History Main / PalatePropping

* There are form-fitted oral braces used for dental surgery, that prevent a patient's jaws from moving by reflex in mid-operation.

* In ''Film/MenInBlack 3'', a fish-creature tries to bite J's legs off, but J sticks a metal tray between his thighs and it can't close its jaws far enough.

This trope can also be applied to metal-toothed bear traps, despite their lack of a palate.

* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' anime

* ''ComicBook/{{Rahan}}''. The title character once managed this while bound hand and foot and offered in sacrifice to a big prehistoric crocodile. He caught a branch between his feet and wedged it between the croc's jaws, who then swam away rather miffed.

* During ''{{Literature/Dinoverse}}'' Mr. London manages to balk a Microvenator this way. The Microvenator gets the stick out on its own and has bits of wood in its mouth after, but this did buy time.

* This was used in the ''WesternAnimation/MrBogus'' episode "[[Recap/MrBogusS2E7BogusPrivateEye Bogus Private Eye]]". Bogus, with help from Kevin the family bulldog, tries to stop a thief that somehow invades the house. Kevin tries to bite the thief, but the thief whips out a bone and sticks it between Kevin's jaws.

* There's a version of this that's used for giving anesthetic to an animal. A round tube with a hole is used to prop open the jaws and allow passage of the breathing tube down into the airway. The prop is sometimes removed once the tube is in place-just pass it backward off of the tube. Alternately, it may be left in and the jaw secured from the outside, just in case the animal happens to start to come around at any time, so it can't sever the tube.

!!Examples

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* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime'', (or one of its sequels, at least) the protagonist Littlefoot uses a stick to prop up a [[spoiler:seemingly-dead]] ''T. rex's'' mouth, but abandons the effort when [[spoiler:it starts breathing]].

* In {{The Land Before Time}}, (or one of its sequels, at least) the protagonist Littlefoot uses a stick to prop up a [[spoiler:seemingly-dead]] ''T. rex's'' mouth, but abandons the effort when [[spoiler:it starts breathing]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/MeetTheRobinsons'', Lewis uses a shovel to prop open the tyrannosaur's jaws.

* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' anime episode 10. While Ichigo is fighting the frog!Hollow, Don Kanonji saves him from being bitten by using his staff to prop open the Hollow's mouth.

* This was used in the ''WesternAnimation/MrBogus'' episode "[[Recap/MrBogusS2E7BogusPrivateEye Bogus Private Eye]]". Bogus, with help from the family bulldog, tries to stop a thief that somehow invades the house. The bulldog tries to bite the thief, but the thief whips out a bone and sticks it between the bulldog's jaws.

* ComicBook/{{Rahan}} once manages this while bound hands and feet and offered in sacrifice to a big prehistoric crocodile. He catches a branch between his feet and wedges it between the croc's jaws, who then swims away rather miffed.

!!Examples:

[[AC: {{Anime}} & {{Manga}}]]

[[AC: ComicBooks]]
* In ''{{Tintin}} in the Congo'', Tintin uses his rifle to prop open a crocodile's mouth when out of bullets.

[[AC:{{Film}} -- Live-Action]]
* In ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', Luke braces the Rancor's jaws open with a large bone from the floor of its pit. This buys him a few seconds, but not much, as the Rancor's bite is powerful enough to snap it in two.
* Subverted in the ''Film/{{Doom}}'' movie: when one of the monsters gets its Palate Propped by a metal rod, it just clamps its jaws so hard that the rod pierces its muzzle and is forced out the roof of its maw, freeing it to go on attacking.
* In ''Film/{{Dragonheart}}'', this trope leads to a Mexican stand-off, with the hero literally crouched inside Draco's mouth, his sword's point braced against the dragon's palate.

[[AC:Film -- Animated]]

[[AC: {{Literature}}]]

* ''Film/TheAdventuresOfBaronMunchausen's'' stories tell of the Baron getting swallowed by a whale along with his ship. During the council of all the people the whale ever swallowed on how to get out: ''I was chosen chairman, and the first thing I did was to propose splicing two main-masts together, and the next time he opened his mouth to be ready to wedge them in, so as to prevent his shutting it.'' After they get out, they leave the masts there to prevent the whale from swallowing more ships.

[[AC: LiveActionTV]]
* Used against at least one snappy prehistoric beast on ''{{Primeval}}''.

[[AC: VideoGames]]

[[AC: WesternAnimation]]
* This was used in the ''WesternAnimation/MrBogus'' episode "[[{{Recap/MrBogusS2E7BogusPrivateEye}} Bogus Private Eye]]". Bogus, with help from the family bulldog, tries to stop a thief that somehow invades the house. The bulldog tries to bite the thief, but the thief whips out a bone and sticks it between the bulldog's jaws.

[[AC: RealLife]]

* On the ''WallaceAndGromit'' short "A Matter of Loaf and Death", Wallace props open a crocodile's mouth with a French baguette.

[[AC: {{Film}}]]

* In ''{{Dragonheart}}'', this trope leads to a Mexican stand-off, with the hero literally crouched inside Draco's mouth, his sword's point braced against the dragon's palate.

* ''YellowSubmarine''. When the giant Glove is about to bite down on John Lennon, he sticks the word "Nothing" into its mouth, forcing its mouth open.

* In ''Disney/TheSwordInTheStone'' Wart (in fish form) does this to the pike in the moat with a broken-off piece of spear. Merlin compliments him for using his head.

* This was used in the ''WesternAnimation/MrBogus'' episode "Bogus Private Eye". Bogus, with help from the family bulldog, tries to stop a thief that somehow invades the house. The bulldog tries to bite the thief, but the thief whips out a bone and sticks it between the bulldog's jaws.

Examples:

* There are form-fitted oral braces used for dental surgery, that prevent a patient's jaws from moving by reflex in mid-operation.

[[AC: Anime & Manga]]

* Early on in ''YuuYuuHakusho'', Yuusuke uses a piece of wood to hold open the villain Gouki's mouth so he can AttackItsWeakPoint.

[[AC: Film]]

* In ''ReturnOfTheJedi'', Luke braces the Rancor's jaws open with a large bone from the floor of its pit. This buys him a few seconds, but not much, as the Rancor's bite is powerful enough to snap it in two.
* Subverted in the ''{{Doom}}'' movie: when one of the monsters gets its Palate Propped by a metal rod, it just clamps its jaws so hard that the rod pierces its muzzle and is forced out the roof of its maw, freeing it to go on attacking.

[[AC: Literature]]

* Happened in ''[[ForgottenRealms The Cormyr Saga]]'' during the duel of Iliphar Nelnueve and Thauglorimorgorus (''the'' "Purple Dragon" who ended up as Cormyr's symbol), with a [[DoubleSubversion twist]]. [[spoiler:Dragon breath easily removed the obstacle, but the destruction of a magic staff almost got his head blown off]].

* Baron Munchhausen's stories tell of the Baron getting swallowed by a whale along with his ship. During the council of all the people the whale ever swallowed on how to get out: ''I was chosen chairman, and the first thing I did was to propose splicing two main-masts together, and the next time he opened his mouth to be ready to wedge them in, so as to prevent his shutting it.'' After they get out, they leave the masts there to prevent the whale from swallowing more ships.

[[AC: Live Action Television]]

[[AC: Video Games]]

* In the first ''SimonTheSorcerer'', Simon uses a stick to jam the jaws of a slavering ChestMonster.

[[AC: Western Animation]]

* This was used in the WesternAnimation/{{Mr Bogus}} episode "Bogus Private Eye". Bogus, with help from the family bulldog, tries to stop a thief that somehow invades the house. The bulldog tries to bite the thief, but the thief whips out a bone and sticks it between the bulldog's jaws.
* In ''TheSwordInTheStone'' Wart (in fish form) does this to the pike in the moat with a broken-off piece of spear. Merlin compliments him for using his head.
* An episode of ''GIJoe'' had Gung-Ho pull this move in order to avoid getting chomped on by an alligator.