History Main / MayIBorrowACupOfSugar

-->'''Martin Lawrence''' (in an exaggerated, nasally "Caucasian" voice): We were wondering if we could borrow a cup of brown sugar...?

--->'''Yosemite Sam:''' [interrupted by a knock on the door] Ooh, what do you want?\\

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/albert_the_muffin_maker.jpg]]

[[folder: Advertising ]]

* Before he was Giles from ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', Creator/AnthonyHead was best recognized from a series of Nestle Gold Blend (in the UK) / Nescafe Tasters Choice (in the US) commercials about a couple flirting while borrowing coffee from each other.
** Immaculately parodied on Comic Relief one year, where the guy kept trying to direct her to a nearby shop and turned the eventual request down. "Nafcafé Gold Bland. If you like it that much, get your own bloody jar!"

[[folder: Anime And Manga ]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

[[folder: Film ]]

[[folder: Jokes ]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

* ''The True Story Of The Three Little Pigs'', a retelling of the classic fairy tail features this. The wolf was only trying to borrow sugar from the three pigs but as he had a bad cold and the pigs had poorly constructed houses he kept sneezing the houses down - and the dead pigs? He's still a wolf, waste not want not.

* Almost the same thing happens in [[Literature/ArabianNights the story of Ali Baba]], when his wife borrows a scale, also for coins.

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

-->'''Dr. Julian Bashir:''' I need to borrow... a cup... of goo.
-->'''Odo:''' Excuse me?
-->'''Dr. Julian Bashir:''' Please? I'll give it back.
* ''Series/{{Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future}}'' episode "The Intruder"

[[folder: Radio ]]

* ''Radio/TheJackBennyProgram'', like many {{sitcom}}s, had a RunningGag of the UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist borrowing things from his long-suffering neighbor (in this case, RonaldColman) and not returning them. In the March 19, 1948 broadcast, Jack borrows Colman's [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Oscar]] award; when Colman's wife asks why he let Jack borrow it, he snaps, "It might as well be with the rest of my things!" As Jack walks home, the Oscar is stolen by a mugger in [[ImThinkingItOver probably the most famous bit in the program's history]].
* In a "News From Lake Wobegon" segment from ''APrairieHomeCompanion'' Garrison Keillor tells a fictional account of how his mother got addicted to the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_Parade Tournament of Roses Parade]]. At the time they didn't have a television set, but she had gone to a neighbor's house for a cup of flour. The neighbors were watching the Parade on television, and she was so mesmerized that she watched the whole thing standing with the cup of flour in her hand.

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* WesternAnimation/BugsBunny short ''Shishkabugs''.
-->'''Yosemite Sam:''' [interrupted by a knock on the door] Ooh, what do you want?
-->'''Bugs Bunny:''' Good afternoon. Let me introduce myself as one of the woodland creatures residing in the King's forest, and being that there is such a close relationship, I assume it would not be too improper to borrow a cup of diced carrots, huh? [he holds an empty cup]
** In ''Duck, Rabbit, Duck!'', Daffy asks Bugs for a cup of blackstrap molasses as an excuse for Bugs to come out and get shot by Elmer. The shot punctures the cup instead, and Bugs comments that "I didn't think molasses would flow in January."
* On one ''WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck'' cartoon, Donalds new neighbor Pete asks to borrow some ice cubes... and while he's at it, he also borrows a cube of butter, some cucumbers, and on and on until he empties Don's fridge.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Homer Simpson tends to borrow or outright ''steal'' things from Ned Flanders.
* And in ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', Mort has borrowed so many things from the Griffins without returning them that Peter once put an Adolf Hitler scarecrow in the yard.
* On an episode of ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'', [=SpongeBob=] wants Squidward to come visit, but Squidward doesn't want to. So [=SpongeBob=] borrows his vacuum to give Squidward an excuse to go over to [=SpongeBob=]'s house.
* In ''WesternAnimation/EarthwormJim'' episode Day of the Fish, Jim decides to visit the nearest planet to get a cup of sugar for the Galactic Hero League's coffee. Unfortunately, the nearest planet is ruled by Bob the Killer Goldfish.

[[folder: Web Animation ]]

* ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'' - Strongbad_email.exe: Disc Five
-->'''Marzipan:''' Hi, Strong Bad. This is your next-door neighbor the crocodile. Can I borrow a cup of sugar? I'm going to make some puppy-dough cookies tonight...

[[folder: Web Original ]]

* In ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'', after being cut in half by his own attack, Freeza asks Goku if he can borrow "a cup of energy".

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** Immaculately parodied on Comic Relief one year, where the guy kept trying to direct her to a nearby shop and turned the eventual request down. "Nafcafé Gold Bland. If you like it that much, get your own bloody jar!"
* There's an ad for Just For Men hair color where a hot new neighbor chick knocks on our hero's door to borrow a cup of milk and the man says "just a minute," jumps out of his second story window, runs to the store and buys... some Just For Men hair color so he can look young and handsome when he opens the door. He almost forgets to also buy some milk so she can borrow it.

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[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

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A character comes over to borrow a cup of sugar, or something else like flour, a hedge trimmer, or whatever from their neighbour and this is used to set up a plot thread of some sort:

* As a MeetCute
* When something is happening really needs keeping secret and neighbor honestly needs to borrow something but has epically bad timing
* Similar to the above, but an excuse to barge in their neighbor's business because they suspect something odd is going on and they are a NosyNeighbor
* The borrower has just stumbled onto the home of a serial killer and this is the last we'll see of them alive
* To set up the plot in some other way

Please note this is not just a list of instances of neighbours borrowing things in fiction [[Administrivia/PeopleSitOnChairs as this has no meaning in itself]]; it has to at least set up a plot thread or joke of some sort.

* The Loquitos Sketch in ''Series/{{Chespirito}}'' had a neighbor of Lucas and Chaparron who was constantly asking them for a cup of sugar.

* ''Radio/TheJackBennyProgram'', like many {{sitcom}}s, had a RunningGag of the UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist borrowing things from his long-suffering neighbor (in this case, RonaldColman) and not returning them. In the March 19, 1948 broadcast, Jack borrows Colman's [[AcademyAward Oscar]] award; when Colman's wife asks why he let Jack borrow it, he snaps, "It might as well be with the rest of my things!" As Jack walks home, the Oscar is stolen by a mugger in [[ImThinkingItOver probably the most famous bit in the program's history]].

* In ''Literature/PaperTowns'' by Creator/JohnGreen, Margo says she asked a neighbor to borrow a cup of sugar so she could find out more about a man who committed suicide.

* ''Film/LuckyNumberSlevin'': Lindsay is introduced to the main character in this fashion. For a little twist, she borrows not only the sugar, but also [[ExactWords the cup to carry it in]].

* Played with in one WinnieThePooh comic, where Pooh accompanies Piglet around the Hundred Acre Wood in order to borrow a cup of sugar. They visit all their friends, and are invited in for breakfast, tea, lunch and snacks, but never actually get the sugar Piglet wants. At the end of the story it turns out that Pooh has sugar at home, but didn't mention it because he thought Piglet was just using the sugar as an excuse to go visit everyone.

* PlayedForLaughs in ''JohnnyDangerously''; Mrs. (Al) Capone comes over to the Dangerously house and asks to borrow a cup of bullets.
* Played for laughs in ''BadBoys''.

* ''LuckyNumberSlevin'' has Creator/LucyLiu's character introduced to the main character in this fashion. For a little twist, she borrows not only the sugar, but also [[ExactWords the cup to carry it in]].
* In ''FunnyGames'', two guys come over to a family's lake house to borrow some eggs. Then they return them broken, and ask for more. It gets downhill from there.

* In ''PaperTowns'' by Creator/JohnGreen, Margo says she asked a neighbor to borrow a cup of sugar so she could find out more about a man who committed suicide.

** Almost the same thing happens in [[ArabianNights the story of Ali Baba]], when his wife borrows a scale, also for coins.

* In ''NotGoingOut'' this appears to be a MeetCute, but turns out to be [[spoiler:the excuse version]] of sorts when a girl who [[spoiler:thinks she is Lee's daughter]] appears, [[spoiler:[[StatusQuoIsGod of she isn't its a sitcom]]]]. When a guy shows up at the end of the episode asking to borrow some milk Lee tells him there's a Tesco nearby and shuts the door on him.
* On an episode of ''TheYoungOnes'' when they are freezing in their unheated house in winter, Vivien keeps borrowing cups of sugar from the neighbour, who comments that she would like her cups back at some point. It turns out [[RuleOfFunny Vivien is burning the cups to keep warm]].
* This would often be a way for Lucy and Ethel to meet on ''ILoveLucy''.
* Parodied in the ''GilmoreGirls'' episode "Luke Can See Her Face"

* On ''TheDickVanDykeShow'' Millie would often pop over to borrow a cup of sugar from Laura. Laura was more likely to call Millie to ask if she had some sugar that she could borrow, making Millie come to her.
* In ''ToTheManorBorn'', Mrs. Polouvicka uses borrowing a cup of sugar as an excuse to meet her new neighbor -- who, unknown to her, is none other than Audrey fforbes-Hamilton. At the end of their encounter, she confesses that she didn't need the sugar, and tips it back into Audrey's bowl with a grandiloquent "Keep it -- with the compliments of Cavendish Foods!"

* ''MysteryScienceTheater3000: PodPeople''. Little Tommy walks into a cave that's glowing bright red, while holding the cup he normally uses to collect specimens. Crow jumps to conclusions:

* In the pilot of ''DesperateHousewives'', Susan uses this as an excuse to break into Edie's house to spy on her and Mike. She ends up (accidentally) burning the house down, and leaving the cup behind.

* ''TheJackBennyProgram'', like many {{sitcom}}s, had a RunningGag of the UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist borrowing things from his long-suffering neighbor (in this case, RonaldColman) and not returning them. In the March 19, 1948 broadcast, Jack borrows Colman's [[AcademyAward Oscar]] award; when Colman's wife asks why he let Jack borrow it, he snaps, "It might as well be with the rest of my things!" As Jack walks home, the Oscar is stolen by a mugger in [[ImThinkingItOver probably the most famous bit in the program's history]].

* BugsBunny short ''Shishkabugs''.

* On one ''DonaldDuck'' cartoon, Donalds new neighbor Pete asks to borrow some ice cubes... and while he's at it, he also borrows a cube of butter, some cucumbers, and on and on until he empties Don's fridge.
* [[TheSimpsons Homer Simpson]] tends to borrow or outright ''steal'' things from Ned Flanders.
* And in ''FamilyGuy'', Mort has borrowed so many things from the Griffins without returning them that Peter once put an Adolf Hitler scarecrow in the yard.
* On an episode of ''{{SpongeBob SquarePants}}'', [=SpongeBob=] wants Squidward to come visit, but Squidward doesn't want to. So [=SpongeBob=] borrows his vacuum to give Squidward an excuse to go over to [=SpongeBob=]'s house.
* In WesternAnimation/EarthwormJim episode Day of the Fish, Jim decides to visit the nearest planet to get a cup of sugar for the Galactic Hero League's coffee. Unfortunately, the nearest planet is ruled by Bob the Killer Goldfish.

* ''Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future'' episode "The Intruder"

* The Loquitos Sketch in ''Chespirito'' had a neighbor of Lucas and Chaparron who was constantly asking them for a cup of sugar.

* In ''DragonBallAbridged'', after being cut in half by his own attack, Freeza asks Goku if he can borrow "a cup of energy".

* This literally happened in ''Film/TheRoom''.

* In ''OjamajoDoremi'', for a long time, Aiko was under the impression that her mother had remarried after seeing her with a baby. This gives her the push to convince her father to do the same when he gets set up on a date with his boss' daughter. Later, when Aiko spies on her mother again, she sees a neighbor of her mother visiting her to borrow [=MSG=] (sugar in the dub version) and finds out that the baby was actually the neighbor's.

* Before he was Giles from ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', AnthonyHead was best recognized from a series of Nestle Gold Blend (in the UK) / Nescafe Tasters Choice (in the US) commercials about a couple flirting while borrowing coffee from each other.

* This literally happened in ''TheRoom''.

* In ''PaperTowns'' by JohnGreen, Margo says she asked a neighbor to borrow a cup of sugar so she could find out more about a man who committed suicide.

* In ''OjamajoDoremi'', for a long time, Aiko was under the impression that her mother had remarried and moved on with her life after seeing her with a baby. A couple of episodes later, when she spies on her again, she sees a neighbor of her mother visiting her to borrow [=MSG=] (sugar in the dub version) and finds out that the baby was actually the neighbor's.

A character comes over to borrow a cup of sugar, or something else like flour, a hedge strimmer, or whatever from their neighbour and this is used to set up a plot thread of some sort: