Howard''': [[Oh Crap|Dear God!]] [[Anything But That|Not Milky-Green!]] }}

* [[Reed Richards Is Useless]]: All of the scientists on the show are fairly accomplished, but to keep the premise from overwhelming the average episode they are unlikely to make any major contributions to science and engineering. As well Sheldon is not going to prove string theory or otherwise get a Nobel Prize because however smart the science consultant may be, they are unlikely to have a Nobel Prize worthy theory in their back pocket.

** When [[Stephen Hawking]] points out that Sheldon made an error in his mathematics, meaning that his revolutionary theory about the Higgs-Boson is actually ''completely wrong''.

'''[[Stephen Hawking]]''': Great... ''another'' fainter! }}

* [[Relationship Upgrade]]: Between Leonard and Penny, at the beginning of season three. {{spoiler|They broke up about 3/4 of the way through the season. They get back together in season five}}.

** And, as of 5x10, {{spoiler|Sheldon and Amy}}.

* [[Religious Robot]]: Discussed. When the boys talk about having their consciousnesses implanted into robots, Howard says that his robot would have to stay Jewish because "I promised my mother." The others talk about how Howard would have to power down on Saturdays and have his rabbi discuss with the manufacturer about getting circumcised.

* [[Reverse Psychology]]: Sheldon's mother uses this to get Sheldon and Amy back together when they break up in "The Zazzy Substitution".

'''Leonard:''' No, I can do it. }}

* [[Rhetorical Question Blunder]]:

'''Raj''': [[Lampshade Hanging|Ask rhetorical questions that make people feel uncomfortable]]? }}

* [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]]: A literal one in "The Good Guy Fluctuation" by Sheldon, victim of a Halloween prank from Leonard. Early in the episode, Sheldon insists that Leonard open a mailbox, only for Leonard to find junk mail. When Sheldon goes to open the mailbox, an airbag with Leonard's face pops out, scaring Sheldon. Sheldon gets Leonard back by hiding in the apartment couch while Leonard is sitting on it talking to Priya. When Leonard is done, Sheldon pops out of the couch roaring, wearing a green shirt, purplish zombie makeup and fake blood on his lip. Sheldon: "Bazinga punk! Now we're even!"

** Howard has a bit of trouble with the robot arm he built in the season four opener.

* [[Rock-Paper-Scissors]] Lizard Spock. [[Poor Predictable Rock|Poor Predictable Spock]].

** In the second Christmas ep, Leonard said that Sheldon roots for the sun when watching ''[[Frosty the Snowman]]''.

*** He also likes the Grinch until the Grinch has his change of heart.

** In the third episode of the fourth season Sheldon explicitly stated a preference for the Empire when Leonard used the Rebel Alliance as an analogy for their group.

** And the episode where Howard's background investigation for security clearance was conducted by an FBI agent instead of someone from the Office of Personnel Management.

** And then another episode's scene where Raj had bought a very nice area rug at Big Lots, but ended up with eleven extra rugs because it was only available in a case of twelve. In reality, Big Lots only sells single rugs, and they're not available (in store) by the case.

*** To which he responded, "That's just wrong."

** When Sheldon saves Leonard from {{spoiler|the rocket fuel explosion that destroyed the elevator}}.

** Sheldon has a bad breakfast: orange juice - "In what universe is that non-pulp?", English muffin - "In what universe is that 'lightly toasted'?" and margarine - "Well, I have no difficulty believing you're not butter."

* [[Rules Lawyer]]: Played straight with Sheldon, who exploits the Roommate Agreement for all it's worth. Then hilariously inverted when Leonard gets his own ''literal'' Rules Lawyer who then proceeds to exploit every ''technicality'' in the Agreement for all it's worth.

*** The [[Face Palm]], befitting his [[Straight Man]] character

** Penny:

*** Penny's "check engine" light is constantly on, Sheldon and others bug her about attending to it, and she refuses.

*** Penny's use of the guys' wifi, and Sheldon changing the password to something like pennygetyourownwifi.

** Raj:

*** His knowledge and familiarity with more "girly" topics such as loving ''[[Bridget Jones Diary]]'' and knowledge of fashion.

*** Using her harp to play songs that normally are not played on the harp (like TV theme songs or Bon Jovi)

* [[Sarcasm Blind]]: Sheldon ''does'' understand sarcasm... meaning he knows what the word "sarcasm" means and is able to use it himself. He's just bad at detecting it.

'''Leonard''': ''*holds up sarcasm sign*'' }}

* [[Say My Name]]: WHEATON!!!!! Also a [[A Worldwide Punomenon|Shout]] [[Shout-Out|Out]] to [[The Khan]].

** Used by Penny once when Sheldon came knocking.

''*knock knock knock [Who do we love!]'' Penny. ''[Penny finally opens the door]'' }}

* [[Second Episode Introduction]]: A variation. While Raj met Penny in the pilot, it took him until getting drunk in the ''eighth'' episode before he could actually ''[[Cannot Talk to Women|talk to her]]'' and properly introduce himself;

* [[Self-Induced Allergic Reaction]]: Howard eats a nut bar to stall Leonard so they could set up Leonard's surprise birthday party. And because Penny was going to hook him up with her easy girlfriends.

** This is ''after'' he fakes an allergic reaction to the same thing for the same cause, only to realize the group wouldn't have enough time. And well...

* [[Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness]]: Sheldon talks like this a lot. [[No Social Skills|Even to Penny]].

** All the episode titles.

* [[Sexy Shirt Switch]]: Penny in the third episode of the third season, after her and Leonard's first night in his apartment and she was dancing and making French toast.

** Leonard and Penny in an early episode.

** Sheldon toward Amy throughout Season 4.

** Most of the main cast ships [[Portmanteau Couple Name|Shamy]] (Sheldon/Amy). {{spoiler|(In the beginning at least.)}}

** And at least Leonard's mother ships Howard/Raj.

** As of "The Boyfriend Complexity", {{spoiler|Penny's father ships Leonard/Penny.}}

** Sheldon ships Leonard/Stephanie very strongly in "The White Asparagus Triangulation".

** Sheldon's various superhero T-shirts.

** Sheldon named their bowling team "The Wesley Crushers" meaning that they would crush Wil Wheaton. Everyone else (including Wheaton) saw it as a Fan Shout Out to the actor.

*** In "The Friendship Algorithium", Sheldon says Howard drew a big-balled raccoon on the test Sheldon gave him. Turns out it may have been a reference to the anime film ''[[Pom Poko]].''

** In the fourth season New Year's episode, the gang (plus Penny's current boyfriend, Zach) dressed up as members of the [[Justice League of America]] for a party at the comic book store. Others were dressed as [[Doctor Who|the Fourth Doctor]], [[Harry Potter|a Hogwarts student]], and [[The Joker]], among others.

** Just one more subtle: "The Apology Insufficiency" featured guest star [[Dollhouse|Eliza Dushku]]. Towards the end of the episodes Sheldon tries to get Howard to forgive him for a mistake by "reprogramming" him.

** There are several shout outs to ''[[Battlestar Galactica]]''. They range from the characters talking about watching the show to Leonard, as Howard puts it, "taking out his aggressions on innocent Cylons" (i.e. he destroys a Cylon action figure with a laser).

*** Don't forget Cylon Toast! Everyone loves Cylon Toast.

** There was an ironic shout-out to ''[[Firefly]]'' by [[Joss Whedon]] in "The Staircase Implementation":

'''Sheldon''': "Well we might as well settle it now, it's gonna be on for years." }}

** Sheldon's journal in "The Bozeman Reaction" is a shout-out to Rorschach's Journal in [[Watchmen]].

** Sheldon's search for magnetic monopoles in the second season finale was based on actual research being done at the time, with results posted over the season break. Similarly, his dilemma figuring out the contradiction with particles moving through a graphene sheet was related to contemporary research that later won the Nobel Prize.

*** Rivalries between different scientific specialties is also on the nose, with the show focusing much of it with Sheldon (Theoretical Physics) vs Leonard (Experimental Physics), Raj (Astrophysics) and especially Howard (Engineering, no Ph.D). Sheldon also holds a particular disdain for Geologists.

** Comparatively recent events in geekdom including a conversation involving the meaning of [[Final Crisis]], shake-ups in the Batman comics run and the re-establishment of the [[DC Comics]] [[The Multiverse|Multiverse]].

** In "The Thespian Catalyst" Penny tries to teach Sheldon about acting and eventually gets to [[Improv]]. Sheldon kept going off on tangents (asking for frozen yogurt at a shoe store) and Penny was rolling with it, which only confused Sheldon because (obviously) there is no such thing as a shoe warehouse/frozen yogurt hybrid store. Penny then explained the number one rule of improv, you say "Yes" and accept all scenarios given.

* [["Shut Up" Kiss]]: Leonard has a habit of [[Poor Communication Kills|rambling on topics irrelevant to what he is trying to get at]] (going on about how Indian food helps clean out your colon when inviting Penny to lunch in the Pilot). As him and Penny grow closer romantically Leonard will still ramble on and Penny will quiet him down with a kiss, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AcJ31lx_0I like so].

* [[Sibling Yin-Yang]]: Sheldon's fraternal twin sister, Missy.

* [[Sibling Yin-Yang]]: In "The Luminous Fish Effect", after talking about what a pain Sheldon is, Sheldon's mother tells Howard that God didn't give her more than she could handle; she has two others kids who are "dumb as soup."

** More specifically, while Sheldon is a theoretical physicist, his twin sister Missy is a hostess at Fuddruckers.

* [[A Simple Plan]]: Played with in "The Loobenfeld Decay." {{spoiler|The lie works fine, but Sheldon is convinced it'll fall apart, and keeps trying to overcomplicate it.}}

* [[Single-Target Sexuality]]: Amy's early insistence that she has no interest in romantic love or physical contact ("up to and including coitus") takes on difference shades when she [[Homoerotic Subtext|very openly admires]] Penny's "secondary sexual characteristics" and even ''suggests'' "harmless lesbian experimentation" at a sleepover. That said, she never shows any interest in any woman other than Penny.

** And as [[Shown Their Work|typical for this show]], it's a perfect recreation of "KHAN!" and not the [[Popcultural Osmosis|osmosis]] version. Sheldon doesn't actually ''look'' up at the sky, he looks straight ahead with a close-up and screams "WHEATON!" and then the camera cuts to an [[Astronomic Zoom]] pulling away from Earth.

* [[Sleep Cute]]: Howard and Raj.

* [[Slow-Loading Internet Image]]: A video variation. Leonard and Priya are communicating through teleconferencing and are attempting to have a long-distance intimate date. Leonard takes off his clothes, but when Priya starts to take off hers, the signal freezes just as she's taking off her bra.

* [[Small Name, Big Ego]]: Sheldon and his intelligence, one of the show's myths.

* [[Smart People Know Latin]]: Howard and Sheldon try to use this against each other.

* [[Smug Snake]]: Sheldon and his sister.

* [[The Smurfette Principle]]: Penny, so very much. Averted in later seasons with the addition of Bernadette, Amy, and Priya.

** Penny took her role as the [[Nerd Nanny]] a bit more seriously in earlier episodes and [[Have You Tried Not Being a Monster?|berated the guys for their awkward, sometimes inconsiderate tendencies]]. This lead to a few instances of [[Not So Above It All]] and, eventually, [[One of Us]]. She can still be pretty brutal, but talks to them on their own terms.

* [[Southern-Fried Genius]]: [[Averted Trope|Averted]] with Sheldon, who ''very rarely'' speaks in his native East Texas drawl.

* [[Spit Take]]

'''Sheldon''': {{spoiler|Well, my work in physics, her work in neurobiology, [[Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick|and most recently the possibility of our having a child together]].}} }}

* [[Spock Speak]]: Sheldon.

* [[Spoiled Brat]]: Sheldon.

'''Sheldon''': ''*beat, thinks about it*'' Regardless... }}

* [[Standardized Sitcom Housing]]: On the whole the show uses the typical set-up, with the hallway between apartments used extensively for scenes and conversations. But there are moments where they get camera angles showing the "fourth wall" with a completed set, one being a POV of Sheldon coming in from the hallway when the others were staging an intervention on his refusal to get a driver's license.

** The show manages a fairly clever recycling of the set by using the center hallway to represent three different floors with a minor redress, allowing a [[Walk and Talk]] with only one set.

* [[Stealth Pun]]: Cylon toast. Even better: [http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/16/battlestar-galactica-cylon-toaster-produces-fanboy-approved-brea/ that's a real toaster.]

* [[Stoners Are Funny]]: Leonard, Raj, and Howard in "The Adhesive Duck Deficiency".

* [["Stop Having Fun!" Guys]]: Sheldon's approach to any hobby he might happen to share with other people.

'''Sheldon''': I had to leave. They were having fun wrong. }}

* [[Stop Helping Me!]]: In the second episode Leonard and Sheldon got a spare key to Penny's apartment, which Sheldon used to ''clean'' her apartment in the middle of the night (with Leonard begrudgingly helping), [[Too Dumb to Live|leaving a note confessing to the act and offering advice on further organization]]. When she understandably freaks out, Leonard demands Sheldon apologize, to which he tells Penny, "I would like to apologize for what happened and I take full responsibility... [[Comically Missing the Point|and I hope this doesn't color your perception of Leonard... who I hear is a gentle and thorough lover."]]

* [[Stylistic Suck]]: Sheldon and Amy's podcast "Fun with Flags".

* [[Super OCD]]: Sheldon is ''powered'' by this.

** This forms a lot of Sheldon's frustrations towards Penny, which gets reversed in "The Shiny Trinket Manuever" where Sheldon keeps getting distracted at a jewelry store;

* [[Survival Mantra]]: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muBDetZKNO0 Here's Sheldon's.]

* [[Take That]]: Quite a few, largely to non-geeky movies.

'''Howard:''' "I did that with you when we watched ''[[The Notebook]]''..." }}

** "The Flaming Spittoon Acquisition" tabs at card battle games with the guys being initially disgusted with "Mystic Warlords of Ka'a's" latest expansion adding Wild West characters to a fantasy-themed world, but find themselves unable to resist buying and playing it.

** Although he later admits that he was ''lying'' when he said he hadn't looked.

** Amy was constantly wanting more physical contact with Sheldon, even coercing him to snuggle one night. Later Sheldon and Leonard went to pick her up from a liquor store parking lot Leonard was the one to help her to her feet and walk to the car and she happily exclaimed "Looks like someone finally found 'Second Base!'"

* [[That Came Out Wrong]]: In "The Roommate Transmogrification" when Raj proves himself to be a better roommate than Leonard, Sheldon compares Leonard to Homo Erectus saying that he, like Homo Erectus, has been replaced by something better. Raj then makes a comment he regrets.

** Penny when she's doped up on painkillers and she asks Sheldon to help her get into bed.

* [[That Makes Me Feel Angry]]: Sheldon is not good at reading people's emotions at all, so about the only way to tell they are upset or uncomfortable at all is for them to tell him outright.

'''Sheldon:''' ...thank you that's very helpful. }}

* [[Theme Tune Cameo]]: Subverted. Howard's ringtone is the theme tune, but the one from the unaired pilot.

** Also inverted as that was the only reason Amy Farrah Fowler was found as match to Sheldon.

* [[Think Happy Thoughts]]:

'''Leonard''': ''[smiling]'' Oh yeah! }}

* [[This Loser Is You]]: At least if you're a [[Nerd]]. Or [[Jerk Jock|if]] you're [[The Ditz|not]] a [[Dumb Blonde|nerd]].

* [[Those Two Guys]]: Howard and Raj, and their "ersatz homosexual marriage". Although they aren't as directly connected to Sheldon, Leonard and Penny (by virtue of not being neighbors or roommates), they do manage to do activities seperate from each other and the others but do play up the [[Ho Yay]] undertones in certain episodes.

* [[A Threesome Is Manly]]: Raj drunkenly reveals during Howard's bachelor they once had a threesome with a overweight woman dressed as [[Sailor Moon]];

* [[Toilet Humour]]: Toilet Humour [[Recycled in Space|IN SPACE]] to be specific, and done rather well for once in "The Classified Materials Turbulence", where the gang has to fix a malfunctioning zero-gravity toilet. To quote Sheldon: "Apparently there is no law of diminishing comedic returns with space poop".

'''Raj''': Don't you mean the Wolowitz zero-gravity human waste ''[[Insistent Terminology|distribution]]'' system? }}

** Sheldon had some flatulence problems after eating brussels sprouts in an episode where he becomes hyper health-conscious.

* [[Toilet Seat Divorce]]: During Leonard's brief "official" relationship with Leslie, she broke up with him over the fact he had a preference towards String Theory (which Sheldon brought up) while she is on the Loop Quantum Gravity. To the average viewer this is ridiculous, but to these super-geniuses it is [[Serious Business]].

** Also played as [[Does This Remind You of Anything?]]:

'''Leslie:''' You can't let them decide, Leonard; THEY'RE CHILDREN! }}

* [[Too Much Information]]: Usually involving Amy Farrah Fowler.

** In parallel [[Character Development]], we've also seen Penny Take A Level In Nerd. (The first one is [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKXBqs1flqQ wonderfully illustrated] with a [[Double Take]] ''at herself'', while the studio audience applauds.) In addition to random science-fiction analogies, she has quite a bit more patience and higher standards when it comes to dating.

* [[Trademark Favorite Food]]: Whenever the five main characters are eating together, it's Chinese food. Although it's not so much trademarked for Sheldon as it is ISO 9000 specified.

'''Sheldon''': Excellent. (beat) What took you so long? }}

** But when it's just the four nerds together, they seem to have (slightly) greater variety in their diet. They go to various restaurants, including the Cheesecake Factory where Penny is a waitress. Also, at work they have generic cafeteria food together in some cafeteria presumably on the Caltech campus.

* [[Truth-Telling Session]]: On "The Irish Pub Formulation", Leonard's confession of {{spoiler|having slept with Raj's sister Priya}} snowballs into one of these.

* [[TV Genius]]: Parodied in one episode, where Sheldon and Raj have a [[Hard Work Montage]] to ''Eye of the Tiger''. It's literally just them staring at a whiteboard of equations.

 

== U-Z ==

* [[Uncle Pennybags]]: ''Sheldon'' of all people. When Penny falls behind on her rent and her car breaks down, he freely gives her enough money to pay for both of them. Despite her assuminption that Sheldon's obsessive tendencies would lead him to hound her, it turns out that he's incredibly lax when it comes to lending his money. He honestly doesn't care ''when'' its paid back, as long as it ''eventually'' is.

** Lampshaded by Leonard as one of his saving graces;

* [[Uncomfortable Elevator Moment]]: The elevator's been broken for literally the entire series, so instead, awkwardness occurs while climbing the stairs. Penny and Raj's sister Priya share one of these (intentionally drawn out to make the audience uncomfortable) in Season 4.

* [[Understatement]]: After he worked up the nerve to ask her out in the first season finale, Penny admitted to Sheldon that she knew Leonard had "a little crush" on her. Sheldon responded with "A ''little'' crush. I suppose so, like how Menelaus [[The Trojan War|had "a little crush" on Helen of Troy]]."

* [[Unlimited Wardrobe]]: Partially averted. While the characters have a very extensive wardrobe, they do repeat outfits from time to time, mostly the guys.

* [[Unrequited Love Switcheroo]]: Leonard/Penny/Priya

* [[The Un-Smile]]:

** Sheldon provides the current page image in the episode "The Griffin Equivalency":

* [[Unusual Euphemism]]: "Frickity Frack, not this again!"

* [[Unwanted Gift Plot]]: Amy gives Penny a bad painting of the two of them in "The Rothman Disintegration".

* [[Valley Girl]]: Penny falls into this from time to time, even though she's originally from Nebraska.

* [[Verbal Tic]]: Penny likes to call people "Sweetie." In a bout of confusion Sheldon used it as evidence that she has feelings for him.

'''Sheldon:''' "You tramp." }}

* [[Vocal Dissonance]]: Bernadette normally has a fairly high pitched, squeaky voice. But there are times when she yells and sounds ''exactly'' like Howards mom. Which he finds to be ''[[Oedipus Complex|hot]].''

** Carol Ann Susi as the voice of Mrs. Wolowitz has always had [[No Indoor Voice]], but was slightly more muted and with less enunciation in her earlier "appearances."

* [[The Voice]]: Howard's mother, Mrs. Wolowitz, [[He Who Must Not Be Seen|She Who Must Not Be Seen]].

** [[Voice for The Voiceless]]: Howard, who usually just relays what Raj whispers into his ear (though sometimes Howard's annoyed comebacks imply what Raj said well enough).

* [[Wacky Marriage Proposal]]: Howard pulls this on Bernadette when she asks where their relationship is going.

** His [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-i8MRnnbwA subsequent retraction] of the proposal for an [[Anguished Declaration of Love]] is both cringeworthy and utterly hilarious. Subverted in that Bernadette sees it as the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for her.

* [[Walk and Talk]]: Lampshaded by Sheldon:

'''Leonard''': I don't know... Sometimes your movements are so lifelike I forget you're not a real boy. }}

* [[We Want Our Jerk Back]]: In a variation Sheldon balked at switching up his regimented dinner plans and refused to go to Raj's place with everyone else. The rest of the group spent the Sheldon-free evening talking about how annoying he could be, only to realize the group felt empty without him around.

* [[What Do You Mean It's Not Heinous?]]: In-universe and [[Played for Laughs]]. When Leonard is invited to see the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland on Valentine's Day and insists on making it a romantic holiday with Penny, instead of taking Sheldon as was agreed to in the Roommate Agreement, Sheldon is very angry and plays a driving game with him called "Traitors" where he names three historical traitors and Leonard is to put them in the order of the magnitude of their treachery. First round: Benedict Arnold, [[The Bible|Judas]], and Dr. Leonard Hofstadter. When Leonard protests against being included in the same category as these men, Sheldon even hints that Judas ranks somewhere ''below'' Leonard.

** When talking about the horrible things that would happen at his birthday parties, Sheldon confessed to Penny with great anguish that he got a motorized dirtbike instead of a titanium centrifuge. Sheldon simply could not understand what child would like such a gift, and was genuinely perplexed when Penny said that most kids would love it.

** This was also played with in an episode where Penny decides to stay in Leonard and Sheldon's apartment for the night. Raj walks out of the shot right before she walks into the room and asks to stay. Leonard, Penny, and Sheldon all have the whole argument about her staying there and then, once that's all over and it's decided that Penny stays, they turn out the lights and all go to bed. Cut to Raj, who was in the middle of eating a sandwich in the kitchen. He quietly leaves the room, looking like he has no idea what just happened.

** In "The Psychic Vortex" Raj and Sheldon managed to acquire dates with two very hot, intelligent and slightly geeky girls (one of whom played by [[The Wonder Years|Danica McKeller]]) named Abby and Martha, and even got a second date shortly after. What made these girls really unique was that the ice-breaker was Sheldon carrying [[Green Lantern]]'s power battery at a party and ''they [[Geeky Turn On|fully knew what it was]];'' they ended up playing ''[[Rock Band]]'' back at Sheldon's apartment. Not to mention that Sheldon even appeared to enjoy talking with Martha (discussing ''[[Flatland]]'' among other things) with Raj and Abby making out on the chair. It can be assumed that Sheldon's [[Asexual]] nature really disappointed Martha, and that took Abby away from Raj. But these were girls who could relate to them in interests, intelligence and were attracted to them ''because'' of it (not even Penny can really claim that with Leonard), with no follow up episode it almost seems to be a waste.

* [[Will They or Won't They?]]: For the first two seasons, Leonard and Penny. {{spoiler|In the first episode of season 3, they do, although they break up at the end of the season.}}

* [[Wimp Fight]]: Leonard and Sheldon get into a fight at a seminar in the first season, which is largely a push, shove and slap fight. They are subsequently shown on [[YouTube]] and are clearly embarassed over how silly they look:

'''Sheldon''': Forget your suit, look at my arms waving. I'm like a flamingo on Ritalin. }}

** The wrestling match between Howard and Raj also counts, which consisted of over a half-hour of circling each other on the mat. Leonard fell asleep waiting for something resembling a fight to happen.

* [[Women Are Wiser]]: Played with. Usually Penny or another female character is the one with the most common sense of the group, but sometime Leonard or others, including Sheldon are the ones to point out things the others never seen.

* [[Women Prefer Strong Men]]: All of Penny's ex-boyfriends are muscular and dumb.

* [[You Answered Your Own Question]]: When Penny tells Leonard that everything goes wrong with their relationship when they talk, she adds that she had an 8 month long relation with a guy named T.J. and they never talked.

* [[You Never Did That for Me]]: Penny mentions Leonard haven't let her talk him into [[I Want My Beloved to Be Fashionable|cooler dressing/hobbies]] as much as he let Priya.

* [[Your Favorite]]: For Sheldon - Strawberry Quik

* [[Your Mom]]: Invoked by Raj in order to try to get Howard to let go of "The One Ring". Then Sheldon gleefully notes that if they turn on each other, he will get The Ring by default, Raj and Howard to decide to [[Enemy Mine|team up]] against him. Sheldon lists his mother's faults before they get a chance to, leaving them to bring out the big guns.

'''Sheldon''': [[Anything But That|No!]] I call no Mee-maws! }}

** Howard's mother is a ''living'' [[Your Mom]]. It's implied that every single thing said about Mrs. Wolowitz is actually true, but since [[He Who Must Not Be Seen|she's never visible on-screen]], the audience simply must [[Take Our Word for It|Take Their Word For It]] per [[Rule of Funny]].

 

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