History Main / StabTheSalad

[[quoteright:276:[[Webcomic/{{Gaia}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Stab_the_salad_2_7484.jpg]]]]

* One ''ComicStrip/FoxTrot'' Sunday strip set things up like a scene from a horror movie, making it look like someone was being stabbed to death. It turned out to be Roger doing a poor job of slicing up a turkey.

* In ''Manga/DetectiveConan'' an old woman becomes a suspect because an impressionable young boy witnessed her sharpening a knife with a terrifying expression. Turns out she's sharpening a [[spoiler: sashimi]] knife for the purpose of [[spoiler: giving it to her grandson, who had given up sushi training and was currently living in her house as a male escort but trying to hide this from her]], and the terrifying expression is [[spoiler: her trying to stay stoic and failing]].

* The last scene of ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'''s first chapter has [[spoiler:Kris]] dramatically pulling out a knife. The blacked-out opening scene of the second chapter makes it seems as if Kris is stabbing their mother, but she's just upset Kris cut up and ate ''a pie''. [[spoiler:Then the end of the second chapter implies Kris really ''[[SubvertedTrope was]]'' doing something nefarious between those two scenes.]]

* The last scene of ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'''s first chapter has [[spoiler:Kris]] dramatically pulling out a knife. The opening scene of the second chapter shows all they did with it was ''eat a pie'', [[spoiler:though they put it to more nefarious use later on]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheCurseOfTheWereRabbit'': When Lady Tottington asks what Wallace and Gromit are going to do with the bunnies they have caught, the next shot has Gromit holding something on a cutting board and raising a big knife... and then he starts cutting up carrots for the bunnies.

* There was a commercial (can't remember what it was for) where a man buys meat from a butcher and leaves in a hurry (the place was rather unsettling) and the butcher is seen stepping outside the shop with what looks like an evil glare on his face. The man runs and is pursued by the butcher, who is holding a huge knife the entire time, and is eventually cornered in an alley. The butcher reaches down then lifts up the knife and...simply says 'You forget your wallet.', which he then returns to the man.

* The opening shots of ''Film/AmericanMary'' show black-gloved hands making incisions into flesh and then stitching them up. However, this turns out be Mary practicing her surgical technique by sewing extra wings on to a turkey.

** ''Film/DiamondsAreForever'': While pretending to be a waiter, Mr. Wint raises an icepick-like device high in the air next to Film/JamesBond. He then strikes down but not to stab Bond: he drives it into the cork of a wine bottle, then uses it to extract the cork.

* Slight variation in ''Film/RomancingTheStone'', since no prop is involved. After bring the villain the map he wanted in exchange for her kidnapped sister, Joan Wilder has nothing of value left to keep said villain from eliminating her. With the music playing menacingly, the villain growls "Joan Wilder ... you and your sister... are free to go!"

** "Bloo Done It" consists of finding reasons to cast suspicion on Uncle Pockets for being the "Best Imaginary Friend Ever". At one point, he chances upon a shadow of a hand stabbing a knife downward in Madam Foster's room, followed by Madam Foster's scream. Bloo thinks Uncle Pockets has murdered Madam Foster and accuses him of this in front of the whole house, but it was really just Madam Foster using an envelope opener, and screaming that she had won a free spa trip.

* The opening for ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 4|A Promise Unforgotten}}'' shows the vampire tyrant Valvatorez stalking and murdering his latest victim: ''sardines''. Fenrich is not amused by these shenanigans.

Subtrope of BaitAndSwitch. Compare StabTheScorpion and GrossoutFakeout. Not related to StabTheSky.

* There was a Halls commercial in which someone raises his knife seemingly to use it to attack another person who's coughing, and then uses it to chop a piece off from the pack.

* In an AlternateUniverse detective episode of ''Manga/SayonaraZetsubouSensei'', while investigating a multiple homicide, Nozomu witnesses the girls run out of the kitchen with knives and repeatedly stab something lying on the yard. Then they tell him that they were going to butcher a chicken for dinner, but it almost got away.

* ''ComicBook/RiversOfLondon'': In the bonus strip "Red Mist", [[CreepyHousekeeper Molly]] manages to make the vigorous chopping of tomatoes look like a murder in progress. Toby the dog whimpering in the background (for sausages) only adds to the "ambience".

* The opening shots of ''Film/AmericanMary'' show black gloved hands making incisions into flesh and then stitching them up. However, this turns out be Mary practicing her surgical technique by sewing extra wings on to a turkey.

* In ''Film/{{Crash}}'' Peter, who is hitchhiking, is picked up by officer Hanson. They awkwardly try to bridge the gap between their cultures but [[spoiler: Hanson, at one point thinking that Peter is drawing a gun on him, shoots and kills Peter. It turns out Peter was actually going to show him the St. Christopher figurine he always carries with him.]]

* Something similar happens in ''Film/LoadedWeapon1'' where Spinach Destiny takes an icepick and stabs a block of ice repeatedly saying "[[PunctuatedForEmphasis I! HATE! VIOLENCE!!!]]"...as Jack Colt and Wes Luger look on. Moments later, she turns around and offers them "Snow cone?"

** In the episode "Bachelor Party", when Angel is spying on Doyle's ex-wife's fiance, he sees him [[GameFace taking on a demon aspect]] and drawing out a knife. One SuperWindowJump later, it's revealed that she knew about him being a demon, and that the knife was to cut the strings on a parcel.

* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius'' has the seemingly reformed [[FemmeFatale Beautiful Gorgeous]] apparently trying to kill [[TuxedoAndMartini Jet Fusion]] on three separate occasions (strangling him, attacking him with a laser and stabbing him), but each time, it turns out she's doing something related to their upcoming wedding (helping him try on a bow tie, engraving her name on her engagement ring, and practicing cutting a cake, respectively).

** In the first episode we see Rocko saying he had enough of Heffer and then brings out a hammer and lunges to beat him... then it turns out he was talking about his busted vacuum cleaner.

** In "Bart Of Darkness", we have Flanders seemingly chase Lisa up to the attic with an axe, muttering "time to put you away for good"... only for it to turn out that he was actually talking to the axe itself. In fact, the entire episode is a parody of ''[[RearWindowInvestigation Rear Window]]'' based on this trope, as Bart witnesses Ned Flanders' killing of Maude[[spoiler:'s favourite tree]]. It even has Lisa discovering a [[spoiler:Sc]]human[[spoiler:'s farms]] head[[spoiler: of lettuce]] and Jimmy Stewart watching Bart try to stop Flanders and concluding that "that sinister looking kid's coming to kill me!"

*** Then Homer arrives, goes MotorMouth with a butcher knife and blurts "BARTYOUWANTSOMEBROWNIESBEFOREYOUGOTOBED??", finally revealing the case of brownies Marge had apparently cooked in between scenes.

** In "Take My Wife, Sleaze", Homer starts a motorcycle gang named the "Hell's Satans". Unfortunately, there's already a gang named that, and when they find out, they storm into the Simpsons home, and their leader, Meathook, faces Homer, pulling out a switchblade... and a switchfork, forcing him to eat his Hell's Satans merchandise.

** "Whatever Happened to [=SpongeBob=]" has [=SpongeBob=] be threatened by a gang of GreaserDelinquents. One of them holds something in his face that seems like a [[SinisterSwitchblade switchblade]], but turns out to be a comb.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Disenchantment}}'': In the season 2 finale, Bean, Elfo and Luci are sentenced to death for supposedly killing king Zog. The night before their scheduled execution the executioner visits them in their cells, raises his axe....and cuts their chains. He was there to help them escape.

Subtrope of BaitAndSwitch. Compare StabTheScorpion. Not related to StabTheSky.

[[quoteright:276:[[Website/GaiaOnline https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Stab_the_salad_2_7484.jpg]]]]

* ''Film/{{M}}'' might be the TropeMaker: near the end, a beggar witness points out Hans Beckert (Creator/PeterLorre) as being the child murderer; unfortunately, Beckert has already ensnared his next victim and is taking her to a candy shop. A criminal follows them, hoping to corner Beckert and save the child, and starts forward in horror as Beckert pulls out a knife... only to use it to cut the peel off an orange. Audiences at the time, familiar with the all-too-fresh string of murders which [[RippedFromTheHeadlines inspired the film]], were [[TooSoon not]] [[DudeNotFunny amused]].

* In ''Discworld/TheTruth'', one of the residents of Mrs. Arcanum's boardinghouse is spouting off some of the local variant of FantasticRacism, and another resident, who's a dwarf, takes out a small axe...to cut the top off his hard-boiled egg. Probably ''also'' to remind the fantastic racist that 1. [[YouKnowImBlackRight he's a dwarf]] sitting at the same table where civility is expected and 2. if things do go [[HoldYourHippogriffs wahoonie-shaped]] he's armed.

** In the episode "Bachelor Party", when Angel is spying on Doyle's ex-wife's fiance, he sees him taking on a demon aspect and drawing out a knife. One SuperWindowJump later, it's revealed that she knew about him being a demon, and that the knife was to cut the strings on a parcel.
** In what may be a subversion, Holtz draws a knife out of his sleeve when one of his followers questions his orders; when she ends up agreeing with him he uses it to peel an apple.

* It might be a bit of stretch but the famous "Osaka With a Knife" scene in ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'' seems to partake of this trope. As Osaka walks toward Yukari, Yukari's eye widens in terror. The next shot is of ketchup being squirted on an egg so for a split second, it looks like [[EyeScream Osaka stabbed Yukari in the eye]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheCurseOfTheWereRabbit'': When Lady Tottington asks what Wallace and Gromit are going to do with the bunnies they have caught, the next shot has Gromit holding something on a cutting board and raising a big knife...and then he starts cutting up carrots for the bunnies.

* In the ''Series/{{Angel}}'' episode "Bachelor Party", when Angel is spying on Doyle's ex-wife's fiance, he sees him taking on a demon aspect and drawing out a knife. One SuperWindowJump later, it's revealed that she knew about him being a demon, and that the knife was to cut the strings on a parcel.
** In what may be a subversion Holtz draws a knife out of his sleeve when one of his followers questions his orders; when she ends up agreeing with him he uses it to peel an apple.

* ''Series/{{Community}}'' - in "Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps", Troy's scary story has him and Abed sewn together by MadDoctor Pierce. After their initial horror, they realize they now have magical psychic powers, and levitate an iron skillet, clubbing Pierce with it. Then they levitate up a big kitchen knife and...cut a sandwich in two and happily share it. ''Then'' they conduct mad surgery on Pierce.

* Done in an early episode of ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' where Lois decides to run for school board president. However, Peter is devastated when he discovers that Lois agrees with the firing of his favorite former teacher:
--> Peter: I'm going to stop you the only way I can... (raising ax as if intending to strike) by killing you! - in the race for school board president (using ax to nail down sign advocating his election as school board president).

* The ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'' episode "The Big Cheese" parodies the famous shower scene from ''Film/{{Psycho}}'': "I FOUND A CARROT!"

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': When preparing a cake for Nibbler's birthday, a jealous Bender remarks that it will be a cake "They'll never forget", grabs a box of rat poison and...pours it next to a rat hole by the floor. Then puts the box away and starts making the cake.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'', a mace-wielding man known as "Lord Pain" comes to visit. There is a scene where Grim sees his silhouette performing a seemingly gory beating, and delightfully comments on how he is "mashing the kids like potatoes". Cut to inside, and it turns out he is mashing up actual potatoes for Mandy.

* In ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'' we see Rocko saying he had enough of Heffer and then brings out a hammer and lunges to beat him...then it turns out he was talking about his busted vacuum cleaner.

* In the first ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' "[[HalloweenEpisode Treehouse of Horror]]" episode, the Simpsons have just bought and moved into a haunted house and get turned against each other by the house so each and every one of them (including Maggie) get a sharp implement of some sort and they go stalking after each other...except for Marge who's just using the big-ass serrated knife she picked up to spread mayo on a sandwich.
** In "Bart Of Darkness", we have Flanders seemingly chase Lisa up to the attic with an axe, muttering "time to put you away for good"... only for it to turn out that he was actually talking to the axe itself. In fact, that entire episode was a parody of ''[[RearWindowInvestigation Rear Window]]'' based on this trope, as Bart witnesses Ned Flanders' killing of Maude[[spoiler:'s favourite tree]]. It even has Lisa discovering a [[spoiler:Sc]]human[[spoiler:'s farms]] head[[spoiler: of lettuce]] and Jimmy Stewart watching Bart try to stop Flanders and concluding that "that sinister looking kid's coming to kill me!"
** "Cape Feare", had Bart becoming paranoid after receiving several death threat letters in a row from Sideshow Bob, and seeing Ned Flanders waving a [[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet Freddy Krueger]]-esque glove with the words, "Say your prayers, Simpson...Because the schools can't force you like they should!" He then goes back to using his glove to trim the hedges.
*** Later on Marge is walking towards Bart with a big-ass pair of scissors saying, "I'm going to get you...some ice cream at the store because we're saving our money on Diet Cola!" and proceeds to cut some coupons out of the paper.
*** When he's in class Miss Krabappel says he'll be her murder victim...in the school play on Lizzie Borden.
*** Then Homer later arrives, goes MotorMouth with a butcher knife and blurts "BARTYOUWANTSOMEBROWNIESBEFOREYOUGOTOBED??" Finally revealing the case of brownies Marge had apparently cooked in between scenes.

** "The Book Job" ended with Moe holding up a knife at Neil Gaiman and saying he was going to do something he wanted to do for a long time. He then [[spoiler: slices a pineapple and congratulates him.]]

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'', [=SpongeBob=] finds Mr. Krabs abusing captive jellyfish for their jelly. [=SpongeBob=] grabs a wrench, and Mr. Krabs asks what he's going to do with it. [=SpongeBob=] angrily says "Something that should have been done a long time ago!" before tightening a bolt and saying "The squeaky bolt on this door was driving me crazy."
** Another episode makes it look like a couple of police officers are [[PoliceBrutality beating somebody with their nightsticks]], when in reality, they were fixing a broken parking meter.

* Creepy, NightmareFuel inspiring [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazi]] TortureTechnician Toht does this in ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk''. He comes into the tent where ActionGirl Marion is being held, effortlessly disarms her, then pulls out a strange chain and wood instrument. Everyone who remembers Toht [[EyeScream holding a red hot poker inches from Marion's eye]] earlier in the movie holds their breath... then lets out a relieved sigh as it turns out to merely be a portable coat hanger. Hell, even Toht's ally Belloq lets out a relieved sigh at that point!