Who Are You Calling Names?

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Yet another Stock Phrase. One character gets insulted by another, which leads to the insulted character responding back with, "Who are you calling stupid!?!?!" Sometimes, it may also overlap with Insult Misfire.

Closely related to: Berserk Button, I Take Offense to That Last One.

Examples of Who Are You Calling Names? include:


Anime and Manga

  • From the third episode of the Little Lulu anime, after Alvin and a couple of other younger kids are told that building the clubhouse isn't for little kids:

Alvin: Who are you calling a little kid!?!?

Edward Elric: Who are you calling so short you want to squish like an ant?
Alphonse Elric: Calm down, he never said anything like that!
Edward Elric: But he was thinking it.

  • Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon. Occurs multiple times when the two run into each other:

Mamoru Chiba: Idiot!
Usagi Tsukino: Who are you calling an idiot?

Jetfire: Hey, you're one of those escaped monster Decepticons?
Thunderbolt: Hey, who are you calling a monster?

Yomi: Think again! Like hell I'm telling some knuckleheads like you!
 Tomo: Kn-knucklehead?! What?!? (notices others) ...Hmm? Hey, what are you guys acting so cool for?
Osaka and Kagura: Huh?
Tomo: Come on, say something back at her!
Osaka and Kagura: Huh? (points at Tomo) Knucklehead.
Tomo: Knuckleheads.
Osaka and Kagura: Ohhh! Who you callin knuckleheeead?!?

Film

Marty: Who are you calling chicken?

  • Toy Story: Sid is holding Woody as Woody speaks some of his standard phrases:

Sid Phillips: It's busted.
Woody: Who are you calling busted, Buster?

Soundwave: Soundwave superior. Constructions inferior.
Bonecrusher: Who are you calling inferior?

  • Pryde of the X-Men:

Wolverine: Get with it! The X-men don't have room for whiny brats!
Kitty Pryde: Who are you calling whiny?

Parvus: Shut up, you Jewish turd!
Mr. Big Nose: Who are you calling Jewish? I'm not Jewish! I'm a Samaritan!

Mark: Who are you calling a kid?

    • Example 2

Lisa: You can come out now, Johnny. She's gone.
Johnny: In a few minutes, bitch.
Lisa: Who are you calling a bitch?

Chris Hargenson: Watch it, you stupid sh*t, you're getting blood all over the place!
Billy Nolen: Who are you calling a stupid sh*t?

Becky: Oh just try firing me, you old bucket of cheese.
Cal: Who are you calling a bucket of cheese, you heifer?

Dr. Dolittle: Alright, Archie, I'm not playing anymore. I want you to come out of there right now, you big coward!
Archie: Uh, excuse me, but who are you calling a coward?

Minerva: Did you ever see such a lazy girl in your life?
Calliope: Who are you calling lazy?
Minerva: Not you, stupid, Cinderella!
Calliope: Oh... who are you calling stupid?

  • The Mod Squad (1999): Detective Trickey is sexually harassing Julie:

Pete: Hey hey, why do you have to be such a pussy huh, leave her alone alright.
Det. Tricky: Who are you calling a pussy?

  • A Midnight Clear:

Bud Miller: You trust these Nazis, Stan?
German soldier: [in German] Who are you calling Nazis? We're not Nazis! We're the German Army!

  • American Desi:

Jagjit: [dancing] Ho! Ho! Ho!
Girl at party: Hey man, WHO ARE YOU CALLING A HO?

  • Maid to Order

Stella Winston: You're a spoiled, silly, boring, insignificant little twit.
Jessie Montgomery: Hey! Who are you calling boring?

  • Friends, Comrades:

Arno Jurmala: [to her wife] Who are you calling a whore?

Han: Who's scruffy-looking?

Simba: But I thought you said they're nothing but slobbering, mangy, stupid poachers.
Zazu: Ix-nay on the oopid-stay!
Banzai: Who are you calling oopid-stay?!

Live-Action TV

Dalek: Small human female sighted on level three.
Ace: Who are you calling small?!
[She beats it to death with a baseball bat.]

    • "The Creature from the Pit: Part One":

Romana: Go ahead and kill me. Commit suicide. Listen to that hirsute moron.
Torvin: Here! Who are you calling hirsute?
Romana: You. Do you want to make something of it?
Torvin: No, I just wanna know what it means.

  • House episode "Whatever It Takes":

House: You idiot.
Dr. Samira Terzi: Who are you calling an idiot?

Nancy: Look, we don't take calls from ignorant, abusive people on this show.
Hattie: And who are you calling ignorant?

Michael Knight: [to K.I.T.T.] Are sure you're not becoming a bit of a snob?
Devon Miles: [Appears on view screen] Snob? Who are you calling a snob?

The Oracle: Who are you calling an idiot, you... d*ckhead?
Mel: D*ckhead? Who are you calling d*ckhead?

  • Mind of Mencia:

Host: Hey, bro. You dropped your keys. [The person looks at him, turning out to be a woman]
Fountain Drinker: Who are you calling, 'bro,' bitch?

Boy: You going to hit Krako out here? You open up and you'll be scragged from every window in the street. I can fix it for ya.
Spock: Young man, this is likely to be quite hazardous.
Kirk: : Hold on, Spock. Out of the mouths of babes.
Boy: Who you callin' a babe?

Elizabeth Delgado: Is he gonna make it?
Dr. Katherine Manx: If he were human, he'd already be gone. This old dog is tough. There's no telling.
Commander Cruger: [awakes] Who are you calling an old dog?

Video Games

Koume: You must have gone senile!
Kotake: Who are you calling senile? Is that how you treat your older sister?

Manuel Calavera: Aw, they look just like little Johnny Thunders.
1st Thunder Boy: Who are you calling little?

The Master: This is the way of things. The flower must die for the fruit to live.
Cryptosporidium: Who are you calling a fruit, old man?

  • Tales of Monkey Island:
    • In Chapter 3, when Bugeye's voice says, "What say you, digested SCUMM™?", one of the topics the player can choose as a response is, "Hey, who you calling SCUMM™, Geppetto?"
    • And in Chapter 4, when Guybrush tries breaking up a fight between Morgan and a Poxed Elaine:

Guybrush: Can't you two just work it out over a nice grogatini?
Morgan: THE Guybrush Threepwood is buying me a drink?
Elaine: Over your dead body, trollop!
Morgan: Who are you calling trollop, Schooner-Mom?!
Guybrush: [embarrassed] Oh boy.

Western Animation

Tummi: Who are you calling old?

    • This exchange from the episode, "Tummi's Last Stand":

Duke Igthorn: Why you little liar!
Cubbi: Who are you calling little?!?!

Goofy: Hello, handsome.
Goofy's reflection: Hello, fat.
Goofy: Who are you calling fat?

Diane Simmons: Peter, do you think there may be any validity to what Meg is feeling?
Peter: WHO ARE YOU CALLING UNCLE TOM?

Homer Simpson: Well, forget it, padre. We don't need a piece of paper to tell us we're happy. Me and the old lady have our own thing going on.
Marge Simpson: Who are you calling an old lady?

Katara: So this crazy king is your old friend Bumi?
King: Who are you calling old?... Okay, I'm old.

Mr. Krabs: Well, if I were a robot, which I'm not, at least I'm well put together, not some rusted-up, steam-driven pile of junk.
Plankton: Who are you calling steam driven?

Jerrica Benton: Wanna bet those earrings are a pair of duds?
Synergy: Who are you calling a dud?

Dalong Wong: You cannot defeat me, old man!
Uncle: Who are you calling old?

Professor Rotwood: Admirable attempt Mr. Long, but you can't beat my young piano protege with that mangy puppet.
Fu Dog: Hey, who are you calling mangy, Molly McHairpiece?

Prince Pyrus: Who are you calling a child, loser? Us children have beaten you so many times, it's getting boring.

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