History Literature / MakingMoney

* CourtroomAntic: [[spoiler:During Moist's trial, Mr. Fusspot is propelled across the courtroom floor by a vibrating dildo he's using as a chew toy. Moist quickly decides that a world where something like that can actually happen can handle someone like him being in charge of a bank, and confesses to everything.]]

* HitlerAteSugar: One explanation of how the Department of Post Mortem Communications can't be called necromancy verges on this.

* {{Everything Sounds Sexier in French}}: Moist gets rather excited about the sound of Adora Belle speaking Umnian.

* [=~Not with the Cap on You Won't~=]: Moist prevents Owlswick Jenkins from committing suicide by eating a tube of highly toxic paint because he made the same mistake as a lot of amateurs.

* {{Aerith and Bob}}: Owlswick Jenkins. When Moist gives him the alias surname Clamp, he wants to keep the "Owlswick" as his first name, and Moist agrees, apparently without sarcasm, because "there must be hundreds of Owlswicks."

The 31st book in the ''{{Discworld}}'' series, ''[[Discworld/MakingMoney Making Money]]'' returns us to Moist von Lipwig, who has taken to a life of breaking into his own building and stealing his own possessions to alleviate the boredom of living a more virtuous life. Since ''[[Discworld/GoingPostal Going Postal]]'', he has become a major figure in the city and is tipped to become the next chairman of the Merchant's Guild. Vetinari, realizing that Moist would be much more useful if he redirected this bored energy towards a new project, offers him the chance to revamp the Royal Mint in much the same fashion as he revived the Post Office.

Topsy Lavish, the current majority shareholder of the Mint, spies Moist for what he is immediately - a dirty, scheming crook. Naturally, when she dies not long after meeting him, she leaves all of her shares to her pet dog... and leaves her pet dog to Moist. Her family, objecting to the Mint falling into the hands of a non-relative, go to great lengths to bribe, torment and even attempt to kill Moist.

This book provides examples of:
* AboveGoodAndEvil - Justifying [[strike:necromancy]] [[InsistentTerminology Post-Mortem Communications]].
* ActualPacifist - Moist is more comfortable being threatened with a sword than he is holding one.
* AerithAndBob - Owlswick Jenkins. When Moist gives him the alias surname Clamp, he wants to keep the 'Owlswick' as his first name, and Moist agrees, apparently without sarcasm, because "there must be hundreds of Owlswicks."
* BavarianFireDrill - Moist loves doing this, but most notably, [[spoiler:busting the new designer for the paper money out of prison]].

* BodyHorror - As a part of Cosmo's attempts to mimic Lord Vetinari, he wears a copy of the Patrician's ring that is much too small for him. [[spoiler:His finger eventually starts rotting because it can't get any blood, and in the end Moist tricks him into exposing the ring to direct sunlight, which due to the special properties of the metal it's made of, causes it to get superhot and burn his finger clean off. We don't get a proper description, but it has "green mushrooms" and Moist notes the "colors" and the "wriggling things".]]
* BringThemAround: Moist needs to convince the highly traditional Mint to print paper money, Mr Bent off the gold standard, and the public to accept paper money as worth its printed value.

* CoolOldLady - Topsy.
* CourtroomAntic - [[spoiler: During Moist's trial, Mr Fusspot is propelled across the courtroom floor by a vibrating dildo he's using as a chew toy. Moist quickly decides that a world where something like that can actually happen can handle someone like him being in charge of a bank, and confesses to everything.]]

* DirtyOldMan - Topsy's late husband, who had whole ''closets'' of unusual sex toys that amuse Adora Belle and trouble Moist. [[spoiler:And provide Mr. Fusspot with a chewtoy]].
** Also Professor Flead, former head of the [[strike:Necromancy Department]] [[InsistentTerminology Department of Post-Mortem Communications]] at Unseen University. Shamelessly perverted and incapable of being much older for the same reason he's the ''former'' head- he's dead. [[spoiler:At the end of the book Moist makes a deal with him that sees him bound to the Pink Pussycat Club for the rest of time, which is like paradise for him- when he was alive, he thought seeing a woman's ''ankles'' was saucy.]]
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything - We've got Moist making ''paper money'' that is noted to be worth only what we think it is. We've got a man who's obsessing over a pair of ''boots''. We've got a little ''dog''. We've got Moist revitalizing his ''top hat''. We've got a lady golem that does the ''ironing''. Mr. Jenkins considers a ''battleship'' as a motif for the bills he's designing. Adora Belle gives Moist a golem ''horse'', which he rides. [[{{Monopoly}} What does this spell]], do you think...?
** Needs a racecar. Everyone wants to play as the racecar.
*** Well the coaches are something of a recurring motif in the book

* EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench: Moist gets rather excited about the sound of Adora Belle speaking Umnian.
* FunnyAneurysmMoment - One of the book's themes is Moist's economic argument that relying on gold as a standard is a bad idea. Almost immediately after the book was published, Britain crashed into recession and Prime Minister Gordon Brown was heavily criticised for selling off the country's gold reserves several years before, which would now be worth more than eight times as much.

* GratuitousJapanese - Vetinari does a sudoku-equivalent in the Times which is called a ''Jikan no Muda''- rough Japanese for "waste of time".
* HoneyTrap - [[{{Gonk}} Pucci]] tries to be one; Moist sees her and takes off in the other direction at top speed.

* InsistentTerminology - The Department of Postmortem Communications are ''not'' necromancers. (Technically true, since necromancy officially means consulting the dead to learn about the ''future.'' Contacting them to figure out what's going on in the past or present doesn't count.)
* IrritationIsTheSincerestFormOfFlattery - Cosmo Lavish is plotting to overthrow Lord Vetinari by ''becoming'' Lord Vetinari. His plans to achieve this go as far as to steal the patrician's boots and jewelry and copy his manner of dress and facial hair at all times.

* ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne: Moist, when the Lavishes denounce him for stealing the bank's gold, accuse him of being a fraud, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking insult his fashion sense]].
* ItsAllAboutMe - [[spoiler:Pucci, whose ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney remarks incriminate her entire family.]]
* KarmaHoudini - Heretofore appears to get away with it. Granted he didn't do anything especially bad himself (though indirectly leading to Cranberry murdering people) but considering how he managed to swipe some of ''Vetinari''`s possessions...
** The only item he procured that was actually Vetinari's was the skullcap, and the description state that it was a matter of simple bribery. And he doesn't strictly qualify for this trope since we know Havelok is sending people after him.
* KillMeNowOrForeverStayYourHand - A mild form: [[spoiler:Vetinari hands Moist a sword while questioning him, so he can confirm that Moist is more afraid when he's holding a sword than he is when Vetinari is.]] A subtle but brilliant ContinuityNod back to ''Discworld/GuardsGuards'', in which the maddened Lupin Wonse screamed at Vetinari "you think you're in control just because I've got a sword and you haven't!"
* MadArtist - Owlswick Jenkins. It's not clear as to whether Pterry knows anything about Japanese Manga Artists. Because having an artist who only does his brilliantly amazing art when insane and goes by the alias [[{{CLAMP}} Clamp]] is either the greatest shout out or coincidence in history. Given Terry Pratchett's nigh invincible levels of GenreSavvy, it's fair bet this was deliberate.
* MadnessMantra: Cosmo's [[spoiler:vetinari vetinari vetinari vetinari vetinari vetinari vetinari vetinari vetinari vetinari vetinari]]
* MadScientist - Topsy's nephew Hubert Turvy, a Mad Economist, who built a hydraulic computer to calculate the flow of money.
** Although, in the same style as many of Discworld's da Quirm inventions, the computer is based on a real-world device - the MONIAC, devised in 1949.
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane -- Those dentures
* MeaningfulName - Mild, in-universe case; Moist reflects that you never see a tall, slim Hubert, and Hubert Turvy is no exception.

* [[NotWithTheSafetyOnYouWont Not With The Cap On You Won't]]: Moist prevents Owlswick Jenkins from committing suicide by eating a tube of highly toxic paint because he made the same mistake as a lot of amateurs.
* PetHeir: Mr Fusspot.
* [[{{ptitleskikbgy4psco}} Screw This, I'm Outta Here]] - Heretofore, when Cosmo's madness reaches critical mass.
* RedHerring - We are repeatedly told that everyone suspects Mr Bent of being a vampire. So often that the GenreSavvy reader knows he must be something else, and is perhaps thinking of other unusual Discworld races like Mr Gryle [[spoiler:the banshee]] from ''Discworld/GoingPostal''. In the end, Mr Bent turns out to be [[spoiler:a clown]].
* RefugeInAudacity: The whole concept of paper money is RefugeInAudacity itself. Which makes Moist von Lipwig the perfect man to run a bank.
* ShoutOut: The scene where Moist and Adora briefly believe Gladys the Golem has killed Mr. Fusspot may be based on the "bunny boiler" scene from ''FatalAttraction''.
** THAT'S what that was about?! This troper just thought they were nervous because of Gladys' increasing instability.
** Possibly also based on the urban legend about a babysitter who microwaved a baby.
*** Most variants of that urban legend have the babysitter ''roasting'' the baby, because she was so high (usually on acid) that she thought the baby was a turkey that she was supposed to prepare for the family's dinner. The scene where Gladys pulls Mr. Fusspot's collar out, though, is more reminiscent of the "Chinese Chow-Chow" legends (where a beloved family pet is turned into - or believed to be turned into - dinner when the family visits a Chinese restaurant).
* ShroudedInMyth

* SummonBiggerFish: When Moist explains to Vetinari why there are Mongooses in the letter boxes. Arguably more of a 'swallowed a spider to catch the fly' type thing...

** Don't forget the [[NothingButSkulls skulls]]. They're fake though. Except for old [[OracularHead Charlie]], who is also [[IncrediblyLamePun the backbone of the department]].
* TakingTheBullet: Moist saves Vetinari from [[spoiler: public humiliation by taking a PieInTheFace for him.]] Of course, this being Vetinari, the chances of that [[spoiler:pie]] hitting him were near non-existent in the first place. [[spoiler: [[MagnificentBastard Because he knew Moist]] [[FridgeBrilliance would jump in front of it.]]]]
* ThanatosGambit - Mrs. Lavish's will hands her money to Mr. Fusspot, makes Moist his guardian... and sets up a contingency contract on him with the Guild of Assassins if the dog doesn't live out its natural life. Which, the book notes, prevents ''anyone else'' from [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim simply taking out a contract on Moist.]]
* TurnOutLikeHisFather: [[spoiler:Mr Bent, probably to his mother's disappointment.]]
* UnfortunateNames - Apparently, Topsy Lavish's maiden name was ''Turvy''. As it is implied that she used to be either an exotic dancer or music-hall girl, Topsy could quite probably be a stage name (or pole name as the case may be).
* YouFailEconomicsForever - Averted, Pratchett did quite a bit of research into economic theory before writing the book, and it shows. (The British gold hullabaloo mentioned above notwithstanding.)

<<|{{Discworld}}|>>

* ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne: Moist, when the Lavishes denounce him for stealing the bank's gold.

* AboveGoodAndEvil - Justifying [[strike:necromancy]] Post-Mortem Communications.

* TheMistress: Topsy was the mistress, became the wife, and was aware that newer models were coming along.

* BodyHorror - As a part of Cosmo's attempts to mimic Lord Vetinari, he wears a copy of the Patrician's ring that is much too small for him. [[spoiler:His finger eventually starts rotting because it can't get any blood, and in the end Moist tricks him into exposing the ring to direct sunlight, which due to the special properties of the metal it's made of, causes it to get superhot and burn his finger clean off.]] This is ''played for laughs''.
** Was it really played for laughs? [[spoiler:His assistant is pretty disgusted by the whole thing, and the descriptions of the finger don't seem to be intentionally funny.]] Plus Cosmo's obsession with Vetinari, while it has a funny side, is more sad and creepy than it is funny.

* ItsAllAboutMe - Pucci, whose ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney remarks incriminate her entire family.

* KillMeNowOrForeverStayYourHand - A mild form: Vetinari hands Moist a sword while questioning him.
** Done so Vetinari can confirm that Moist is more afraid when he's holding a sword than he is when Vetinari is. A subtle but brilliant ContinuityNod back to ''Discworld/GuardsGuards'', in which the maddened Lupin Wonse screamed at Vetinari "you think you're in control just because I've got a sword and you haven't!"
* MadArtist - Owlswick Jenkins.
**I have been torn, since I first read the book, as to whether Pterry knows anything about Japanese Manga Artists. Because having an artist who only does his brilliantly amazing art when insane and goes by the alias [[{{CLAMP}} Clamp]] is either the greatest shout out or coincidence in history.
*** Given Terry Pratchett's nigh invincible levels of GenreSavvy, it's fair bet this was deliberate.

* RedHerring - We are repeatedly told that everyone suspects Mr Bent of being a vampire. So often that the GenreSavvy reader knows he must be something else, and is perhaps thinking of other unusual Discworld races like Mr Gryle the banshee from ''Discworld/GoingPostal''. In the end, Mr Bent turns out to be [[spoiler:a clown]].

* SummonBiggerFish: When Moist explains to Vetinari why there are Mongooses in the letter boxes.
** More of a 'swallowed a spider to catch the fly' type thing...

* TakingTheBullet: Moist saves Vetinari from [[spoiler: public humiliation by taking a PieInTheFace for him.]]
** Of course, this being Vetinari, the chances of that [[spoiler:pie]] hitting him were near non-existent in the first place.
*** [[MagnificentBastard Yes, because he knew Moist would jump in front of it.]]
* ThanatosGambit - Mrs. Lavish's will hands her money to Mr. Fusspot, makes Moist his guardian... and sets up a contingency contract on him with the Guild of Assassins if the dog doesn't live out its natural life.
** Which, the book notes, prevents ''anyone else'' from [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim simply taking out a contract on Moist.]]
* TurnOutLikeHisFather: Mr Bent, probably to his mother's disappointment.
* UnfortunateNames - Apparently, Topsy Lavish's maiden name was ''Turvy''.
** As it is implied that she used to be either an exotic dancer or music-hall girl, Topsy could quite probably be a stage name (or pole name as the case may be).