History Main / OffTheTable

* ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/21138575 Who You Know]]'' has a variation: Alya believes that [[BitchInSheepsClothing Lila]] has the connections necessary to get her into an exclusive MDC show. [[CelebrityLie She doesn't]]. Marinette ''does'', but Alya ignores her attempts to help her out. It's only after the show has already ended and she sees the results that she realizes just what she was being offered, too late to actually accept the deal.

* George Westinghouse wrote a letter to Cornelius Vanderbilt, president of a major railroad company, detailing his new invention (the train automatic air-brake) and asking for investment. Vanderbilt returned his letter replying only with the words: "[[ItWillNeverCatchOn I have no time to waste on fools]]". Once another railroad adopted the brake to great success, Vanderbilt sent an offer to buy a good number of the new brakes from Westinghouse, only to get the reply: [[IronicEcho "I have no time to waste on fools"]].

* In ''Series/BoardwalkEmpire'', after Eli betrays his brother Nucky to join the Commodore's conspiracy and makes a phone call to taunt him about it, Nucky offers him one last chance to walk away from it; Eli blows him off, but after the Commodore has a stroke, loses faith in the conspiracy and begs Nucky to let him accept the offer. Eventually averted; even though Nucky tells him "That offer's gone" and then [[KickTheSonOfABitch slaps him around]], Eli is [[spoiler:the only member of the conspiracy left alive by the end of the season,]] and he and Nucky have repaired their relationship to some extent.

* In Creator/WilliamShakespeare's ''The Merchant of Venice'', the merchant Antonio defaults on a loan to the moneylender Shylock, and Shylock demands the promised collateral -- a pound of Antonio's flesh. Antonio's friends come up with twice the amount of the original loan, offering it to Shylock to forgo the pound of flesh, but Shylock insists on the ExactWords of the contract and refuses. [[MeaninglessVillainVictory It is then pointed out to him]] that the agreement specified only a pound of ''flesh'', and if he were to spill a single drop of Antonio's ''blood'' while taking it, he would exceed the terms of the contract. Shylock (understandably) changes his mind and tries to accept the money, only to be informed that it's no longer an option.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'':

See UnrequitedLoveSwitcheroo when this happens within the context of a romantic relationship. Compare TheCakeIsALie and ILied, where Alexis never made the offer in good faith and intended to deny it to Bob from the start.

* In the video for Debbie Gibson's "Foolish Beat", Debbie plays a performer who breaks up with her boyfriend and later tries to mend the relationship, only to be rebuffed.

Alex makes an offer to Bob, but he rejects it. Later, Bob changes his mind and decides to take the offer after all, but Alex refuses to extend the offer a second time. It is Off the Table.

If Bob is the protagonist, Alex's refusal usually comes off as spiteful or [[EvilGloating wickedly cruel]]. If Alex is the protagonist, it is more likely to be portrayed as [[GoodIsNotSoft tough but fair]] and/or [[LaserGuidedKarma poetically just]]. Sometimes when the original offer is Off the Table, Alex will offer Bob a modified version with more conditions and/or a higher cost, to drive home the lesson that Bob should have accepted when he had the chance. And other times the offer is withdrawn without any good or ill intent: there was a time or a place where it could be accepted but that moment has passed.

This occasionally occurs as an [[AvertedTrope aversion]] of SweetAndSourGrapes. Related to LastSecondChance and HeelFaceDoorSlam, when the villain, offered one more chance to repent, initially refuses and/or accepts too late. Often the perfect setup for an IronicEcho, where Alex denies Bob with the same words Bob previously used to deny him.

See UnrequitedLoveSwitcheroo when this happens within the context of a romantic relationship. Compare TheCakeIsALie and ILied where Alex never made the offer in good faith and intended to deny it to Bob from the start.

If Bob is the protagonist, Alex's refusal usually comes off as spiteful or [[EvilGloating wickedly cruel]]. If Alex is the protagonist, it is more likely to be portrayed as [[GoodIsNotSoft tough but fair]] and/or [[LaserGuidedKarma poetically just]]. Sometimes when the original offer is Off the Table, Alex will offer Bob a modified version with more conditions and/or a higher cost, to drive home the lesson that Bob should have accepted when he had the chance. And other times the offer is withdrawn without any good or ill intent: there was a time or a place where it could be accepted but now that moment has passed.

This occasionally occurs as an [[AvertedTrope aversion]] of SweetAndSourGrapes. Related to LastSecondChance and HeelFaceDoorSlam, when the villain, offered one more chance to repent, initially refuses and/or accepts too late. Often the perfect setup for an IronicEcho, where Alex denies Bob with the same words Bob used to initially deny him.

See UnrequitedLoveSwitcheroo when this happens on the topic of love. Compare TheCakeIsALie and ILied where Alex never made the offer in good faith and intended to withhold it from Bob no matter what.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents'', "Love Struck!" features a romantic variant on it. Timmy has been pining for Trixie Tang for the longest time (since season 1's "A Wish Too Far!"). At the end of this story, Tang asks Timmy to be his Valentine, which is what he's always wanted. It looks as if Timmy will accept, but then he suddenly sees Tootie (who he learned earlier in the episode is who he's supposed to be with) crying over a photo of himself on a bench. He says he knows he'll be kicking himself for this, but he actually rejects Tang's offer and asks Tootie instead.

* ''Manga/{{Evangelion 303}}'': Saburo felt ignored by Kaworu, so much so that he broke up with him. Later Saburo realized that he still loved him, so he offered "forgive" his ex-boyfriend and take him back. By that time, Kaworu had realized that he enjoyed being single and didn't want Saburo back.

[[folder: LiveAction TV]]

* Happens on ''Series/{{House}}'' when a detective offers a deal for House to go to rehab in exchange for temporarily giving up his licence. When a depressed House shows up (on the last day of the deadline) finally beaten into accepting it, the cop says it's off the table. In this case he's not (just) being a jerk; he's gotten new evidence since he made the offer.