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* ManipulativeBastard: Sociopaths and malignant narcissists are experts at being this, and some people with borderline personality disorder accidentally become it or become it to protect themselves from suffering. And then there's people who may not have any specific mental disorder but just like to control other human beings. (or cultivate manipulation skills out of mere fascination with and studying the art of manipulation
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* ManipulativeBastard: Sociopaths and malignant narcissists are experts at being this, and some people with borderline personality disorder accidentally become it or become it to protect themselves from suffering. And then there's people who may not have any specific mental disorder but just like to control other human beings. (or (or people cultivate manipulation skills out of mere fascination with and studying the art of manipulationmanipulation)
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i do
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* ManipulativeBastard: Sociopaths and malignant narcissists are experts at being this, and some people with borderline personality disorder accidentally become it or become it to protect themselves from suffering. And then there's people who may not have any specific mental disorder but just like to control other human beings.
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* ManipulativeBastard: Sociopaths and malignant narcissists are experts at being this, and some people with borderline personality disorder accidentally become it or become it to protect themselves from suffering. And then there's people who may not have any specific mental disorder but just like to control other human beings. (or cultivate manipulation skills out of mere fascination with and studying the art of manipulation
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* NotTheFallThatKillsYou: It's not, as said on TelevisionIsTryingToKillUs. It's the sudden stop at the end of the fall.
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* NotTheFallThatKillsYou: It's not, as said on TelevisionIsTryingToKillUs.JustForFun/TelevisionIsTryingToKillUs. It's the sudden stop at the end of the fall.
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* MultiEthnicName: Yup. This is not only common but is extremely common. Chances are, if you're American, you might [[TomatoInTheMirror be this trope.]] Even the most common American name, John Smith, is a mix of a Hebrew name and an English surname.
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* MaternallyChallenged: Because being physically capable of concieving and giving birth to a child does ''not'' mean one can be or will be a good parent. The saddest examples will end up on the news every so often.
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* MaternallyChallenged: Because being physically capable of concieving conceiving and giving birth to a child does ''not'' mean one can be or will be a good parent. The saddest examples will end up on the news every so often.
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* MixedAncestry: There are many people in the world who are biracial or multiracial.
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* {{Narm}}: You've probably laughed at someone's {{Wangst}} at some point in your life (or at least been very annoyed by it rather than sympathize with them). Reactions to a child throwing a temper tantrum are a good example.
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* {{Narm}}: You've probably laughed at someone's {{Wangst}} at some point in your life (or at least been very annoyed by it rather than sympathize with them). Reactions to a child throwing a temper tantrum are a good example. Especially when it's not your child.
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* MismatchedEyes: It is called, ''heterochromia''.
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* MismatchedEyes: It is called, ''heterochromia''. Can also occur due to a last-longing injury to one or both of the eyes.
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* MismatchedEyes: It is called, ''heterochromia''.
* MulticoloredHair: Either due to dyeing hair, genetics, or old age.
* MultiTrackDrifting: Because some vehicles can be pushed beyond their usual limits, with an experienced enough driver and proper conditions.
* MultiTrackDrifting: Because some vehicles can be pushed beyond their usual limits, with an experienced enough driver and proper conditions.
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* MultiTrackDrifting: Because some vehicles can be pushed beyond their usual limits, with an experienced enough driver and proper conditions.
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* NoCanOpener: Can openers weren't even ''invented'' until several decades after tin cans. Before then, consumers were instructed (according to TheOtherWiki) to use a hammer and chisel.
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* NoCanOpener: Can openers weren't even ''invented'' until several decades after tin cans. Before then, consumers were instructed (according to TheOtherWiki) Wiki/TheOtherWiki) to use a hammer and chisel.
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** Explosions have many properties and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Explosive_material sources]]. They are [[TheOtherWiki defined]] as "a rapid increase in volume and release of energy in an extreme manner". Depending on the speed of the shockwave, something can qualify as an [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deflagration explosion]] yet remain within the body's [[MadeOfIron/RealLife surprisingly-high tolerance to impact]]; the problem being that many of those are accompanied by heat and shrapnel. Someone may very well survive the actual explosion of a gas tank -- provided none of the tank's pieces hit something vital -- but it is likely that the fire that follows will cause [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burn far more damage]]. Thankfully still survivable with any luck.
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** Explosions have many properties and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Explosive_material sources]]. They are [[TheOtherWiki [[{{Wiki/Wikipedia}} defined]] as "a rapid increase in volume and release of energy in an extreme manner". Depending on the speed of the shockwave, something can qualify as an [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deflagration explosion]] yet remain within the body's [[MadeOfIron/RealLife surprisingly-high tolerance to impact]]; the problem being that many of those are accompanied by heat and shrapnel. Someone may very well survive the actual explosion of a gas tank -- provided none of the tank's pieces hit something vital -- but it is likely that the fire that follows will cause [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burn far more damage]]. Thankfully still survivable with any luck.
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[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:M]]
[[folder:M]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:N]]
[[folder:N]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:O]]
[[folder:O]]
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* OfferedTheCrown: Again, by default, any trope concerning royalty is automatically [=TIT=]
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* OfferedTheCrown: Again, by default, any trope concerning royalty is automatically [=TIT=][=TIT=].
* OffingTheOffspring: Tragically and unfortunately, this happens in RealLife.
* OffingTheOffspring: Tragically and unfortunately, this happens in RealLife.
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* OutlivingOnesOffspring: Tragically so. Either due to an accident, illness, murder, or suicide.
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[[/folder]]
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* MilkingTheGiantCow: Putting one's hands up to show emotion is a common part of the drama queen repetoire.
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* MilkingTheGiantCow: Putting one's hands up to show emotion is a common part of the drama queen repetoire.repertoire.
* AMillionIsAStatistic: It's called the Identifiable Victim Bias. Some people in RealLife have believed this - and unfortunately, acted on it. One reason is that when you hear about one person dying, you can put yourself in that situation and imagine how your family would feel. Trying to feel the sadness and empathy for each of those millions of people and their families is just not physically possible, so we repress it.
** In some very unfortunate situations (where lots of people are going to die ''anyway''), the Identifiable Victim Bias can actually lead to logical decision-making that leads to the "less people dying in vain" option. A good example of this can be found in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII - in the decision to fight the Nazis or surrender to them. Either way, lots of people died - but those who successfully fought lost far fewer civilians and, combined, prevented a full Nazi takeover of Europe and possibly the rest of the known world.
* AMillionIsAStatistic: It's called the Identifiable Victim Bias. Some people in RealLife have believed this - and unfortunately, acted on it. One reason is that when you hear about one person dying, you can put yourself in that situation and imagine how your family would feel. Trying to feel the sadness and empathy for each of those millions of people and their families is just not physically possible, so we repress it.
** In some very unfortunate situations (where lots of people are going to die ''anyway''), the Identifiable Victim Bias can actually lead to logical decision-making that leads to the "less people dying in vain" option. A good example of this can be found in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII - in the decision to fight the Nazis or surrender to them. Either way, lots of people died - but those who successfully fought lost far fewer civilians and, combined, prevented a full Nazi takeover of Europe and possibly the rest of the known world.
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Visit entries from: [[TruthInTelevision/AToC A to C]] || [[TruthInTelevision/DToF D to F]] || [[TruthInTelevision/GToI G to I]] || [[TruthInTelevision/JToL J to L]] || '''You are here''' || [[TruthInTelevision/PToR P to R]] || [[TruthInTelevision/SToU S to U]] || [[TruthInTelevision/VToZ V to Z]]
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Visit entries from: [[Main/TruthInTelevision Main Page]] || [[TruthInTelevision/AToC A to C]] || [[TruthInTelevision/DToF D to F]] || [[TruthInTelevision/GToI G to I]] || [[TruthInTelevision/JToL J to L]] || '''You are here''' || [[TruthInTelevision/PToR P to R]] || [[TruthInTelevision/SToU S to U]] || [[TruthInTelevision/VToZ V to Z]]
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Moved to here from trope for being generic statements.
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* NonFatalExplosions: Sufficiently small explosives in general can be survivable. Soldiers have been known to survive thrown grenades exploding in what should have been the lethal radius. Grenade launchers and mortars have also been known to potentially allow survivors.
** Explosions have many properties and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Explosive_material sources]]. They are [[TheOtherWiki defined]] as "a rapid increase in volume and release of energy in an extreme manner". Depending on the speed of the shockwave, something can qualify as an [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deflagration explosion]] yet remain within the body's [[MadeOfIron/RealLife surprisingly-high tolerance to impact]]; the problem being that many of those are accompanied by heat and shrapnel. Someone may very well survive the actual explosion of a gas tank -- provided none of the tank's pieces hit something vital -- but it is likely that the fire that follows will cause [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burn far more damage]]. Thankfully still survivable with any luck.
** Explosions have many properties and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Explosive_material sources]]. They are [[TheOtherWiki defined]] as "a rapid increase in volume and release of energy in an extreme manner". Depending on the speed of the shockwave, something can qualify as an [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deflagration explosion]] yet remain within the body's [[MadeOfIron/RealLife surprisingly-high tolerance to impact]]; the problem being that many of those are accompanied by heat and shrapnel. Someone may very well survive the actual explosion of a gas tank -- provided none of the tank's pieces hit something vital -- but it is likely that the fire that follows will cause [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burn far more damage]]. Thankfully still survivable with any luck.
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* {{Narm}}: You've probably laughed at someone's {{Wangst}} at some point in your life (or at least been very annoyed by it rather than sympathize with them). Reactions to a child throwing a temper tantrum are a good example.
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* ManiacMonkeys: Primates can be nasty and vicious and can hurt people badly.
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* MoralGuardians: ''Futurama'' and ''TheOnion'' parodied PETA's practice of trying to get "liberated" carnivores to live on a vegetarian diet. Also perpetual AcceptableTargets the FCC and "concerned mothers".
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* MoralGuardians: ''Futurama'' and ''TheOnion'' ''Website/TheOnion'' parodied PETA's practice of trying to get "liberated" carnivores to live on a vegetarian diet. Also perpetual AcceptableTargets the FCC and "concerned mothers".
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* MachiavelliWasWrong: Once a certain level of strict, iron-fisted rule is passed, said authoritarian rule is often (though not always) more likely to result in widespread ''dis''obedience of the rule at least in secret, to open, violent rebellion against it. The most successful way to maintain a complicit populace seems to be offering a mixture of reward and punishment, with just enough reward to keep people seeking more and just enough punishment to make rebellion or schism unappealing. NorthKorea seems to be the only exception to this rule.
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* MachiavelliWasWrong: Once a certain level of strict, iron-fisted rule is passed, said authoritarian rule is often (though not always) more likely to result in widespread ''dis''obedience of the rule at least in secret, to open, violent rebellion against it. The most successful way to maintain a complicit populace seems to be offering a mixture of reward and punishment, with just enough reward to keep people seeking more and just enough punishment to make rebellion or schism unappealing. NorthKorea UsefulNotes/NorthKorea seems to be the only exception to this rule.
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* ObliviousToLove: Yes, some people can't recognize when someone is in love with them, even if the person actively tells them so or practically throws themselves at them. Often happens with very shy people (who may invoke ICantBelieveAGuyLikeYouWouldNoticeMe to deny that someone could ever love them) or with people highly distracted by other things.
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* ObliviousToLove: Yes, some people can't recognize when someone is in love with them, even if the person actively tells them so or practically throws themselves at them. Often This often happens with very shy people (who may invoke ICantBelieveAGuyLikeYouWouldNoticeMe to deny that someone could ever love them) or with people highly distracted by other things.
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* OutsideContextVillain: Some real life civilizations acted as such to others. One example would be the Spanish. When the Spanish invaded America, many indigenous populations were either at war with one another, or faced a larger threat (such as the Aztecs for many). Then came the Spanish, with both animals, weapons, and ailments they had never encountered before, wiping many civilizations out, or pushing them to the brink.
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* OutsideContextVillain: OutsideContextProblem: Some real life civilizations acted as such to others. One example would be the Spanish. When the Spanish invaded America, many indigenous populations were either at war with one another, or faced a larger threat (such as the Aztecs for many). Then came the Spanish, with both animals, weapons, and ailments they had never encountered before, wiping many civilizations out, or pushing them to the brink.
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* NeverSleepAgain: Traumatic experiences can cause insomnia.
** In a more literal sense, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatal_familial_insomnia fatal familial insomnia]] can render a person physically incapable of ever sleeping again.
** In a more literal sense, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatal_familial_insomnia fatal familial insomnia]] can render a person physically incapable of ever sleeping again.
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* MailOrderBride: This really happened in the Wild West, and comparisons with that era have been invoked with the rise of online "{{international marriage brokersInsistentTerminology}}," although it's quite a far cry from simply writing a few letters and then sending the woman away on a train to marry a man she hadn't even met yet.
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* MailOrderBride: This really happened in the Wild West, and comparisons with that era have been consistently invoked with the rise of online "{{international international marriage brokersInsistentTerminology}}," although brokers. That said, it's quite a far cry from simply writing a few letters and then sending the woman away on a train to marry a man she hadn't even met yet.
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* MailOrderBride: This really happened in the Wild West, and comparisons with that era have been invoked with the rise of online "{{international marriage brokers|InsistentTerminology}}," although it's quite a far cry from simply writing a few letters and then sending the woman away on a train to marry a man she hadn't even met yet.
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* MailOrderBride: This really happened in the Wild West, and comparisons with that era have been invoked with the rise of online "{{international marriage brokers|InsistentTerminology}}," brokersInsistentTerminology}}," although it's quite a far cry from simply writing a few letters and then sending the woman away on a train to marry a man she hadn't even met yet.
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* MailOrderBride: Unfortunately.
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* MailOrderBride: Unfortunately.This really happened in the Wild West, and comparisons with that era have been invoked with the rise of online "{{international marriage brokers|InsistentTerminology}}," although it's quite a far cry from simply writing a few letters and then sending the woman away on a train to marry a man she hadn't even met yet.
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Re-add this if comes true
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* OneWorldOrder: [[ConspiracyTheorist Some]] believe there are plans in place to create one of these...
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Visit entries from: [[TruthInTelevision/AToC A to C]]/[[TruthInTelevision/DToF D to F]]/[[TruthInTelevision/GToI G to I]]/[[TruthInTelevision/JToL J to L]]/'''You are here'''/[[TruthInTelevision/PToR P to R]]/[[TruthInTelevision/SToU S to U]]/[[TruthInTelevision/VToZ V to Z]]
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Visit entries from: [[TruthInTelevision/AToC A to C]]/[[TruthInTelevision/DToF C]] || [[TruthInTelevision/DToF D to F]]/[[TruthInTelevision/GToI F]] || [[TruthInTelevision/GToI G to I]]/[[TruthInTelevision/JToL I]] || [[TruthInTelevision/JToL J to L]]/'''You L]] || '''You are here'''/[[TruthInTelevision/PToR here''' || [[TruthInTelevision/PToR P to R]]/[[TruthInTelevision/SToU R]] || [[TruthInTelevision/SToU S to U]]/[[TruthInTelevision/VToZ U]] || [[TruthInTelevision/VToZ V to Z]]
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* MayDecemberRomance: There have been quite a few.
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* MayDecemberRomance: There have been quite a few. Some are genuine, some aren't. [[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement Moving on.]]
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* MadeOfEvil: Some individuals throughout history who seem to have taken enjoyment only out of how much they could directly and indirectly harm people and/or the environment, and societies constructed on the concept of racist hatred and genocide and killing. No more will be said, and no real life examples ([[GodwinsLaw except for]] UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler and NaziGermany) should be discussed because what people and societies are such is ''incredibly'' subjective for the most part.
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* MadeOfEvil: Some individuals throughout history who seem to have taken enjoyment only out of how much they could directly and indirectly harm people and/or the environment, and societies constructed on the concept of racist hatred and genocide and killing. No more will be said, and no real life examples ([[GodwinsLaw except for]] UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler and NaziGermany) UsefulNotes/NaziGermany) should be discussed because what people and societies are such is ''incredibly'' subjective for the most part.
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* MadeOutToBeAJerkass: This can be the result of those fighting back against bullies.
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* MadeOutToBeAJerkass: This can unfortunately be the result of reaction against those fighting who stand up and fight back against bullies.
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Visit entries from: [[TruthInTelevision/AToC A to C]]/[[TruthInTelevision/DToF D to F]]/[[TruthInTelevision/GToI G to I]]/[[TruthInTelevision/JToL J to L]]/'''You are here'''/[[TruthInTelevision/PToR P to R]]/[[TruthInTelevision/SToU S to U]]/[[TruthInTelevision/VToZ V to Z]]
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* MaamShock: Was more pronounced when "ma'am" meant an older woman. Now not as big of an issue - except for men mistaken for women on some occasions.
* MacGuffin: The BraggingRightsReward in its physical permutations (e.g. trophies and objets d'art) and anything useless that only has value in being collectible and/or desired by more than one person.
* MacGyvering: VERY common in RealLife, especially among people who are cash-poor. Everything from furniture creation to computer repair to fashion to [[TheAllegedCar automobile repair to]] animal and human health care may well be subject to it depending on the setting.
* MachiavelliWasWrong: Once a certain level of strict, iron-fisted rule is passed, said authoritarian rule is often (though not always) more likely to result in widespread ''dis''obedience of the rule at least in secret, to open, violent rebellion against it. The most successful way to maintain a complicit populace seems to be offering a mixture of reward and punishment, with just enough reward to keep people seeking more and just enough punishment to make rebellion or schism unappealing. NorthKorea seems to be the only exception to this rule.
* MachineEmpathy: People get used to the noises and rhythms of things they use often. Whether it's a vehicle or a computer or a musical instrument or whatever, the first sign something is wrong with it is often something noticed only by the primary user...
* MadeASlave: [[SickAndWrong Human trafficking, chattel slavery]], some of the shadier unpaid internships, ultra-low-wage work, prison labor...
* MadeOfEvil: Some individuals throughout history who seem to have taken enjoyment only out of how much they could directly and indirectly harm people and/or the environment, and societies constructed on the concept of racist hatred and genocide and killing. No more will be said, and no real life examples ([[GodwinsLaw except for]] UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler and NaziGermany) should be discussed because what people and societies are such is ''incredibly'' subjective for the most part.
* MadeOfExplodium: Hydrogen dirigibles, nuclear fission or anything capable of it, a lot of fertilizers including the infamous ammonium nitrate, rocket fuels and other high-energy fuels, boilers and steam equipment that isn't properly managed... and many, many more things that can create a huge blast without much trying.
* MadeOfIron: Some human beings, either through intense training and physical strength/skill, tolerances, or just plain dumb luck or some combination thereof, survive things that [[NormallyIWouldBeDeadNow should kill them]]. Drunk people sometimes tend to survive situations sober people don't, especially in regard to accidents and falls. Babies are another example - while InfantImmortality is sadly untrue in real life, babies ''are'' fairly tough and can survive situations adults generally can't.
* MadeOfPlasticine: Human beings can be very weak and die from some of the most unlikely to ordinarily cause death things, but not always - see MadeOfIron above and NormallyIWouldBeDeadNow below.
* MadeOutToBeAJerkass: This can be the result of those fighting back against bullies.
* MadonnaWhoreComplex: Unfortunately, and it feeds into much of the discrimination and violence against women.
* TheMafia, TheMafiya, TheTriadsAndTheTongs, {{Yakuza}}, and other organized crime groups: They are tropes because they exist.
* MagneticGirlfriend: Because some women really are competitive and jealous, and see a partnered man as a challenge.
* MailOrderBride: Unfortunately.
* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: Shock can cause this as well as intense anger or fear, and/or being drunk or high. Not understanding the severity of an injury is another reason. Injuries involving the brain are VERY bad for this since stroke or traumatic brain injury sufferers are often oblivious to the extent of their injuries. Some internal injuries such as abdominal trauma or a collapsing lung aren't spotted until hours after they were sustained. Finally, people who are used to a common level of pain from existing injuries might not get the severity of a new injury - for example, someone with neck injuries that cause intense pain might not, especially in combination with other causes, even notice a ''broken neck'' as anything but an especially bad pain flare and sudden inability to keep pushing through the pain.
* MakeTheDogTestify: Lawyers actually ''can'' and ''do'' file motions to declare animals, plants, or even objects witnesses or demand they be brought before the court - it isn't usually intended to put the dog (or the plants, or the object) on the stand - the intent is usually to acquire evidence with the permission of the court (e.g. to DNA test the dog when the owner in a civil suit insists it wasn't his dog that got the neighbor's dog pregnant, or to sneakily read communications stored on the object, or to see if the person's alibi that they were watering the plants when the crime happened was likely true or likely false)
** There's also the very controversial practice of civil forfeiture, where a ''suspected'' (read: not even convicted) offender's property is itself listed as the defendant and taken. If you've ever seen a case like ''The People Of The State Of Florida Vs. Ten Gold Chains, One Lamborghini Aventador, and Five Bottles of Belvedere Vodka,'' this is likely such a case.
* MakingLoveInAllTheWrongPlaces: Public sex happens. Let's just leave it at that.
* MaliciousSlander: Spreading rumors to damage someone's reputation or standing or to cause problems is OlderThanDirt.
* MalignedMixedMarriage: There are hundreds, if not thousands, of examples throughout history of people hating those who marry outside of their race. In fact, until struck down by the Supreme Court in 1967, miscegenation [[note]]interracial marriage[[/note]] was forbidden by law in the U.S. -- and had been since before there was officially a U.S. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-miscegenation_laws_in_the_United_States More here]] and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loving_v._Virginia the landmark case is here]].
* MamaBear: Both the animal and human kind. There are documented cases of mothers rescuing their children from mountain lions and actual bears.
* MamaDidntRaiseNoCriminal: The families of real life criminals do indeed live in this sort of denial sometimes, even when confronted with overwhelming evidence of criminal behavior.
* MamasBabyPapasMaybe: Men do wonder. DNA testing has shown that sometimes, they have reason.
* ManChild: They exist, sometimes out of poor parenting or mental illness, other times because they just have childish and lazy interests and personalities. Because of cultural perceptions of women as "naturally" more childlike, people might not notice if a woman acts like this, or think it's "cute" or just female nature.
* MandatoryMotherhood: Many historical societies, until the advent of reliable birth control and its widespread use, and opportunities for women other than marriage and family existing in the society.
* ManInABikini: How often have you seen one, and the reaction it gets?
* ManInTheIronMask: [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_in_the_Iron_Mask He was real]], although probably merely a failed spy in reality.
* ManipulativeBastard: Sociopaths and malignant narcissists are experts at being this, and some people with borderline personality disorder accidentally become it or become it to protect themselves from suffering. And then there's people who may not have any specific mental disorder but just like to control other human beings.
* ManipulativeEditing: A staple of RealityTV, and also a very crude and deceptive way to put words in someone's mouth or make them support or not support something against their wishes.
* ManlyTears: There is ''nothing'' weak or un-masculine about having emotions other than anger/hatred/rage and lust. In former times and different world cultures, male crying was/is viewed as a sign of ''strength'' of character.
* MarijuanaIsLSD: Generally [[CaptainObvious NOT]] TruthInTelevision, but sometimes dealers will "wet" cannabis with PCP or another smokable hallucinogen, and/or pass off "fake pot" such as K2 or the JWH compounds as real cannabis. Also, eating sufficiently large amounts of cannabis can have a far different effect than smoking - the "body high" effect of eating large doses can sometimes be experienced similar to MDMA or LSD.
* MaritalRapeLicense: Unfortunately in many parts of the world for a very long time. Thankfully, in much of the world after the late 20th century, revoked - and in more places by the day.
* MarriageToAGod: Nuns and priests and various celibates within Christianity, though they would say to ''the'' God. Other religions provide many more examples.
* MarryForLove: In most Western countries after the mid to late 20th century, the reason for many marriages - as in, the ArrangedMarriage and the marriage for financial reasons only began to recede in popularity. This may change with the economic crash of TurnOfTheMillennium and TheNewTens, where people are expressing more willingness to marry (or to get into relationships that aren't marriage) for places to live or for money.
* MarsAndVenusGenderContrast: Will almost inevitably be claimed as this by anyone invoking it.
* MartialArtsUniform: People do wear them, but usually only for competitions and their classes.
* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: Such relationships have existed and do exist, because not everyone, even in the most highly gendered societies, likes to stick to the rules.
* MaternallyChallenged: Because being physically capable of concieving and giving birth to a child does ''not'' mean one can be or will be a good parent. The saddest examples will end up on the news every so often.
* MaternityCrisis: Occasionally, but fright/terror doesn't induce labor as often as it does in fiction.
* MatryoshkaObject: Became a trope because it is TruthInTelevision: the Russian nesting doll is the TropeNamer.
* MatterOfLifeAndDeath: Quite a few things in real life are exactly this - lives or at the very least lack of severe injury or property damage are at stake. These things are where SeriousBusiness is absolutely, thoroughly justified.
* MayDecemberRomance: There have been quite a few.
* McNinja: A few instances, usually when an OccidentalOtaku wants to be more badass than nerdy. It rarely ends well.
* MeanCharacterNiceActor: Quite often TruthInTelevision.
* MeaningfulName: There's a few variants.
** Parents naming a child for someone or in memory of someone or otherwise a name they've chosen for meaning.
** Some {{transgender}} people, when selecting their new name, will pick one that is meaningful rather than just a masculine/feminine variant of their current name or a GenderBlenderName.
** Changing one's family name/last name to one's partner's family name/last name on getting married.
** Some people converting to Christianity or Islam will choose a "Christian" or "Islamic" name.
** Some witches and other occult practitioners choose a "magickal name" or "secret name."
** During the Civil Rights Movement, Malcolm X chose the "X" in his name to represent the now unknown name stolen from his family by the slave masters who ultimately forced the name "Little" on his ancestors. Renaming for these cultural reasons, e.g. taking on African names, was not uncommon as a result of the same feelings.
* MeatVersusVeggies: There are many cases where persons debate with one another about the superiority of one kind of diet over another. If you're a vegetarian, you have probably had to contend with all sorts of reactions ranging from concern borne of ignorance to open scorn or derision. Alternately, if you're a meat eater, you've likely been accused of everything from murder to animal cruelty to endangering your health.
* MeddlingParents: You've probably had these or know somebody who does. Cf. JewishMother.
* MediationBackfire: In many internet forums, trying to end a FlameWar between two or more users will cause them to take out their frustrations on you with heaping insults, but [[{{GIFT}} this is the internet we're talking about.]]
** Witness any police intervention in a domestic argument. (Or anybody else's, of course, but the police are the only ones professionally obliged to stick their heads over the parapet.) What they tend to really hate about such jobs is that even when one partner is clearly being abused, they'll often [[StockholmSyndrome firmly take their abuser's side]].
* MenAreUncultured: In societies that demand being uncultured as a part of masculinity, many men who care about that social standard. This is one of the annoying ones that [[SelfFulfillingProphecy reinforces itself.]]
* MenCantKeepHouse: See MenAreUncultured - the same goes for this. Not true, but its enforcement as a part of gender role makes sure it sticks around.
* MenDontCry: While male brains ''do'' seem to have less activity in areas related to emotional understanding and similar, and testosterone does have some antidepressant/emotion regulation effects (specifically toward enabling the "bottling up" of emotion over sudden uncontrollable crying for example), it is still ''not that different,'' especially in the absence of mental illness or in the presence of actual tragedy, and this trope is only true when and where it is ''because'' of gendered societal conditioning of men playing up this "attribute" and demanding it above and beyond all else.
* TheMenFirst: Insofar as their instructors can hammer it into their heads.
* MentalAffair: The non- ScienceFiction variant is fairly common.
* TheMentallyDisturbed: Far more common but also far more mild than TV would make you think.
* MetaphoricallyTrue: One of the more common forms of HalfTruth.
* MexicanStandoff: Some of them have happened.
* MiddleChildSyndrome: Sometimes, especially if the middle child is average/normal enough and/or very easy to raise compared to, say, extremely rebellious or special needs children, or on the other hand, an extremely gifted child that needs constant intellectual stimulation to be provided.
* MightAsWellNotBeInPrisonAtAll: If you're not claustrophobic, house arrest.
* MileHighClub: Though trying to join is probably a bad idea if you don't have a private aircraft, and [[TooDumbToLive a very bad idea]] if you're the pilot.
* MilesGloriosus: US politicians especially seem to like boasting about their military record, among quite a few others.
* MilitaryBrat: There is a whole subculture surrounding the family of military personnel.
* MilitaryCoup: They have happened, and quite frequently in some places.
* MilitaryMaverick: For every Colonel O'Neill you see on TV, there's far worse in real life.
* MilkingTheGiantCow: Putting one's hands up to show emotion is a common part of the drama queen repetoire.
* MindScrew: There are quite a few of them, especially if one believes the paranormal is possible.
* MinorFlawMajorBreakup: One of the most common reasons for breakups in real life, often combined with ItsNotYouItsMe.
* MinorInjuryOverreaction: Overdramatic people or people looking for a FrivolousLawsuit often do this. It's also a result of injuries that while technically minor, ''look'' or ''feel'' worse than they are with lots of bleeding for a few minutes or by being excruciatingly painful due to oversensitivity to pain, the injury happening in an area with very high pain sensitivity such as [[GroinAttack the genitals]], the hands/wrists, or the face/mouth/nose.
* MiseryPoker: See AppealToWorseProblems - this is the unironic use of the fallacy to make someone else feel bad.
* MisleadingPackageSize: Overpackaging, fraud, or the desire to present something as more valuable than it is can make this happen.
* MisplacedWildlife: A ''serious'' problem in many areas of the world, especially if plant and insect species are counted as well. It's called "invasive species," and if you've ever been stung by a fire ant or Africanized bee or had to clear kudzu, you've seen them.
** Another variant is when humanity invades on a former wildlife habitat, either temporarily with camping or hunting for example, or permanently with housing developments and the like. Deer, bears, boars, or whatever else was in the area before humans began to encroach will still be there... and attracted to things like food in garbage and movement of people walking.
* MissConception: If sex education doesn't exist. More common in the past, still sometimes happens in restrictive religious communities.
* MissedTheBus: Annoying for people who are dependent on public transportation - missing a bus or a train often means waiting anywhere from 30 minutes to two or more hours to get to one's destination.
* MissionFromGod: From Joan of Arc to Osama bin Laden, religion has been a powerful motivator.
* MistakenAge: Some people are YoungerThanTheyLook or OlderThanTheyLook.
* MistakenForCheating: With some of the more jealous and paranoid people one can be in a relationship with. If this happens on a regular basis, it can be a symptom of abuse, distrust that is absolutely irreconcilable, or simply of a relationship you'd be better off without.
* MistakenForGay: Many times, a result of the conflation of traits attributed to binary gender and sexuality. Yes, [[CaptainObvious feminine men and masculine women can be straight]].
* MistakenForJunkie: Anyone can be and there are quite a few groups who regularly are: diabetics (needles, occasional odd behavior), transgender people (hormones being technically controlled substances, needles, hormones needed to maintain gender), the mentally ill (occasionally odd behavior, dependence on prescribed medication to be normal), people with chronic pain (use of drugs junkies do use, but legally prescribed and medically maintained for a legitimate reason), and nocturnals/persons with sleep issues (often mistaken for users of illegal stimulants).
* MistakenForSpecialGuest: See [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Goma Guy Goma]] for an example.
* MistakenForTerrorist: Unfortunately happens, and not ''only'' to Middle Easterners, but to photographers, hobby chemists, people who as much as say the wrong words in the wrong sequence or the wrong place, and to many others in the US.
* MistakenlyBanned: Spend enough time on the Internet and it will happen somewhere.
* MistakenNationality: Far too common simply because many people don't care to learn geography or about nations.
* MisterMuffykins: Most breeders call the little yappy dogs victims of "small breed syndrome." A lot of it is just plain stupidity on the owner's part.
* TheMistress: Divorce lawyers and journalists alike make a huge part of their living because this is TruthInTelevision.
* MixAndMatchCritters: Ligers (lion/tiger), mules (horse/donkey), goat/sheep, cattle/bison, zebra/horse, and pretty much any match within feline or canine species (e.g. mountain lion or panther/domestic cat, coyote or wolf or dingo/domesticated dog) are a few of the hybrid animals possible in real life. Many are considered undesirable by humans, but mules are valued for strength and docility and sterility - making them perfect pack animals - and wolf hybrids for intelligence and endurance and size - which with the right owner makes them perfect working dogs or guard dogs.
* MockMillionaire: Quite a few fraud artists have done this. Also advice from the "fake it until you make it" school of celebrity or financial success, which preaches this as a lifestyle - to consume intensely, to "live what you want to be."
* ModestyBedsheet: You've probably used this if you sleep nude and someone unexpected enters the room.
* ModestyTowel: Force of habit and shyness will often lead to this being used even when there is no reason for it. Paranoia can also be a factor, if your room has a window.
* MonsterClown: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coulrophobia Coulrophobia]]. Also applies to mimes.
* MonsterFangirl: SerialKiller groupies.
* MonsterMash: ''If'' UsefulNotes/{{Otherkin}} and/or some who believe in the paranormal actually are on to something. In a more concrete, realistic example, Halloween parties and cosplay events where there are "monsters" and paranormal creatures of all sorts represented.
* {{Mooning}}: College campuses and anywhere else people are drunk and stupid enough to think showing off their ass is a funny joke. Not a good idea - doing this in real life can get you slapped with a public indecency charge and a spot on the sex offender registry, even if it wasn't intended as sexual harassment.
* MoralDissonance: Else known as "[[TheHypocrite hypocrisy]]," and we've all experienced it to some extent.
* MoralEventHorizon: Each culture and society has different ones, but some general ones are [[WouldHurtAChild torturing or killing]] [[ChildrenAreInnocent innocent]] children (and some societies expand this to less extreme forms of child abuse), some forms of homicide, internal genocide, incest, [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil rape]], [[SacredHospitality refusing hospitality in a culture/society that depends on it]], and/or [[TheQuisling betrayal of one's nation or people, ''especially'' for personal gain or for no reason at all but that you could do it]] or [[TheFarmerAndTheViper of someone who did you no harm]]. The common thread in most of these is that they are directly harmful not just to the people involved but to social cohesion of some form or another - as in, if everyone practiced them, there would be a bunch of dead people and/or a fragmented, continually fighting collection of clans looking out for themselves and/or their kids rather than any sort of civil society.
* MoralGuardians: ''Futurama'' and ''TheOnion'' parodied PETA's practice of trying to get "liberated" carnivores to live on a vegetarian diet. Also perpetual AcceptableTargets the FCC and "concerned mothers".
* MoralityChain: Spouses, children, relatives in general for some, a job or a place in society for others.
* MoralMyopia: Is ''very'' common in real life but real life examples aren't a good idea.
* MoreThanMindControl: How {{Brainwashed}} and BrainwashedAndCrazy actually happen in RealLife. The amount of ways that people can be turned against their own interests, their own consciences, and their own bodies and lives, or pressed into HappinessInSlavery or resignation to slavery are enough to induce nightmares and paranoia.
* MorningSickness: Happens to some pregnant women though not to all, and some have it far more severely than others.
* MotiveDecay: Remember when you wanted to be an astronaut or a firefighter or a star? Look around at what you are now, and if you gave up on that goal for whatever reason (good or bad), this has happened to you.
** Also tends to happen to political and social movements - where originally the cause or principles may have been important, but eventually the political or social movement lost sight of its exact mission and ended up with 100 different goals it cannot accomplish at once or worse, ended up committed to maintaining its hold on power at any cost and with no other real goal.
** And also common among criminals - which is part of why many become StupidCrooks.
* MrsDegree: A sexist stereotype that, unfortunately, does have some truth - some women do go to college mostly to seek not their own education, but to land a doctor or lawyer as a husband.
* MrsRobinson: "Cougars."
* MrViceGuy: Pretty much everyone, as there are few people (if any) in the world truly devoid of ''any'' vice.
* MuggingTheMonster: If people make a career of robbing people, there's always a chance they'll pick the wrong person to try to victimize and end up getting the shit beat out of them or shot. [[http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?id=73382 There have been]] quite a few cases of muggers trying to assault karate students.
* MundaneLuxury: To someone living in a third-world country, simple things like ''clean'' running water can be considered luxuries.
* MultiTrackDrifting: Because some vehicles can be pushed beyond their usual limits, with an experienced enough driver and proper conditions.
* MurderersAreRapists: Some are, and the inversion of the trope, that all rapists are potential murderers, is definitely true as well.
* MurderTheHypotenuse: This has happened in quite a few real life murder cases.
* MusicIsPolitics: In the 60s and onward, the ProtestSong became a subgenre.
* MutagenicFood: Beta-carotene in large amounts will turn you orange, and colloidal silver or other silver will give you an ashen, bluish, or actually gray appearance.
* MyBelovedSmother: Helicopter parents, strict parents, codependency...
* MyBiologicalClockIsTicking: More like one's sociocultural clock, but yes, some people feel this.
* MyCarHatesMe: Otherwise, we wouldn't have tow trucks.
* MyCountryRightOrWrong: The viewpoint of ''many'' military members, especially in the lower ranks and the higher ones.
* MyLittlePanzer: Yes, there were and are toys like this.
* MyDadCanBeatUpYourDad: A lot of kids argue about how their parents are superior to the other.
* MyHovercraftIsFullOfEels: Mandarin Chinese.
** Icelandic (and by extent, Faroese) is considered the hardest language (grammatically) to learn, ''even for native Icelanders''.
* MyNaymeIs: Many, many celebrities. Very common among musicians especially.
* MyOwnPrivateIDo: Private weddings are actually some of the most common weddings, especially for poorer couples.
* MyRuleFuIsStrongerThanYours: This is what lawyers are for.
* MysteryMeat: "Pink slime," which is ammonia-soaked beef castoffs. Mechanically separated chicken. Similar and worse examples exist.
* NakedApron: There's fetish art based on the concept. Involving both men and women. No more needs to be said.
* NakedFirstImpression: None of us are born with clothes on.
** NakedOnArrival: Again, none of us are born clothed.
* NakedPeopleAreFunny: Streakers, {{mooning}}.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: If someone has a nickname that indicates violence, it's usually a good idea to watch out around them.
* NationalGeographicNudity: Nudists for the most part (most nudists/naturists frown upon the sexualization of nudity and there are explicit "no sexual touching in public/of someone you aren't already in a relationship with" and "no cameras" rules at a lot of retreats and the like, because the subculture is about body acceptance, not about hookups or making porn), and some cultures do practice this.
* NaughtyByNight: A ''lot'' of professional people and the like, although this is becoming far less common with the advent of ways to capture someone in "inappropriate" behavior and {{blackmail}} or [[SlutShaming shame]] them for it, possibly getting them fired or shunned.
* NavalBlockade: A real-life military tactic that has been used in several wars.
* NayTheist: There are some people that, while they believe a god or gods exist, also believe him/her/it/they are evil or disinterested in humanity, or have some other reason to feel disgust or distaste toward him/her/it/them. Also common in some people who don't believe a specific god exists, but if that god existed, would hate him/her/it for his/her/its percieved cruelty or unfairness.
* NearRapeExperience: Has happened with some people who sincerely didn't realize that [[PoorCommunicationKills "no" actually meant "no"]] or who were drunk/high, but then realized in time that that no DID mean "no" or where being pushed away or screamed at got through the altered state. Why a SafeWord is a good idea, especially if you're doing certain forms of fetish play or if you or your partner or both of you are from a culture where "no" can mean other things than "STOP RIGHT NOW." Also, if someone was going to have sex with a person, but realised in the process that they were too drunk to consent/were passed out.
* NeatFreak: The more extreme may have obsessive-compulsive disorder, and most of us have met someone like this.
* NecessarilyEvil: There have been a few cases of people controlling organized-crime syndicates and the like and yet being relatively benevolent and relatively harmless to outsiders while being a bit less so on the inside to keep control from those who are more rashly violent/don't see crime as strictly business/etcetera.
** Peacekeeping occupations by soldiers as mentioned earlier under DarkShepherd. Obviously it's not an ideal situation, it ''is'' often very restrictive of freedom and can result in a PoliceState or in severe blowback, it can easily become a dictatorship or worse itself, and the best it can do is policing and its only way to truly, decisively intervene is "stop killing each other or we'll kill you both." That said, it is often unfortunately the only way to stop incipient civil war, internal genocides, and similarly extreme problems.
** Dictators and tyrants are occasionally this, which has actually caused history to look far more kindly upon Josip Broz Tito and even Saddam Hussein - the dictatorial rule and brutality served the same role military peacekeeping would, in uniting very different peoples as one nation, or at least keeping a tight lid on interethnic and intersectarian tensions. The problem is the cruelty and brutality to begin with. Also, once the dictator(s) are gone, they, being the real life version of a LoadBearingBoss, the civil "unity" or "peace" they forged tends to vanish.
** States (generally Communist or similar, though [[OlderThanTheyThink the oldest was Japan under the shogun Ieyasu]]) that imposed atheism/agnosticism officially (or at least strict political secularism), while persecuting religious people of varying religions for being religious or converting/being converted on occasion (and this hits Christians and Muslims the hardest, since both are evangelizing religions, where, say, Buddhism or Judaism generally aren't), ''did'' somewhat successfully contain religious extremism and/or prevent sectarian factionalism from intermixing with politics to a major degree, and their actions make more sense when viewed in the context that often, at least with most converting/evangelizing sects, religion and political takeovers/political violence are often intertwined. Whether it was at too high of a cost (the deaths and persecutions that did occur, often just to make a point of "don't do this") is very much something on which your mileage may vary.
* {{Nepotism}}: "It's not what you know, it's who you know" is definitely TruthInTelevision: those with relatives in business or government or the arts or whatever tend to get "brought in" by those relatives, and then promoted, often beyond their skill and competence.
* NeutralityBacklash: The problem with being neutral in ''many'' conflicts is that both sides will either assume you to be on the other side or will hate you for not believing in/representing/supporting their side completely. Neutrality is also often (sometimes unfairly) seen as waffling or self-interest or seeking to sell out to the highest bidder.
* NeverAcceptedInHisHometown: Some people throughout history have never been accepted by their families/places of origin.
* NeverBareheaded: Religious or cultural reasons sometimes require the constant covering of the head. Islam is most known for this, but there are some Jews and Christians that adhere to various forms of it too.
* NeverBringAKnifeToAFistfight: Dependent on the fight and skill of the fighters, but there ''have'' been instances where unarmed or poorly armed (or unarmed until they grabbed the weapons of their opponents) fighters have overwhelmingly defeated an armed opponent. It's not very common (especially with guns) but especially at close range, once the element of surprise has been lost, it's ''very'' possible for a nervous or unskilled person with a knife or even a gun to get their ass handed to them by someone who is unarmed but is in position to inflict one of the ChokeHolds or a GroinAttack, and/or who can wrestle the weapon away.
* NeverGetsDrunk: Ironically, some types of TheAlcoholic fall under this - their alcohol tolerance is ''so'' high that what would kill a non-alcoholic barely gets them buzzed. Other people may be, technically, drunk, but they don't tend to show outward, extravagant signs of being drunk: they're not, for example, loud and boisterous or angry or sad or...anything but quiet and calm.
* NeverLiveItDown: There are some things that people will not forget OR forgive - and some of them, especially via the internet, can be ''incredibly'' petty.
* NeverMyFault: Sociopaths ''love'' this one, as do narcissists, and it's a part of pretty much any abusive interaction or relationship, especially paired with WhyDidYouMakeMeHitYou. It's one of the more popular DirtySocialTricks among all of those groups, and one of the DirtySocialTricks that if you notice is in play, the only way to get around it is to document the situation objectively (via recording devices) until you can leave, preferably as soon as possible. If it's paired with WhyDidYouMakeMeHitYou, ''just leave now,'' no matter how difficult doing so is - your own mental and physical health are at stake.
* NeverRecycleABuilding: Sometimes for historic value, sometimes because builders are lazy and architects want ''their'' plan used. There's also the unfortunate case of, say, a building that was clearly home to a Jack-in-the-Box now saying "Wendy's" on the front, which just looks plain silly.
* NiceCharacterMeanActor: Very, very common, especially with people who have to maintain a ContractualPurity image or stage image.
* [[NiceGuy Nice Guy/Gal]]: Lots of them, and far more than a pessimist can ever think.
* NiceHat: There's some hats that look very good, and some people look very good with a hat.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: There is a reason for the saying "the road to hell is paved with good intentions."
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Sometimes ''bad'' intentions or things can lead to relatively "good" results.
* NiceToTheWaiter: Be nice to service economy employees. They have tough (and often low-paying) jobs.
* NightmareFetishist: They exist.
* NightmareFuel: It exists.
* NobodyThinksItWillWork: Yes, there are relationships like this. And they do, sometimes, work.
* NoCanOpener: Can openers weren't even ''invented'' until several decades after tin cans. Before then, consumers were instructed (according to TheOtherWiki) to use a hammer and chisel.
* NocturnalEmission: Happens mainly between 13 and 25, but for both sexes its a mere two percent. Nocturnal ''erections,'' on the other hand, are normal for all men well into their 40s or 50s, ''not'' necessarily a result of what is going on in the dream, and their absence generally means that something is wrong with blood flow to the genital region and possibly elsewhere.
* NoFairCheating: Getting ''caught'' cheating anywhere from elementary school to postgraduate education, on taxes as an individual (corporations can get away with it, generally), in professional athletics, and especially in a relationship that wasn't established as open or polyamorous can have ''extremely'' negative consequences.
* NoFameNoWealthNoService: Members-only or restricted entry clubs, restaurants, and other venues. Anything that will only provide service to celebrities.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Be careful when reporting crimes, lest you be accused of committing them, or being a whistleblower on bad conduct because you could get punished for the leak rather than anyone even caring about the misconduct. People can also get punished (e.g. fired from a job or given a detention/suspension from school) if they attempt to do something like intervene in a fight or stand up to someone who's mistreating someone else, like a bully. Sometimes people don't intervene in emergencies for this very reason, because they fear that the person in need (or someone else with a vested interest, like a property owner) might sue them if any damage is caused in the act of helping.
* NoIndoorVoice: Sometimes it's a result of physical or mental disabilities, but one non-disability variant is that ''many'' singers or public speakers, especially those who have had to work without audio enhancing equipment so they can have a quiet voice, develop a distinct loudness to their voice in a combination of thickened/stronger vocal cords and habit. People in these professions are also often occasionally advised if their voice is naturally loud to ''not'' take effort to speak more quietly - maintaining a soft, whispery, airy voice actually damages the vocal cords almost as much as screaming does, so a slightly louder than "normal" speaking voice (if it is usual for that person without effort) rather than a "pleasing" one is healthier for someone who ''does'' have to scream or shout on a regular basis.
* NominalHero: Quite a few people who do heroic things in real life only do them because it is all in a day's work or because they wanted attention or money or fame.
* NonSequitur: "No, I don't think the mailbox needs painting."
* NoodleImplements: Can be seen in a lot of places and heard of in a lot of stories, usually those involving TooMuchInformation.
* NoodleIncident: Most of us have had at least one... or will have at least one...
* NoOneCouldSurviveThat: Occasionally said verbatim in the aftermath of disasters. And occasionally people somehow ''do'' survive it.
* NoOSHACompliance: There are many places in the world with few to no workplace safety regulations, and even in the countries that ''do'' have workplace safety rules and means to enforce them, sometimes enforcement is lax or no one really cares.
* NoPartyLikeADonnerParty: The TropeNamer, and a few other incidents where human beings have been reduced to cannibalism.
* NoPeriodsPeriod: People on some forms of birth control, who are transgender (MTFs who didn't have the required organs to menstruate in the first place, or FTMs who are on birth control or have achieved satisfactory testosterone levels and/or had the female reproductive system surgically removed), who have had hysterectomies, or who suffer from illnesses of the female reproductive system.
* NoPunctuationPeriod: Badly written FanFiction is often this With no paragraphs as well
* NormallyIWouldBeDeadNow: Human beings can survive quite a lot, but see CherryTapping and MadeOfPlasticine above too...
* NoseShove: Small children will indeed put anything small enough into any accessible opening on themselves or other things if not supervised.
* NoSexAllowed: Some religious systems that impose celibacy or heavily restrict sex. Also applies to minors for obvious reasons.
* NoSocialSkills: Asperger's and other autism spectrum conditions. Agoraphobia. Extreme shyness/social anxiety. Isolation from any social contact at all (even the internet) for long periods of time such as hermit living or religious solitary living or solitary confinement in prison.
* NostalgiaFilter: Almost omnipresent with people of certain ages believing things were better in the past even when they weren't.
* NoSuchAgency: [[ParanoiaFuel It]] [[SelfDemonstratingArticle probably]] [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial does not have this page under surveillance]].
* NoSuchThingAsWizardJesus: Just go ahead and try to tell [[TheFundamentalist some Christians]] that there are parallels to Christian belief in many other religions and beliefs and mythologies, and add to it that maybe it was accomplished the same way. Those flames will burn bright for a long time...
* NoSwastikas: Carries the force of law in much of Europe where the sale or trade of Nazi memorabilia, the glorification and sometimes display of Nazi symbols, etcetera is against the law. Elsewhere, there is ''no'' way to display a swastika without it being seen as support/sympathy for Naziism.
* NoSympathy: Unfortunately fairly common in life.
* NoSympathyForGrudgeholders: Because {{forgiveness}} is one of the moral concepts that is greatly valued by a lot of people, those who don't value it are often judged, especially if those who choose to forgive believe that holding a grudge and contemplating (or even successfully exacting) revenge [[IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim will make them just as bad]] [[HeWhoFightsMonsters or even worse than those who wronged them.]]
* NoTellMotel: LoveHotels in Japan, and plenty of other hotels and motels. You may have even stayed in one...
* NotGoodWithPeople: Some people are loners or hermits and do get along better with animals.
* NotGoodWithRejection: Some people take being rejected very badly.
* NothingIsScarier: Absolute silence is often one of the most frightening experiences, because it can mean a place is absolutely devoid of living human activity. The absolute silence after a power outage is close, as it implies that power and communications have been knocked out by something. And one of the scariest silences is when severe weather suddenly quiets to a perfect stillness, because that is often a sign of an impending [[UsefulNotes/{{Tornadoes}} tornado]].
* NothingUpMySleeve: Shoulder and arm holsters for guns allow them to be carried like this.
* NotInMyBackYard: And ''another'' one used in RealLife long before it was a trope.
* NotMeThisTime: People who have been accused of some crimes or some offenses often are the first blamed when something similar happens. An example of this that doesn't involve crime can be seen when drama starts on a community and someone is dogpiled for starting the drama/FlameWar "again" even if they had a legitimate point.
* NotMyDriver: How many kidnappings have occurred, and why schools/teachers are often instructed not to let anyone pick up a kid if they're claiming to be sent from the parent without some form of verification from the parent.
* NotRareOverThere: Globalization has averted this to some extent but at a great cost.
* NotSoDifferent: '''''MOST OF HUMANITY.'''''
* NotSoStoic: It's actually fairly common for people with anxiety or clinical depression to purposely adopt stoic façades as a coping mechanism, since they have to constantly work to keep their emotions in check. When the façade breaks (as façades tend to do), it can be a pretty big shock for others, who only know such people as TheStoic.
* NotStayingForBreakfast: The one-night stand.
* NotTheFallThatKillsYou: It's not, as said on TelevisionIsTryingToKillUs. It's the sudden stop at the end of the fall.
* NouveauRiche: Many people who get rich, at least at the beginning.
* NoWomansLand: Unfortunately, there's still places in the world where being female instantly makes someone a second or third class citizen if even that.
* NoYouHangUpFirst: A manifestation of the "sunk cost" fallacy in that someone who is speaking in such a conversation will want to stay on as long as they can even if it would be better to stop talking.
* ObligatorySwearing: Middle and high school. The PunkRock, HeavyMetal, HipHop, and VisualKei music scenes. Sailors and truck drivers. The military.
* ObligatoryWarCrimeScene: Yes, many of those war crime scenes you see in movies ''actually happened'' (or were based on true events) and were most likely ''toned down'' for viewers.
* ObliviousAdoption: Oh, it happens alright. More often than we like to think.
** Fortunately, [[HappilyAdopted the other way around]] also happens.
* ObliviousToLove: Yes, some people can't recognize when someone is in love with them, even if the person actively tells them so or practically throws themselves at them. Often happens with very shy people (who may invoke ICantBelieveAGuyLikeYouWouldNoticeMe to deny that someone could ever love them) or with people highly distracted by other things.
* ObnoxiousInLaws: Unfortunately, for some, and often as a result of a societal construct of parents hating their children's partners.
* ObsessedWithFood: Gourmets, "foodies," and some cooks/chefs on one side, anorexics and bulimics and others with eating disorders on the other.
* ObsoleteMentor: Because ScienceMarchesOn, SocietyMarchesOn, and TechnologyMarchesOn, and some people don't bother to catch up with them, even if they're the best of a specific art or the best at a specific time.
* ObstructiveBureaucrat: One reason people dislike and distrust government and unfortunately the face of it many people are very likely to meet at one point or another.
* ObviouslyEvil: There have been quite a few examples. None of which shall be discussed, but there have been.
* ObviousRulePatch: ''Many'' laws and regulations. Building codes and health codes are a very good example: most of them have been written by shown potential for disastrous failures and the attempts to prevent them from happening or happening again.
** Software patches and security updates to stop TheCracker and PlayfulHacker from having lots of fun with your computer.
* OccupiersOutOfOurCountry: The reason LaResistance tends to exist in RealLife and one reason YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters exists as a trope.
* OdeToIntoxication: Many, many songs have been written about the joys of alcohol and various other recreational substances.
* OfCorpseHesAlive: Chinese Emperor Qin Shi Huang.
** It was once common practice to photograph someone post-mortem after posing them in a chair as if they were alive. The [[UncannyValley results are somewhat disconcerting]].
* OfferedTheCrown: Again, by default, any trope concerning royalty is automatically [=TIT=]
* OffTheRails: Anyone who has ever been involved in any type of improv or roleplaying situation knows how easily this can happen. For live musicians or theatre performers doing non-improv, one of the most understated and important parts of performing is making sure it ''doesn't'' visibly happen and if it does, it's handled somewhat humorously.
* OffTheTable: Some offers are very much one-time offers, especially if one is rude or offensive to the person making them in their rejection.
* OffTheWagon: Not quite as often as portrayed in the DrugsAreBad moral stories, but often.
* OhCrap: All of us have had such moments to some degree. In a literal sense, if you've ever flushed your toilet and seen the water start rising in the bowl...
* OlderThanTheyLook: Celebrites, models, musicians. Anyone who was lucky enough to win the genetic lottery to avoid traits like early hair loss or graying, and anyone who was lucky enough and smart enough to avoid sun exposure and tobacco exposure from an early age.
* OldFlameFizzle: Because sometimes whomever people meet first or a long time ago is not someone they will love years later.
* OldFriendNewGender: People change over time. That fat nerd you knew? Dropped the weight and became hot. That man you knew? Was actually [[UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}} a woman]], or vice versa. The HollywoodAtheist you remembered from college? Is now a devout churchgoer. Can be very difficult, especially if the changes make your relationship now incompatible.
* OldManMarryingAChild: In most modern cultures this is considered pedophilia - but in other cultures and in historical cultures, it was not seen as such and was actually endorsed.
* OldMaster: Anyone who is still practising their art or profession in their senior years, not just martial arts, is likely to be one of the best in the world.
* OldShame: Everybody's got something they're embarrassed about.
* OminousLatinChanting: Often seen as a way to make an atmosphere just a little more creepy.
* {{Omniglot}}: Some do exist, and Google Translate and other machine translation is slowly improving by the day to help those who don't have natural omniglot abilities to understand in the absence of translators.
* OneDrinkWillKillTheBaby: Alcohol is toxic to humans, but for most adult humans, in amounts well below the [=LD50=], the "poisoning" produces enjoyable effects and no lasting damage. Once one gets near the [=LD50=], one can die or be permanently sickened. In pregnant women and in children, the damage can occur much faster - causing fetal alcohol syndrome or death. Same for pets. And chronic overuse even below the [=LD50=] can lead to lasting and permanent illness or even cancer.
* OneHitWonder: Quite a few musicians and musical acts. Happens to writers as well, where one of their books or series is a huge success but others, not so much.
* OneManArmy: Under the right circumstances, this is completely possible. Sometimes inverted in One Man Armies going down against sufficient numbers or overwhelming volumes of fire, and almost impossible in a situation with air support. An excellent real life example would be MSG Gary Gordon and SFC Randy Shughart at the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993. Technically a Two Man Army, but still qualify.
** Simo Häyhä, a Finnish sniper during Finlands winter war (1939-1940) he scored 505 confirmed kills & 542 unconfirmed. Also 200+ kills with submachine gun. Remarkably, all of Häyhä's kills were accomplished in fewer than 100 days with a very limited amount of daylight per day. Nicknamed "Valkoinen Kuolema" in Finnish, which translates to "White Death".
* OneMarioLimit: Some names are so famous or so notorious that naming after them is not a good idea. There is a reason that people with names similar to that of a dictator or a SerialKiller or a terrorist will often change them.
* OneOfTheBoys: Quite a few women. And some people who transition gender to male have to do this in situations that require the "real life test" for transition.
* OneOfTheKids: Happens to parents sometimes or to others who spend most of their time around children (teachers of young children, daycare workers).
* OnePhoneCall: If arrested, you might get OnePhoneCall, none at all, or as many as you want. Unfortunately, your personal phone will be taken away from you (good luck if you relied on it for memory) and the call will be monitored. (This trope is why it is a good idea to, if you're ever in a situation where you fear arrest may be imminent, to write the number of your defense lawyer/of the person you know can and will help you on a place like your foot or the inside of your arm.)
* OneWorldOrder: [[ConspiracyTheorist Some]] believe there are plans in place to create one of these...
* OnlyCoolPeopleMatter: Some scenes and subcultures evoke this. It's often the death knell of the scene/movement/subculture, though, because whereas the coolest (for whatever reason cool is percieved) may drive the scene/movement/subculture, what is "cool" in it can change in the blink of an eye (e.g. one day, being a {{Troll}} is cool, and the next, after a horrific incident of the trolls going too far, being a carebear is the coolest), and also, the slightly less cool and even "uncool" people within it are what gives it lasting depth and following.
* OnlySaneEmployee: Been there, done that, burned the t-shirt.
* OnlySaneMan: You feel like this often, admit it. And this trope's cousin SurroundedByIdiots too, most likely.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: When even the stoic or professional is ''freaking out'' this is usually a very bad sign.
** A common joke relates to a shirt that says something like "(Bomb Squad, gas company, nuclear emergency technician, tornado chaser)" and then adds "If you see me running, JOIN ME."
** People tend to freak out if someone close to them suddenly starts acting differently. This will often prompt a question of, "Did something happen?" or, in the case of romantic couples, may lead them to suspect their partner having an affair.
* OperationBlank: They've had some [[http://www.cracked.com/article_16213_the-25-least-inspiring-military-operation-names.html pretty silly names]].
* OperaGloves: Common in VisualKei fashion.
* OperatorFromIndia: Dell is the biggest offender. Most big companies do it nowadays to save money. Outsourcing FTL.
* OpinionMyopia: Not a lot of people are respectful of other people's opinions, especially on the internet.
* OppositesAttract: Sometimes they do.
* OrderedApology: Parents use this to children as one of their methods of teaching them to accept responsibility and make up for something they've done wrong. Also done with teachers to students. The downside of this, however, is that the person is only apologizing because they have to, not because it's coming from the heart, which explains why some apologies are half-hearted.
* OrderedToCheat: Has happened to professional athletes and to students alike, as well as in the accounting departments of certain financial corporations and the like.
* OrificeInvasion: There are some animals and insects that do this, both to animals and humans. Parasitic worms are one of them.
* OrnamentalWeapon: They exist. Often crosses over with BlingBlingBang for guns, and Japanese swordsmiths in the days of samurai often made swords both this and functional.
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Komodo dragons and leafy sea dragons, among others.
* OutlawCouple: Because getting involved with a criminal often draws one into crime in one way, and in another, because criminals tend to interact with other criminals.
* OutsideContextVillain: Some real life civilizations acted as such to others. One example would be the Spanish. When the Spanish invaded America, many indigenous populations were either at war with one another, or faced a larger threat (such as the Aztecs for many). Then came the Spanish, with both animals, weapons, and ailments they had never encountered before, wiping many civilizations out, or pushing them to the brink.
* OutOfTheInferno: Firefighters have done this on occasion, sometimes with people they have rescued.
* OutWithABang: Yes, there are some sexual practices that can kill you (breathplay and autoerotic asphyxiation being the most likely, along with some forms of bondage). If you're in bad enough health or are just unlucky, sex itself can do so. Also true for some animal species.
* {{Overheating}}: Why your computer needs fans or some kind of a cooling system, especially the more you push it to do. Why ignoring the "check engine" warning or the temperature gauge on your vehicle is ''never'' a good idea. Can happen to human beings also, usually during heat waves, under the influence of drugs that affect the brain's temperature regulation - from alcohol to MDMA to neuroleptic drugs - or who have some forms of brain damage that do the same.
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* MaamShock: Was more pronounced when "ma'am" meant an older woman. Now not as big of an issue - except for men mistaken for women on some occasions.
* MacGuffin: The BraggingRightsReward in its physical permutations (e.g. trophies and objets d'art) and anything useless that only has value in being collectible and/or desired by more than one person.
* MacGyvering: VERY common in RealLife, especially among people who are cash-poor. Everything from furniture creation to computer repair to fashion to [[TheAllegedCar automobile repair to]] animal and human health care may well be subject to it depending on the setting.
* MachiavelliWasWrong: Once a certain level of strict, iron-fisted rule is passed, said authoritarian rule is often (though not always) more likely to result in widespread ''dis''obedience of the rule at least in secret, to open, violent rebellion against it. The most successful way to maintain a complicit populace seems to be offering a mixture of reward and punishment, with just enough reward to keep people seeking more and just enough punishment to make rebellion or schism unappealing. NorthKorea seems to be the only exception to this rule.
* MachineEmpathy: People get used to the noises and rhythms of things they use often. Whether it's a vehicle or a computer or a musical instrument or whatever, the first sign something is wrong with it is often something noticed only by the primary user...
* MadeASlave: [[SickAndWrong Human trafficking, chattel slavery]], some of the shadier unpaid internships, ultra-low-wage work, prison labor...
* MadeOfEvil: Some individuals throughout history who seem to have taken enjoyment only out of how much they could directly and indirectly harm people and/or the environment, and societies constructed on the concept of racist hatred and genocide and killing. No more will be said, and no real life examples ([[GodwinsLaw except for]] UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler and NaziGermany) should be discussed because what people and societies are such is ''incredibly'' subjective for the most part.
* MadeOfExplodium: Hydrogen dirigibles, nuclear fission or anything capable of it, a lot of fertilizers including the infamous ammonium nitrate, rocket fuels and other high-energy fuels, boilers and steam equipment that isn't properly managed... and many, many more things that can create a huge blast without much trying.
* MadeOfIron: Some human beings, either through intense training and physical strength/skill, tolerances, or just plain dumb luck or some combination thereof, survive things that [[NormallyIWouldBeDeadNow should kill them]]. Drunk people sometimes tend to survive situations sober people don't, especially in regard to accidents and falls. Babies are another example - while InfantImmortality is sadly untrue in real life, babies ''are'' fairly tough and can survive situations adults generally can't.
* MadeOfPlasticine: Human beings can be very weak and die from some of the most unlikely to ordinarily cause death things, but not always - see MadeOfIron above and NormallyIWouldBeDeadNow below.
* MadeOutToBeAJerkass: This can be the result of those fighting back against bullies.
* MadonnaWhoreComplex: Unfortunately, and it feeds into much of the discrimination and violence against women.
* TheMafia, TheMafiya, TheTriadsAndTheTongs, {{Yakuza}}, and other organized crime groups: They are tropes because they exist.
* MagneticGirlfriend: Because some women really are competitive and jealous, and see a partnered man as a challenge.
* MailOrderBride: Unfortunately.
* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: Shock can cause this as well as intense anger or fear, and/or being drunk or high. Not understanding the severity of an injury is another reason. Injuries involving the brain are VERY bad for this since stroke or traumatic brain injury sufferers are often oblivious to the extent of their injuries. Some internal injuries such as abdominal trauma or a collapsing lung aren't spotted until hours after they were sustained. Finally, people who are used to a common level of pain from existing injuries might not get the severity of a new injury - for example, someone with neck injuries that cause intense pain might not, especially in combination with other causes, even notice a ''broken neck'' as anything but an especially bad pain flare and sudden inability to keep pushing through the pain.
* MakeTheDogTestify: Lawyers actually ''can'' and ''do'' file motions to declare animals, plants, or even objects witnesses or demand they be brought before the court - it isn't usually intended to put the dog (or the plants, or the object) on the stand - the intent is usually to acquire evidence with the permission of the court (e.g. to DNA test the dog when the owner in a civil suit insists it wasn't his dog that got the neighbor's dog pregnant, or to sneakily read communications stored on the object, or to see if the person's alibi that they were watering the plants when the crime happened was likely true or likely false)
** There's also the very controversial practice of civil forfeiture, where a ''suspected'' (read: not even convicted) offender's property is itself listed as the defendant and taken. If you've ever seen a case like ''The People Of The State Of Florida Vs. Ten Gold Chains, One Lamborghini Aventador, and Five Bottles of Belvedere Vodka,'' this is likely such a case.
* MakingLoveInAllTheWrongPlaces: Public sex happens. Let's just leave it at that.
* MaliciousSlander: Spreading rumors to damage someone's reputation or standing or to cause problems is OlderThanDirt.
* MalignedMixedMarriage: There are hundreds, if not thousands, of examples throughout history of people hating those who marry outside of their race. In fact, until struck down by the Supreme Court in 1967, miscegenation [[note]]interracial marriage[[/note]] was forbidden by law in the U.S. -- and had been since before there was officially a U.S. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-miscegenation_laws_in_the_United_States More here]] and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loving_v._Virginia the landmark case is here]].
* MamaBear: Both the animal and human kind. There are documented cases of mothers rescuing their children from mountain lions and actual bears.
* MamaDidntRaiseNoCriminal: The families of real life criminals do indeed live in this sort of denial sometimes, even when confronted with overwhelming evidence of criminal behavior.
* MamasBabyPapasMaybe: Men do wonder. DNA testing has shown that sometimes, they have reason.
* ManChild: They exist, sometimes out of poor parenting or mental illness, other times because they just have childish and lazy interests and personalities. Because of cultural perceptions of women as "naturally" more childlike, people might not notice if a woman acts like this, or think it's "cute" or just female nature.
* MandatoryMotherhood: Many historical societies, until the advent of reliable birth control and its widespread use, and opportunities for women other than marriage and family existing in the society.
* ManInABikini: How often have you seen one, and the reaction it gets?
* ManInTheIronMask: [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_in_the_Iron_Mask He was real]], although probably merely a failed spy in reality.
* ManipulativeBastard: Sociopaths and malignant narcissists are experts at being this, and some people with borderline personality disorder accidentally become it or become it to protect themselves from suffering. And then there's people who may not have any specific mental disorder but just like to control other human beings.
* ManipulativeEditing: A staple of RealityTV, and also a very crude and deceptive way to put words in someone's mouth or make them support or not support something against their wishes.
* ManlyTears: There is ''nothing'' weak or un-masculine about having emotions other than anger/hatred/rage and lust. In former times and different world cultures, male crying was/is viewed as a sign of ''strength'' of character.
* MarijuanaIsLSD: Generally [[CaptainObvious NOT]] TruthInTelevision, but sometimes dealers will "wet" cannabis with PCP or another smokable hallucinogen, and/or pass off "fake pot" such as K2 or the JWH compounds as real cannabis. Also, eating sufficiently large amounts of cannabis can have a far different effect than smoking - the "body high" effect of eating large doses can sometimes be experienced similar to MDMA or LSD.
* MaritalRapeLicense: Unfortunately in many parts of the world for a very long time. Thankfully, in much of the world after the late 20th century, revoked - and in more places by the day.
* MarriageToAGod: Nuns and priests and various celibates within Christianity, though they would say to ''the'' God. Other religions provide many more examples.
* MarryForLove: In most Western countries after the mid to late 20th century, the reason for many marriages - as in, the ArrangedMarriage and the marriage for financial reasons only began to recede in popularity. This may change with the economic crash of TurnOfTheMillennium and TheNewTens, where people are expressing more willingness to marry (or to get into relationships that aren't marriage) for places to live or for money.
* MarsAndVenusGenderContrast: Will almost inevitably be claimed as this by anyone invoking it.
* MartialArtsUniform: People do wear them, but usually only for competitions and their classes.
* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: Such relationships have existed and do exist, because not everyone, even in the most highly gendered societies, likes to stick to the rules.
* MaternallyChallenged: Because being physically capable of concieving and giving birth to a child does ''not'' mean one can be or will be a good parent. The saddest examples will end up on the news every so often.
* MaternityCrisis: Occasionally, but fright/terror doesn't induce labor as often as it does in fiction.
* MatryoshkaObject: Became a trope because it is TruthInTelevision: the Russian nesting doll is the TropeNamer.
* MatterOfLifeAndDeath: Quite a few things in real life are exactly this - lives or at the very least lack of severe injury or property damage are at stake. These things are where SeriousBusiness is absolutely, thoroughly justified.
* MayDecemberRomance: There have been quite a few.
* McNinja: A few instances, usually when an OccidentalOtaku wants to be more badass than nerdy. It rarely ends well.
* MeanCharacterNiceActor: Quite often TruthInTelevision.
* MeaningfulName: There's a few variants.
** Parents naming a child for someone or in memory of someone or otherwise a name they've chosen for meaning.
** Some {{transgender}} people, when selecting their new name, will pick one that is meaningful rather than just a masculine/feminine variant of their current name or a GenderBlenderName.
** Changing one's family name/last name to one's partner's family name/last name on getting married.
** Some people converting to Christianity or Islam will choose a "Christian" or "Islamic" name.
** Some witches and other occult practitioners choose a "magickal name" or "secret name."
** During the Civil Rights Movement, Malcolm X chose the "X" in his name to represent the now unknown name stolen from his family by the slave masters who ultimately forced the name "Little" on his ancestors. Renaming for these cultural reasons, e.g. taking on African names, was not uncommon as a result of the same feelings.
* MeatVersusVeggies: There are many cases where persons debate with one another about the superiority of one kind of diet over another. If you're a vegetarian, you have probably had to contend with all sorts of reactions ranging from concern borne of ignorance to open scorn or derision. Alternately, if you're a meat eater, you've likely been accused of everything from murder to animal cruelty to endangering your health.
* MeddlingParents: You've probably had these or know somebody who does. Cf. JewishMother.
* MediationBackfire: In many internet forums, trying to end a FlameWar between two or more users will cause them to take out their frustrations on you with heaping insults, but [[{{GIFT}} this is the internet we're talking about.]]
** Witness any police intervention in a domestic argument. (Or anybody else's, of course, but the police are the only ones professionally obliged to stick their heads over the parapet.) What they tend to really hate about such jobs is that even when one partner is clearly being abused, they'll often [[StockholmSyndrome firmly take their abuser's side]].
* MenAreUncultured: In societies that demand being uncultured as a part of masculinity, many men who care about that social standard. This is one of the annoying ones that [[SelfFulfillingProphecy reinforces itself.]]
* MenCantKeepHouse: See MenAreUncultured - the same goes for this. Not true, but its enforcement as a part of gender role makes sure it sticks around.
* MenDontCry: While male brains ''do'' seem to have less activity in areas related to emotional understanding and similar, and testosterone does have some antidepressant/emotion regulation effects (specifically toward enabling the "bottling up" of emotion over sudden uncontrollable crying for example), it is still ''not that different,'' especially in the absence of mental illness or in the presence of actual tragedy, and this trope is only true when and where it is ''because'' of gendered societal conditioning of men playing up this "attribute" and demanding it above and beyond all else.
* TheMenFirst: Insofar as their instructors can hammer it into their heads.
* MentalAffair: The non- ScienceFiction variant is fairly common.
* TheMentallyDisturbed: Far more common but also far more mild than TV would make you think.
* MetaphoricallyTrue: One of the more common forms of HalfTruth.
* MexicanStandoff: Some of them have happened.
* MiddleChildSyndrome: Sometimes, especially if the middle child is average/normal enough and/or very easy to raise compared to, say, extremely rebellious or special needs children, or on the other hand, an extremely gifted child that needs constant intellectual stimulation to be provided.
* MightAsWellNotBeInPrisonAtAll: If you're not claustrophobic, house arrest.
* MileHighClub: Though trying to join is probably a bad idea if you don't have a private aircraft, and [[TooDumbToLive a very bad idea]] if you're the pilot.
* MilesGloriosus: US politicians especially seem to like boasting about their military record, among quite a few others.
* MilitaryBrat: There is a whole subculture surrounding the family of military personnel.
* MilitaryCoup: They have happened, and quite frequently in some places.
* MilitaryMaverick: For every Colonel O'Neill you see on TV, there's far worse in real life.
* MilkingTheGiantCow: Putting one's hands up to show emotion is a common part of the drama queen repetoire.
* MindScrew: There are quite a few of them, especially if one believes the paranormal is possible.
* MinorFlawMajorBreakup: One of the most common reasons for breakups in real life, often combined with ItsNotYouItsMe.
* MinorInjuryOverreaction: Overdramatic people or people looking for a FrivolousLawsuit often do this. It's also a result of injuries that while technically minor, ''look'' or ''feel'' worse than they are with lots of bleeding for a few minutes or by being excruciatingly painful due to oversensitivity to pain, the injury happening in an area with very high pain sensitivity such as [[GroinAttack the genitals]], the hands/wrists, or the face/mouth/nose.
* MiseryPoker: See AppealToWorseProblems - this is the unironic use of the fallacy to make someone else feel bad.
* MisleadingPackageSize: Overpackaging, fraud, or the desire to present something as more valuable than it is can make this happen.
* MisplacedWildlife: A ''serious'' problem in many areas of the world, especially if plant and insect species are counted as well. It's called "invasive species," and if you've ever been stung by a fire ant or Africanized bee or had to clear kudzu, you've seen them.
** Another variant is when humanity invades on a former wildlife habitat, either temporarily with camping or hunting for example, or permanently with housing developments and the like. Deer, bears, boars, or whatever else was in the area before humans began to encroach will still be there... and attracted to things like food in garbage and movement of people walking.
* MissConception: If sex education doesn't exist. More common in the past, still sometimes happens in restrictive religious communities.
* MissedTheBus: Annoying for people who are dependent on public transportation - missing a bus or a train often means waiting anywhere from 30 minutes to two or more hours to get to one's destination.
* MissionFromGod: From Joan of Arc to Osama bin Laden, religion has been a powerful motivator.
* MistakenAge: Some people are YoungerThanTheyLook or OlderThanTheyLook.
* MistakenForCheating: With some of the more jealous and paranoid people one can be in a relationship with. If this happens on a regular basis, it can be a symptom of abuse, distrust that is absolutely irreconcilable, or simply of a relationship you'd be better off without.
* MistakenForGay: Many times, a result of the conflation of traits attributed to binary gender and sexuality. Yes, [[CaptainObvious feminine men and masculine women can be straight]].
* MistakenForJunkie: Anyone can be and there are quite a few groups who regularly are: diabetics (needles, occasional odd behavior), transgender people (hormones being technically controlled substances, needles, hormones needed to maintain gender), the mentally ill (occasionally odd behavior, dependence on prescribed medication to be normal), people with chronic pain (use of drugs junkies do use, but legally prescribed and medically maintained for a legitimate reason), and nocturnals/persons with sleep issues (often mistaken for users of illegal stimulants).
* MistakenForSpecialGuest: See [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Goma Guy Goma]] for an example.
* MistakenForTerrorist: Unfortunately happens, and not ''only'' to Middle Easterners, but to photographers, hobby chemists, people who as much as say the wrong words in the wrong sequence or the wrong place, and to many others in the US.
* MistakenlyBanned: Spend enough time on the Internet and it will happen somewhere.
* MistakenNationality: Far too common simply because many people don't care to learn geography or about nations.
* MisterMuffykins: Most breeders call the little yappy dogs victims of "small breed syndrome." A lot of it is just plain stupidity on the owner's part.
* TheMistress: Divorce lawyers and journalists alike make a huge part of their living because this is TruthInTelevision.
* MixAndMatchCritters: Ligers (lion/tiger), mules (horse/donkey), goat/sheep, cattle/bison, zebra/horse, and pretty much any match within feline or canine species (e.g. mountain lion or panther/domestic cat, coyote or wolf or dingo/domesticated dog) are a few of the hybrid animals possible in real life. Many are considered undesirable by humans, but mules are valued for strength and docility and sterility - making them perfect pack animals - and wolf hybrids for intelligence and endurance and size - which with the right owner makes them perfect working dogs or guard dogs.
* MockMillionaire: Quite a few fraud artists have done this. Also advice from the "fake it until you make it" school of celebrity or financial success, which preaches this as a lifestyle - to consume intensely, to "live what you want to be."
* ModestyBedsheet: You've probably used this if you sleep nude and someone unexpected enters the room.
* ModestyTowel: Force of habit and shyness will often lead to this being used even when there is no reason for it. Paranoia can also be a factor, if your room has a window.
* MonsterClown: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coulrophobia Coulrophobia]]. Also applies to mimes.
* MonsterFangirl: SerialKiller groupies.
* MonsterMash: ''If'' UsefulNotes/{{Otherkin}} and/or some who believe in the paranormal actually are on to something. In a more concrete, realistic example, Halloween parties and cosplay events where there are "monsters" and paranormal creatures of all sorts represented.
* {{Mooning}}: College campuses and anywhere else people are drunk and stupid enough to think showing off their ass is a funny joke. Not a good idea - doing this in real life can get you slapped with a public indecency charge and a spot on the sex offender registry, even if it wasn't intended as sexual harassment.
* MoralDissonance: Else known as "[[TheHypocrite hypocrisy]]," and we've all experienced it to some extent.
* MoralEventHorizon: Each culture and society has different ones, but some general ones are [[WouldHurtAChild torturing or killing]] [[ChildrenAreInnocent innocent]] children (and some societies expand this to less extreme forms of child abuse), some forms of homicide, internal genocide, incest, [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil rape]], [[SacredHospitality refusing hospitality in a culture/society that depends on it]], and/or [[TheQuisling betrayal of one's nation or people, ''especially'' for personal gain or for no reason at all but that you could do it]] or [[TheFarmerAndTheViper of someone who did you no harm]]. The common thread in most of these is that they are directly harmful not just to the people involved but to social cohesion of some form or another - as in, if everyone practiced them, there would be a bunch of dead people and/or a fragmented, continually fighting collection of clans looking out for themselves and/or their kids rather than any sort of civil society.
* MoralGuardians: ''Futurama'' and ''TheOnion'' parodied PETA's practice of trying to get "liberated" carnivores to live on a vegetarian diet. Also perpetual AcceptableTargets the FCC and "concerned mothers".
* MoralityChain: Spouses, children, relatives in general for some, a job or a place in society for others.
* MoralMyopia: Is ''very'' common in real life but real life examples aren't a good idea.
* MoreThanMindControl: How {{Brainwashed}} and BrainwashedAndCrazy actually happen in RealLife. The amount of ways that people can be turned against their own interests, their own consciences, and their own bodies and lives, or pressed into HappinessInSlavery or resignation to slavery are enough to induce nightmares and paranoia.
* MorningSickness: Happens to some pregnant women though not to all, and some have it far more severely than others.
* MotiveDecay: Remember when you wanted to be an astronaut or a firefighter or a star? Look around at what you are now, and if you gave up on that goal for whatever reason (good or bad), this has happened to you.
** Also tends to happen to political and social movements - where originally the cause or principles may have been important, but eventually the political or social movement lost sight of its exact mission and ended up with 100 different goals it cannot accomplish at once or worse, ended up committed to maintaining its hold on power at any cost and with no other real goal.
** And also common among criminals - which is part of why many become StupidCrooks.
* MrsDegree: A sexist stereotype that, unfortunately, does have some truth - some women do go to college mostly to seek not their own education, but to land a doctor or lawyer as a husband.
* MrsRobinson: "Cougars."
* MrViceGuy: Pretty much everyone, as there are few people (if any) in the world truly devoid of ''any'' vice.
* MuggingTheMonster: If people make a career of robbing people, there's always a chance they'll pick the wrong person to try to victimize and end up getting the shit beat out of them or shot. [[http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?id=73382 There have been]] quite a few cases of muggers trying to assault karate students.
* MundaneLuxury: To someone living in a third-world country, simple things like ''clean'' running water can be considered luxuries.
* MultiTrackDrifting: Because some vehicles can be pushed beyond their usual limits, with an experienced enough driver and proper conditions.
* MurderersAreRapists: Some are, and the inversion of the trope, that all rapists are potential murderers, is definitely true as well.
* MurderTheHypotenuse: This has happened in quite a few real life murder cases.
* MusicIsPolitics: In the 60s and onward, the ProtestSong became a subgenre.
* MutagenicFood: Beta-carotene in large amounts will turn you orange, and colloidal silver or other silver will give you an ashen, bluish, or actually gray appearance.
* MyBelovedSmother: Helicopter parents, strict parents, codependency...
* MyBiologicalClockIsTicking: More like one's sociocultural clock, but yes, some people feel this.
* MyCarHatesMe: Otherwise, we wouldn't have tow trucks.
* MyCountryRightOrWrong: The viewpoint of ''many'' military members, especially in the lower ranks and the higher ones.
* MyLittlePanzer: Yes, there were and are toys like this.
* MyDadCanBeatUpYourDad: A lot of kids argue about how their parents are superior to the other.
* MyHovercraftIsFullOfEels: Mandarin Chinese.
** Icelandic (and by extent, Faroese) is considered the hardest language (grammatically) to learn, ''even for native Icelanders''.
* MyNaymeIs: Many, many celebrities. Very common among musicians especially.
* MyOwnPrivateIDo: Private weddings are actually some of the most common weddings, especially for poorer couples.
* MyRuleFuIsStrongerThanYours: This is what lawyers are for.
* MysteryMeat: "Pink slime," which is ammonia-soaked beef castoffs. Mechanically separated chicken. Similar and worse examples exist.
* NakedApron: There's fetish art based on the concept. Involving both men and women. No more needs to be said.
* NakedFirstImpression: None of us are born with clothes on.
** NakedOnArrival: Again, none of us are born clothed.
* NakedPeopleAreFunny: Streakers, {{mooning}}.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: If someone has a nickname that indicates violence, it's usually a good idea to watch out around them.
* NationalGeographicNudity: Nudists for the most part (most nudists/naturists frown upon the sexualization of nudity and there are explicit "no sexual touching in public/of someone you aren't already in a relationship with" and "no cameras" rules at a lot of retreats and the like, because the subculture is about body acceptance, not about hookups or making porn), and some cultures do practice this.
* NaughtyByNight: A ''lot'' of professional people and the like, although this is becoming far less common with the advent of ways to capture someone in "inappropriate" behavior and {{blackmail}} or [[SlutShaming shame]] them for it, possibly getting them fired or shunned.
* NavalBlockade: A real-life military tactic that has been used in several wars.
* NayTheist: There are some people that, while they believe a god or gods exist, also believe him/her/it/they are evil or disinterested in humanity, or have some other reason to feel disgust or distaste toward him/her/it/them. Also common in some people who don't believe a specific god exists, but if that god existed, would hate him/her/it for his/her/its percieved cruelty or unfairness.
* NearRapeExperience: Has happened with some people who sincerely didn't realize that [[PoorCommunicationKills "no" actually meant "no"]] or who were drunk/high, but then realized in time that that no DID mean "no" or where being pushed away or screamed at got through the altered state. Why a SafeWord is a good idea, especially if you're doing certain forms of fetish play or if you or your partner or both of you are from a culture where "no" can mean other things than "STOP RIGHT NOW." Also, if someone was going to have sex with a person, but realised in the process that they were too drunk to consent/were passed out.
* NeatFreak: The more extreme may have obsessive-compulsive disorder, and most of us have met someone like this.
* NecessarilyEvil: There have been a few cases of people controlling organized-crime syndicates and the like and yet being relatively benevolent and relatively harmless to outsiders while being a bit less so on the inside to keep control from those who are more rashly violent/don't see crime as strictly business/etcetera.
** Peacekeeping occupations by soldiers as mentioned earlier under DarkShepherd. Obviously it's not an ideal situation, it ''is'' often very restrictive of freedom and can result in a PoliceState or in severe blowback, it can easily become a dictatorship or worse itself, and the best it can do is policing and its only way to truly, decisively intervene is "stop killing each other or we'll kill you both." That said, it is often unfortunately the only way to stop incipient civil war, internal genocides, and similarly extreme problems.
** Dictators and tyrants are occasionally this, which has actually caused history to look far more kindly upon Josip Broz Tito and even Saddam Hussein - the dictatorial rule and brutality served the same role military peacekeeping would, in uniting very different peoples as one nation, or at least keeping a tight lid on interethnic and intersectarian tensions. The problem is the cruelty and brutality to begin with. Also, once the dictator(s) are gone, they, being the real life version of a LoadBearingBoss, the civil "unity" or "peace" they forged tends to vanish.
** States (generally Communist or similar, though [[OlderThanTheyThink the oldest was Japan under the shogun Ieyasu]]) that imposed atheism/agnosticism officially (or at least strict political secularism), while persecuting religious people of varying religions for being religious or converting/being converted on occasion (and this hits Christians and Muslims the hardest, since both are evangelizing religions, where, say, Buddhism or Judaism generally aren't), ''did'' somewhat successfully contain religious extremism and/or prevent sectarian factionalism from intermixing with politics to a major degree, and their actions make more sense when viewed in the context that often, at least with most converting/evangelizing sects, religion and political takeovers/political violence are often intertwined. Whether it was at too high of a cost (the deaths and persecutions that did occur, often just to make a point of "don't do this") is very much something on which your mileage may vary.
* {{Nepotism}}: "It's not what you know, it's who you know" is definitely TruthInTelevision: those with relatives in business or government or the arts or whatever tend to get "brought in" by those relatives, and then promoted, often beyond their skill and competence.
* NeutralityBacklash: The problem with being neutral in ''many'' conflicts is that both sides will either assume you to be on the other side or will hate you for not believing in/representing/supporting their side completely. Neutrality is also often (sometimes unfairly) seen as waffling or self-interest or seeking to sell out to the highest bidder.
* NeverAcceptedInHisHometown: Some people throughout history have never been accepted by their families/places of origin.
* NeverBareheaded: Religious or cultural reasons sometimes require the constant covering of the head. Islam is most known for this, but there are some Jews and Christians that adhere to various forms of it too.
* NeverBringAKnifeToAFistfight: Dependent on the fight and skill of the fighters, but there ''have'' been instances where unarmed or poorly armed (or unarmed until they grabbed the weapons of their opponents) fighters have overwhelmingly defeated an armed opponent. It's not very common (especially with guns) but especially at close range, once the element of surprise has been lost, it's ''very'' possible for a nervous or unskilled person with a knife or even a gun to get their ass handed to them by someone who is unarmed but is in position to inflict one of the ChokeHolds or a GroinAttack, and/or who can wrestle the weapon away.
* NeverGetsDrunk: Ironically, some types of TheAlcoholic fall under this - their alcohol tolerance is ''so'' high that what would kill a non-alcoholic barely gets them buzzed. Other people may be, technically, drunk, but they don't tend to show outward, extravagant signs of being drunk: they're not, for example, loud and boisterous or angry or sad or...anything but quiet and calm.
* NeverLiveItDown: There are some things that people will not forget OR forgive - and some of them, especially via the internet, can be ''incredibly'' petty.
* NeverMyFault: Sociopaths ''love'' this one, as do narcissists, and it's a part of pretty much any abusive interaction or relationship, especially paired with WhyDidYouMakeMeHitYou. It's one of the more popular DirtySocialTricks among all of those groups, and one of the DirtySocialTricks that if you notice is in play, the only way to get around it is to document the situation objectively (via recording devices) until you can leave, preferably as soon as possible. If it's paired with WhyDidYouMakeMeHitYou, ''just leave now,'' no matter how difficult doing so is - your own mental and physical health are at stake.
* NeverRecycleABuilding: Sometimes for historic value, sometimes because builders are lazy and architects want ''their'' plan used. There's also the unfortunate case of, say, a building that was clearly home to a Jack-in-the-Box now saying "Wendy's" on the front, which just looks plain silly.
* NiceCharacterMeanActor: Very, very common, especially with people who have to maintain a ContractualPurity image or stage image.
* [[NiceGuy Nice Guy/Gal]]: Lots of them, and far more than a pessimist can ever think.
* NiceHat: There's some hats that look very good, and some people look very good with a hat.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: There is a reason for the saying "the road to hell is paved with good intentions."
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Sometimes ''bad'' intentions or things can lead to relatively "good" results.
* NiceToTheWaiter: Be nice to service economy employees. They have tough (and often low-paying) jobs.
* NightmareFetishist: They exist.
* NightmareFuel: It exists.
* NobodyThinksItWillWork: Yes, there are relationships like this. And they do, sometimes, work.
* NoCanOpener: Can openers weren't even ''invented'' until several decades after tin cans. Before then, consumers were instructed (according to TheOtherWiki) to use a hammer and chisel.
* NocturnalEmission: Happens mainly between 13 and 25, but for both sexes its a mere two percent. Nocturnal ''erections,'' on the other hand, are normal for all men well into their 40s or 50s, ''not'' necessarily a result of what is going on in the dream, and their absence generally means that something is wrong with blood flow to the genital region and possibly elsewhere.
* NoFairCheating: Getting ''caught'' cheating anywhere from elementary school to postgraduate education, on taxes as an individual (corporations can get away with it, generally), in professional athletics, and especially in a relationship that wasn't established as open or polyamorous can have ''extremely'' negative consequences.
* NoFameNoWealthNoService: Members-only or restricted entry clubs, restaurants, and other venues. Anything that will only provide service to celebrities.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Be careful when reporting crimes, lest you be accused of committing them, or being a whistleblower on bad conduct because you could get punished for the leak rather than anyone even caring about the misconduct. People can also get punished (e.g. fired from a job or given a detention/suspension from school) if they attempt to do something like intervene in a fight or stand up to someone who's mistreating someone else, like a bully. Sometimes people don't intervene in emergencies for this very reason, because they fear that the person in need (or someone else with a vested interest, like a property owner) might sue them if any damage is caused in the act of helping.
* NoIndoorVoice: Sometimes it's a result of physical or mental disabilities, but one non-disability variant is that ''many'' singers or public speakers, especially those who have had to work without audio enhancing equipment so they can have a quiet voice, develop a distinct loudness to their voice in a combination of thickened/stronger vocal cords and habit. People in these professions are also often occasionally advised if their voice is naturally loud to ''not'' take effort to speak more quietly - maintaining a soft, whispery, airy voice actually damages the vocal cords almost as much as screaming does, so a slightly louder than "normal" speaking voice (if it is usual for that person without effort) rather than a "pleasing" one is healthier for someone who ''does'' have to scream or shout on a regular basis.
* NominalHero: Quite a few people who do heroic things in real life only do them because it is all in a day's work or because they wanted attention or money or fame.
* NonSequitur: "No, I don't think the mailbox needs painting."
* NoodleImplements: Can be seen in a lot of places and heard of in a lot of stories, usually those involving TooMuchInformation.
* NoodleIncident: Most of us have had at least one... or will have at least one...
* NoOneCouldSurviveThat: Occasionally said verbatim in the aftermath of disasters. And occasionally people somehow ''do'' survive it.
* NoOSHACompliance: There are many places in the world with few to no workplace safety regulations, and even in the countries that ''do'' have workplace safety rules and means to enforce them, sometimes enforcement is lax or no one really cares.
* NoPartyLikeADonnerParty: The TropeNamer, and a few other incidents where human beings have been reduced to cannibalism.
* NoPeriodsPeriod: People on some forms of birth control, who are transgender (MTFs who didn't have the required organs to menstruate in the first place, or FTMs who are on birth control or have achieved satisfactory testosterone levels and/or had the female reproductive system surgically removed), who have had hysterectomies, or who suffer from illnesses of the female reproductive system.
* NoPunctuationPeriod: Badly written FanFiction is often this With no paragraphs as well
* NormallyIWouldBeDeadNow: Human beings can survive quite a lot, but see CherryTapping and MadeOfPlasticine above too...
* NoseShove: Small children will indeed put anything small enough into any accessible opening on themselves or other things if not supervised.
* NoSexAllowed: Some religious systems that impose celibacy or heavily restrict sex. Also applies to minors for obvious reasons.
* NoSocialSkills: Asperger's and other autism spectrum conditions. Agoraphobia. Extreme shyness/social anxiety. Isolation from any social contact at all (even the internet) for long periods of time such as hermit living or religious solitary living or solitary confinement in prison.
* NostalgiaFilter: Almost omnipresent with people of certain ages believing things were better in the past even when they weren't.
* NoSuchAgency: [[ParanoiaFuel It]] [[SelfDemonstratingArticle probably]] [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial does not have this page under surveillance]].
* NoSuchThingAsWizardJesus: Just go ahead and try to tell [[TheFundamentalist some Christians]] that there are parallels to Christian belief in many other religions and beliefs and mythologies, and add to it that maybe it was accomplished the same way. Those flames will burn bright for a long time...
* NoSwastikas: Carries the force of law in much of Europe where the sale or trade of Nazi memorabilia, the glorification and sometimes display of Nazi symbols, etcetera is against the law. Elsewhere, there is ''no'' way to display a swastika without it being seen as support/sympathy for Naziism.
* NoSympathy: Unfortunately fairly common in life.
* NoSympathyForGrudgeholders: Because {{forgiveness}} is one of the moral concepts that is greatly valued by a lot of people, those who don't value it are often judged, especially if those who choose to forgive believe that holding a grudge and contemplating (or even successfully exacting) revenge [[IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim will make them just as bad]] [[HeWhoFightsMonsters or even worse than those who wronged them.]]
* NoTellMotel: LoveHotels in Japan, and plenty of other hotels and motels. You may have even stayed in one...
* NotGoodWithPeople: Some people are loners or hermits and do get along better with animals.
* NotGoodWithRejection: Some people take being rejected very badly.
* NothingIsScarier: Absolute silence is often one of the most frightening experiences, because it can mean a place is absolutely devoid of living human activity. The absolute silence after a power outage is close, as it implies that power and communications have been knocked out by something. And one of the scariest silences is when severe weather suddenly quiets to a perfect stillness, because that is often a sign of an impending [[UsefulNotes/{{Tornadoes}} tornado]].
* NothingUpMySleeve: Shoulder and arm holsters for guns allow them to be carried like this.
* NotInMyBackYard: And ''another'' one used in RealLife long before it was a trope.
* NotMeThisTime: People who have been accused of some crimes or some offenses often are the first blamed when something similar happens. An example of this that doesn't involve crime can be seen when drama starts on a community and someone is dogpiled for starting the drama/FlameWar "again" even if they had a legitimate point.
* NotMyDriver: How many kidnappings have occurred, and why schools/teachers are often instructed not to let anyone pick up a kid if they're claiming to be sent from the parent without some form of verification from the parent.
* NotRareOverThere: Globalization has averted this to some extent but at a great cost.
* NotSoDifferent: '''''MOST OF HUMANITY.'''''
* NotSoStoic: It's actually fairly common for people with anxiety or clinical depression to purposely adopt stoic façades as a coping mechanism, since they have to constantly work to keep their emotions in check. When the façade breaks (as façades tend to do), it can be a pretty big shock for others, who only know such people as TheStoic.
* NotStayingForBreakfast: The one-night stand.
* NotTheFallThatKillsYou: It's not, as said on TelevisionIsTryingToKillUs. It's the sudden stop at the end of the fall.
* NouveauRiche: Many people who get rich, at least at the beginning.
* NoWomansLand: Unfortunately, there's still places in the world where being female instantly makes someone a second or third class citizen if even that.
* NoYouHangUpFirst: A manifestation of the "sunk cost" fallacy in that someone who is speaking in such a conversation will want to stay on as long as they can even if it would be better to stop talking.
* ObligatorySwearing: Middle and high school. The PunkRock, HeavyMetal, HipHop, and VisualKei music scenes. Sailors and truck drivers. The military.
* ObligatoryWarCrimeScene: Yes, many of those war crime scenes you see in movies ''actually happened'' (or were based on true events) and were most likely ''toned down'' for viewers.
* ObliviousAdoption: Oh, it happens alright. More often than we like to think.
** Fortunately, [[HappilyAdopted the other way around]] also happens.
* ObliviousToLove: Yes, some people can't recognize when someone is in love with them, even if the person actively tells them so or practically throws themselves at them. Often happens with very shy people (who may invoke ICantBelieveAGuyLikeYouWouldNoticeMe to deny that someone could ever love them) or with people highly distracted by other things.
* ObnoxiousInLaws: Unfortunately, for some, and often as a result of a societal construct of parents hating their children's partners.
* ObsessedWithFood: Gourmets, "foodies," and some cooks/chefs on one side, anorexics and bulimics and others with eating disorders on the other.
* ObsoleteMentor: Because ScienceMarchesOn, SocietyMarchesOn, and TechnologyMarchesOn, and some people don't bother to catch up with them, even if they're the best of a specific art or the best at a specific time.
* ObstructiveBureaucrat: One reason people dislike and distrust government and unfortunately the face of it many people are very likely to meet at one point or another.
* ObviouslyEvil: There have been quite a few examples. None of which shall be discussed, but there have been.
* ObviousRulePatch: ''Many'' laws and regulations. Building codes and health codes are a very good example: most of them have been written by shown potential for disastrous failures and the attempts to prevent them from happening or happening again.
** Software patches and security updates to stop TheCracker and PlayfulHacker from having lots of fun with your computer.
* OccupiersOutOfOurCountry: The reason LaResistance tends to exist in RealLife and one reason YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters exists as a trope.
* OdeToIntoxication: Many, many songs have been written about the joys of alcohol and various other recreational substances.
* OfCorpseHesAlive: Chinese Emperor Qin Shi Huang.
** It was once common practice to photograph someone post-mortem after posing them in a chair as if they were alive. The [[UncannyValley results are somewhat disconcerting]].
* OfferedTheCrown: Again, by default, any trope concerning royalty is automatically [=TIT=]
* OffTheRails: Anyone who has ever been involved in any type of improv or roleplaying situation knows how easily this can happen. For live musicians or theatre performers doing non-improv, one of the most understated and important parts of performing is making sure it ''doesn't'' visibly happen and if it does, it's handled somewhat humorously.
* OffTheTable: Some offers are very much one-time offers, especially if one is rude or offensive to the person making them in their rejection.
* OffTheWagon: Not quite as often as portrayed in the DrugsAreBad moral stories, but often.
* OhCrap: All of us have had such moments to some degree. In a literal sense, if you've ever flushed your toilet and seen the water start rising in the bowl...
* OlderThanTheyLook: Celebrites, models, musicians. Anyone who was lucky enough to win the genetic lottery to avoid traits like early hair loss or graying, and anyone who was lucky enough and smart enough to avoid sun exposure and tobacco exposure from an early age.
* OldFlameFizzle: Because sometimes whomever people meet first or a long time ago is not someone they will love years later.
* OldFriendNewGender: People change over time. That fat nerd you knew? Dropped the weight and became hot. That man you knew? Was actually [[UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}} a woman]], or vice versa. The HollywoodAtheist you remembered from college? Is now a devout churchgoer. Can be very difficult, especially if the changes make your relationship now incompatible.
* OldManMarryingAChild: In most modern cultures this is considered pedophilia - but in other cultures and in historical cultures, it was not seen as such and was actually endorsed.
* OldMaster: Anyone who is still practising their art or profession in their senior years, not just martial arts, is likely to be one of the best in the world.
* OldShame: Everybody's got something they're embarrassed about.
* OminousLatinChanting: Often seen as a way to make an atmosphere just a little more creepy.
* {{Omniglot}}: Some do exist, and Google Translate and other machine translation is slowly improving by the day to help those who don't have natural omniglot abilities to understand in the absence of translators.
* OneDrinkWillKillTheBaby: Alcohol is toxic to humans, but for most adult humans, in amounts well below the [=LD50=], the "poisoning" produces enjoyable effects and no lasting damage. Once one gets near the [=LD50=], one can die or be permanently sickened. In pregnant women and in children, the damage can occur much faster - causing fetal alcohol syndrome or death. Same for pets. And chronic overuse even below the [=LD50=] can lead to lasting and permanent illness or even cancer.
* OneHitWonder: Quite a few musicians and musical acts. Happens to writers as well, where one of their books or series is a huge success but others, not so much.
* OneManArmy: Under the right circumstances, this is completely possible. Sometimes inverted in One Man Armies going down against sufficient numbers or overwhelming volumes of fire, and almost impossible in a situation with air support. An excellent real life example would be MSG Gary Gordon and SFC Randy Shughart at the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993. Technically a Two Man Army, but still qualify.
** Simo Häyhä, a Finnish sniper during Finlands winter war (1939-1940) he scored 505 confirmed kills & 542 unconfirmed. Also 200+ kills with submachine gun. Remarkably, all of Häyhä's kills were accomplished in fewer than 100 days with a very limited amount of daylight per day. Nicknamed "Valkoinen Kuolema" in Finnish, which translates to "White Death".
* OneMarioLimit: Some names are so famous or so notorious that naming after them is not a good idea. There is a reason that people with names similar to that of a dictator or a SerialKiller or a terrorist will often change them.
* OneOfTheBoys: Quite a few women. And some people who transition gender to male have to do this in situations that require the "real life test" for transition.
* OneOfTheKids: Happens to parents sometimes or to others who spend most of their time around children (teachers of young children, daycare workers).
* OnePhoneCall: If arrested, you might get OnePhoneCall, none at all, or as many as you want. Unfortunately, your personal phone will be taken away from you (good luck if you relied on it for memory) and the call will be monitored. (This trope is why it is a good idea to, if you're ever in a situation where you fear arrest may be imminent, to write the number of your defense lawyer/of the person you know can and will help you on a place like your foot or the inside of your arm.)
* OneWorldOrder: [[ConspiracyTheorist Some]] believe there are plans in place to create one of these...
* OnlyCoolPeopleMatter: Some scenes and subcultures evoke this. It's often the death knell of the scene/movement/subculture, though, because whereas the coolest (for whatever reason cool is percieved) may drive the scene/movement/subculture, what is "cool" in it can change in the blink of an eye (e.g. one day, being a {{Troll}} is cool, and the next, after a horrific incident of the trolls going too far, being a carebear is the coolest), and also, the slightly less cool and even "uncool" people within it are what gives it lasting depth and following.
* OnlySaneEmployee: Been there, done that, burned the t-shirt.
* OnlySaneMan: You feel like this often, admit it. And this trope's cousin SurroundedByIdiots too, most likely.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: When even the stoic or professional is ''freaking out'' this is usually a very bad sign.
** A common joke relates to a shirt that says something like "(Bomb Squad, gas company, nuclear emergency technician, tornado chaser)" and then adds "If you see me running, JOIN ME."
** People tend to freak out if someone close to them suddenly starts acting differently. This will often prompt a question of, "Did something happen?" or, in the case of romantic couples, may lead them to suspect their partner having an affair.
* OperationBlank: They've had some [[http://www.cracked.com/article_16213_the-25-least-inspiring-military-operation-names.html pretty silly names]].
* OperaGloves: Common in VisualKei fashion.
* OperatorFromIndia: Dell is the biggest offender. Most big companies do it nowadays to save money. Outsourcing FTL.
* OpinionMyopia: Not a lot of people are respectful of other people's opinions, especially on the internet.
* OppositesAttract: Sometimes they do.
* OrderedApology: Parents use this to children as one of their methods of teaching them to accept responsibility and make up for something they've done wrong. Also done with teachers to students. The downside of this, however, is that the person is only apologizing because they have to, not because it's coming from the heart, which explains why some apologies are half-hearted.
* OrderedToCheat: Has happened to professional athletes and to students alike, as well as in the accounting departments of certain financial corporations and the like.
* OrificeInvasion: There are some animals and insects that do this, both to animals and humans. Parasitic worms are one of them.
* OrnamentalWeapon: They exist. Often crosses over with BlingBlingBang for guns, and Japanese swordsmiths in the days of samurai often made swords both this and functional.
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Komodo dragons and leafy sea dragons, among others.
* OutlawCouple: Because getting involved with a criminal often draws one into crime in one way, and in another, because criminals tend to interact with other criminals.
* OutsideContextVillain: Some real life civilizations acted as such to others. One example would be the Spanish. When the Spanish invaded America, many indigenous populations were either at war with one another, or faced a larger threat (such as the Aztecs for many). Then came the Spanish, with both animals, weapons, and ailments they had never encountered before, wiping many civilizations out, or pushing them to the brink.
* OutOfTheInferno: Firefighters have done this on occasion, sometimes with people they have rescued.
* OutWithABang: Yes, there are some sexual practices that can kill you (breathplay and autoerotic asphyxiation being the most likely, along with some forms of bondage). If you're in bad enough health or are just unlucky, sex itself can do so. Also true for some animal species.
* {{Overheating}}: Why your computer needs fans or some kind of a cooling system, especially the more you push it to do. Why ignoring the "check engine" warning or the temperature gauge on your vehicle is ''never'' a good idea. Can happen to human beings also, usually during heat waves, under the influence of drugs that affect the brain's temperature regulation - from alcohol to MDMA to neuroleptic drugs - or who have some forms of brain damage that do the same.
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