History Main / UpToEleven

[[folder: Jokes]]

[[folder: Professional Wrestling]]

[[folder:Theater]]

Exceeding the previous maximum, to an exaggerated degree.

* A fairly common joke on commentary when an opponent gets knocked out cold is that the referee could count to 100 and the pin would still be successful.

ConspicuousConsumption and AbsurdlyHighStakesGame often involves this. Compare SerialEscalation, SequelEscalation, TimTaylorTechnology, Administrivia/TheSameButMore, ComicalOverreacting, RankInflation, LoudOfWar, ReadingsAreOffTheScale, LoudnessWar, and LensmanArmsRace.

If a trope is taken to an unusually high degree, it's an ExaggeratedTrope. If it's taken to an '''unprecedentedly''' high degree, ''then'' it's taken Up To Eleven.

* 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."
** This exists as [[https://xkcd.com/670/ an XKCD strip]] now.

** A fairly common joke on commentary when an opponent gets knocked out cold is that the referee could count to 100 and the pin would still be successful.

* 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.

* [[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]]

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 SerialEscalation, SequelEscalation, TimTaylorTechnology, ExaggeratedTrope, Administrivia/TheSameButMore, ComicalOverreacting, RankInflation, LoudOfWar, ReadingsAreOffTheScale, LoudnessWar, and LensmanArmsRace.

** This exists as an [[xkcd]] strip now.

----

When a {{Trope}} that already has been {{exaggerated|Trope}} is exaggerated itself.

Exceeding the previous maximum, to an exaggerated degree.

Some people [[BiggerIsBetter have the need to top things]]. It could be because of dissatisfaction with something, a need to best someone else (often known as "Keeping up with the Joneses"), or some other reason. Either way, they would like to push it beyond what's been done before.

Exactly what is topped can vary. It could be a commercial product ([[HowVideoGameSpecsWork like computer and gaming tech]]), an architectural feat, a world record, or something else. Whatever thing, this trope is taking the highest bar set, and taking that "Up to Eleven".

For those who aren't into guitar (electric guitar specifically), the phrase "Taking it up to eleven" is a reference to the volume setting on a guitar amplifier; the maximum setting on most (especially older) amps is 10, however newer amps (most often Marshalls) with the "11" option (which is beyond loud, believe us on that one) [[{{Defictionalization}} came out]], and you can even take the volume higher with gain/equalizer settings on distortion boxes. More recently volume eleven has become partially obsolete as many Marshall amplifiers sport 0-20 volume knobs, essentially taking the trope itself Up To Eleven.

ConspicuousConsumption and AbsurdlyHighStakesGame often involves this.

The phrase has entered colloquial usage and is found [[http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/up-to-eleven in the Oxford English Dictionary]].

Compare SerialEscalation, SequelEscalation, TimTaylorTechnology, ExaggeratedTrope, Administrivia/TheSameButMore, ComicalOverreacting, RankInflation, LoudOfWar, ReadingsAreOffTheScale, LoudnessWar, or LensmanArmsRace.

The TropeNamer is ''Film/ThisIsSpinalTap'':
->'''Marty [=DiBergi=]:''' [[LampshadeHanging Why don't you just make ten louder and have ten be the top... number and make that a little louder?]]
->'''Nigel Tufnel:''' ...[[MadnessMantra These go to eleven.]]
----

Not to be confused with BeyondTheImpossible, which is [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin beyond what should be possible]] according to the internal logic of a story. This trope is more likely to be a competition between two or more groups or one group against itself, where one group goes beyond what is considered the limit but still possible.

Often, some people [[BiggerIsBetter have the need to top things]]. It could be because of dissatisfaction with something, a need to best someone else (often known as "Keeping up with the Joneses"), or some other reason. Either way, you would like to take something, and push it beyond what's been done before.

Unfortunately, things like time, money, technology, and/or other factors will only allow that so far. So you just end up topping the last thing by a small amount. So you've been forced to leave room for your own thing to be topped later on. Then you top that new thing, this can lead to an all-out "topping" war. This may or may not be a good thing, depending on the circumstances.

The phrase has entered colloquial usage and been [[http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/up-to-eleven included in the Oxford English Dictionary]].

The term became an [[http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/up-to-eleven official phrase]] in the English language thanks to its inclusion in the Oxford English Dictionary.

->'''Nigel Tufnel:''' ...[[MadnessMantra These go up to eleven.]]

->'''Nigel Tufnel:'''...[[ShapedLikeItself These go up to 11.]]

'''Marty [=DiBergi=]:''' Put [the volume] [[TropeNamer up to eleven]].\\

* UpToEleven/{{Live-Action TV}}

'''Marty [=DiBergi=]:''' Put [the volume] up to eleven.\\

[[quoteright:350:[[Film/ThisIsSpinalTap http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/this-is-spinal-tap_jpg_4915.jpg]]]]

[[quoteright:200:[[Film/ThisIsSpinalTap http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/goes_to_eleven.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:200:Try to top this.]]