History Main / ExactlyWhatitSaysontheTin

[[caption-width-right:350:I'mma beat up everyone 'cos the title said so!]]

A title should tell you what a movie, show, episode of a show or product is about or does. Sometimes, though, the premise or plot of the story is '''all''' right there in the title. That's when you can say that the story is "Exactly What It Says on the Tin". Thus, this trope.

[[caption-width-right:350:What, did they run out of movie titles or something?]]

* ''Webcomic/BobTheAngryFlower'' in: [[http://www.angryflower.com/slappi.gif Slapping the Shit out of George W. Bush.]] Also true for the comic as a whole, in a sense; the furious flower is [[WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs the only consistent thing about it.]]

* Just because it may be obvious to ''you'' doesn't mean it's obvious to everyone. That next door neighbor you never talk to? Tell her the title and see if she can give a one sentence description of the plot. If not, then the title is NOT Exactly What It Says On The Tin. '''This also means that if you feel the need to explain it, it probably isn't this trope.'''

* This applies to a lot of {{isekai}} titles, and LightNovels in general, since it's become trendy. This also causes OverlyLongTitle at several instances.

* ''[[Theatre/MaratSade The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade]]''. Yes, [[LongTitle all that is the play's title]]. However, among theater geeks (about the only people who have heard of it), it's usually just shortened to ''[="Marat/Sade"=]''.

* ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato'' is about the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII battleship Yamato...]] [[RecycledInSpace IN SPACE!]]

* ''Creator/EddieIzzard'', discussing the [[Franchise/StarWars Death Star]] in her "Death Star Canteen" sketch:

** DC's Silver Age feature "Space Cabby" is about a taxi driver... [[RecycledInSpace IN SPACE!]]

* ''The Death Of Batman'' is a FanFilm which depicts the death of Franchise/{{Batman}}. The [[ColdBloodedTorture torturous]], UndignifiedDeath of Batman.

* ''WesternAnimation/HulkVs'', which is [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Hulk]] versus the other guy in the title ([[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]] or ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}).

** ''WesternAnimation/{{Robin Hood|1973}} [[RecycledInSpace with Animals]]''

* Creator/EddieIzzard's take on horror films: "It's like those people who go camping in millions of films."

** A similar lampshade came when [[ComicBook/{{Runaways}} Molly Hayes]] (a kid with super strength) gut punches ComicBook/ThePunisher (a guy with no powers but guns). Molly is sorry as "how was [she] supposed to know he didn't have powers?" [[ComicBook/{{Runaways}} Victor Mancha]]'s response "you think he's got some punishy force?"

** Some of the mobsters ComicBook/{{Daredevil}} had to fight during his career. Aside from his sworn enemy, [[Characters/MarvelComicsTheKingpin The Kingpin]], he has also crashed with the holders of such creative nicknames as The Organizer, The Boss and The Masked Marauder.

** ComicBook/SquirrelGirl is a girl with the characteristics of a squirrel.

*** It's somewhat of an invoked trope in-universe, as the Legion's usual naming convention is a deliberate imitation of their 20th-21st century inspirations: Franchise/{{Superman}}, Franchise/WonderWoman, Franchise/{{Batman}}, ComicBook/{{Hawk|man}}girl, ComicBook/ElongatedMan, etc.

[[folder:Jokes]]
* A man is walking in the street when he trips and falls. He gets up and notices his watch is broken, but fortunately, there's a shop nearby has a display window full of watch parts, he rings the bell, and is somewhat surprised to see a rabbi open the door.
-->'''Man:''' Hi, I'd like to get my watch fixed.\\
'''Rabbi:''' I don't fix watches.\\
'''Man:''' What?\\
'''Rabbi:''' I don't fix watches, I do circumcisions here.\\
'''Man:''' That's ridiculous! Pet shops put animals in their windows, butchers put meat, why the hell would you put watch parts if you do circumcisions?!\\
-The rabbi looks blankly at the man for an uncomfortably long time before speaking-\\
'''Rabbi:''' What, exactly, would you have us to put on display?
[[/folder]]

* ''LightNovel/InAnotherWorldWithMySmartphone''. The protagonist [[DiabolusExMachina is killed by God]] and [[TrappedInAnotherWorld sent to another world]]. Guess what he gets to bring with him.

* Episode 36 of ''Manga/Inuyasha'' is titled "Kagome Kidnapped by Koga, the Wolf Demon!", which is exactly what happens in it.

* ''Episode 36 of ''Manga/Inuyasha'' is titled "Kagome Kidnapped by Koga, the Wolf Demon!", which is exactly what happens in it.

* Practically every [[Main/ObjectShows Object Show]] ever made has all the characters be named either by what object they are (for example, a pencil named Pencil,) or something extremely close (a fire named Firey.) It'd be faster to list exceptions.

** Similarly Red-Eyes Black Dragon is a black dragon with red eyes. Its infant form is called Red-Eyes Black Chick. Equipping the Metal Coat Spell card to it allows it to be upgraded to Red-Eyes Metallic Dragon. Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon is on fire. Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon is on fire and has metal plates on its body. Fusing it with Meteor Dragon (itself an example, being a dragon with a meteor for a shell) ''subverts'' this, though - Meteor Black Dragon is actually purple. [[PurpleIsTheNewBlack Which is its own trope]].

* ''LightNovel/ICouldntBecomeAHeroSoIReluctantlyDecidedToGetAJob'' is literally that. Raul (the first person protagonist), could not become a hero (no more demons to slay), so he reluctantly (VERY reluctantly) decided to get a (shitty) job.

* Actually zig-zagged by the play whose full title is ''"The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade"'' Yes, all that is the play's title. However, the zig-zag comes because among theater geeks (about the only people who have heard of it) it's usually just called ''Theatre/MaratSade''.

* Music/JohnLennon and Music/YokoOno made a short art movie called ''Erection'' which was, of course, a time-lapse of a building being constructed.