History Main / UpToEleven

"Up to Eleven or "Up to 11" may refer to:

If a direct wick has led you here, please correct the link so that it points to the corresponding article.

[[redirect:ExaggeratedTrope]]

[[WMG:[[center:[[AC:This trope is [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1609560996091965900&page=1 under discussion]] in the [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1597830869030327400&page=1#1 Trope Repair Shop]].]]]]]]
[[quoteright:350:[[Film/ThisIsSpinalTap https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/this-is-spinal-tap_8485.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Try to top this.]]
->'''Nigel Tufnel:''' What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?\\
'''Marty [=DiBergi=]:''' Put [the volume] up to eleven.\\
'''Nigel Tufnel:''' Eleven. Exactly. One louder.
-->-- ''Film/ThisIsSpinalTap''

%% One quote is sufficient. Please place additional entries on the quotes tab.

Exceeding the previous maximum, to an exaggerated degree.

For some people [[BiggerIsBetter more is always better]]. Exactly what there is more ''of'' can vary. More volume, more power, more pretty, more money, more ''more.'' Whichever, this trope is about setting a whole new "most" for anything.

For those who aren't into electric guitar, "Taking it up to eleven" is a reference to the maximum volume setting on a guitar amplifier. In a nice example of {{Defictionalization}}, Marshall came out with an amp that went up to 11, mostly in response to the trope being used in ''Film/ThisIsSpinalTap''. Later, many Marshall amplifiers began to sport 0-20 volume knobs, essentially taking the trope itself Up To Eleven.

ConspicuousConsumption and AbsurdlyHighStakesGame often involves this.

Compare:
* ComicalOverreacting
* ExaggeratedTrope (PlayingWithATrope takes aspects of a particular trope well... up to eleven)
* LensmanArmsRace
* LoudnessWar
* RankInflation
* ReadingsAreOffTheScale
* SequelEscalation
* SerialEscalation
* TimTaylorTechnology

Not to be confused with LoudOfWar, Administrivia/TheSameButMore.
----

!!Example subpages:

[[index]]
* UpToEleven/{{Advertising}}
* UpToEleven/AnimeAndManga
* UpToEleven/ComicBooks
* UpToEleven/FanWorks
* UpToEleven/{{Film}}
* UpToEleven/{{Literature}}
* UpToEleven/{{Live Action TV}}
* UpToEleven/{{Music}}
* UpToEleven/TabletopGames
* UpToEleven/VideoGames
* UpToEleven/{{Webcomics}}
* UpToEleven/WebOriginal
* UpToEleven/WesternAnimation
* UpToEleven/RealLife
[[/index]]

----

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Jokes]]
* What's the difference between a musician, an engineer, and an entrepreneur? A musician says "This amp goes up to 11!" An engineer says "It has the same amount of power, all they did was add an additional designation to divide that power." An entrepreneur says "For the right price I can get you one that goes up to 12." It also exists as [[https://xkcd.com/670/ an XKCD strip]] now.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
* ''Close to Home'': "Mega Mart is plunged into chaos when, acting on a secret intuitive signal, every toddler In the store simultaneously throws a tantrum."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
* Wrestling/KingKongBundy had, as a central part of his gimmick, the "five-count". Normal pinfalls go to a three-count; when Bundy pinned someone, to show how completely he'd beaten them, he held up a hand and yelled "FIVE!", demanding the referee count to five instead. Wrestling/BigELangston also used the five-count gimmick during his NXT run.
* A fairly common joke on commentary when an opponent gets knocked out cold is that the referee could count to 100 (sometimes even 1000) and the pin would still be successful.
* [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]] writes [[WordOfGod in his autobiography]], “The Rock is Dwayne Johnson [[PunctuatedForEmphasis … with the volume … turned … WAY … UP!]]”[[note]]''The Rock Says…: The Most Electrifying Man in Sports-Entertainment'', p. 161[[/note]]
* Beyond, in the case of [[Wrestling/JessicaKresa ODB]]. One of her big moves is The Dirty Dozen, where she slams her opponent's face into the top turnbuckle twelve times.
* [[Wrestling/HunterJohnston Delirious]] has The Neverending Story, where he will clothesline his opponent in the corner up to ''twenty times''!
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* There is a game in improvisational theater called "Toppers", which is this trope.
* Lyrically referenced in one of the choruses of the song "Raise Your Voice" from the musical version of ''Film/SisterAct''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theme Parks]]
* In ''Terminator 2'', the characters fought the T-1000. In ''Ride/Terminator23DBattleAcrossTime'' at Ride/UniversalStudios, they fight the T-1000000, a gigantic liquid metal spider which is defending the Skynet system core.
[[/folder]]

----

* UpToEleven/FanFiction

* UpToEleven/WebComics

* Wrestling/KingKongBundy has, as a central part of his gimmick, the "five-count". Normal pinfalls go to a three-count; when Bundy pins someone, to show how badly he's beaten them, he holds up a hand and yells "FIVE!", demanding the referee count to five instead. Wrestling/BigELangston also used the five-count gimmick during his NXT run.

* Wrestling/TheRock writes [[WordOfGod in his autobiography]], “The Rock is Dwayne Johnson [[PunctuatedForEmphasis … with the volume … turned … WAY … UP!]]”[[note]]''The Rock Says…: The Most Electrifying Man in Sports-Entertainment'', p. 161[[/note]]