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[[quoteright:236:[[Series/TheDailyShowWithJonStewart https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Jon_glass.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:236:When you're on edge you're gonna squeeze whatever you're holding until it breaks!]]
->''"Don't worry. Don't fuss, Petunia. I have a very firm grip."''
-->-- '''Aunt Marge''' (to Petunia Dursley), ''Film/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban''

We've all seen this before. Perchance the character DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength. Maybe he's entering a HeroicBSOD or VillainousBreakdown. Perhaps her BerserkButton has just been pushed or [[ReactionShot heard something shocking]]. Whatever the reason, one thing is certain: that glass in their hand doesn't stand a chance.

Next thing you know the character has clenched the glass (or other breakable object) so hard that it shatters in their hand. Depending on the mood, realism of the work and the thing that broke, there may be a cut to a dramatic closeup of blood dripping down from the hand that got cut on the shards. If the character is mad enough they're likely to not notice the bleeding, which might be a good sign that it's time to start running away really, really, fast.

What shatters doesn't have to be a cup; it doesn't even have to be made of glass. It can be a metal can being crushed, or paper being crumpled unconsciously. The important thing in this situation is the distress of the character which caused them to inadvertently crush whatever they were holding. A purposely snapped pencil is a common way to show SuppressedRage, especially when [[ItsPersonal it becomes personal]].

This trope can be used to heighten drama or, in the case that the character breaking the glass is unscathed, played for comedy.

A subtrope of DramaticShattering. TruthInTelevision under certain ([[DontTryThisAtHome painful]]) circumstances, but usually invokes the SoftGlass effect. Result of RuleOfDrama, or possibly RuleOfFunny, depending on the mood of the scene. It can serve as an example of TranquilFury. Intersects with KnuckleCracking. Geometric opposite of DramaticDrop.

----
!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* ''Manga/BlackLagoon'':
** Roberta does this with a beer mug -- holding just the handle -- at the Yellow Flag, one of the few hints we get that she's an utter badass before she breaks out the kevlar-lined ParasolOfPain and starts blasting people to hell. It also doesn't hurt her hand because she's wearing gloves or, more likely, because she is that badass. And, as the next episodes show, this is the bottom of what she can go through unscathed.
** In "Roberta's Blood Trail", she does this with an entire bottle (also in the Yellow Flag, or what's left of it).
* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'':
** Non-glass example: when three of Barragan's Fraccion are defeated, he crushes one of the skulls on the sides of his makeshift throne, showing that he is quite pissed.
** Earlier, Ichigo becomes very upset when he hears that Chad has been beaten. He gets lost in thought trying to convince himself that he'll be okay...until his child companion Nel starts complaining that he's crushing her.
* In ''Anime/CaroleAndTuesday'', Catherine snaps her pen in half after hearing the Mermaid Sisters' ClusterFBomb of a song.
* ''Literature/DateALive'': In the HotSpringsEpisode, Origami Tobiichi gets so jealous of Tohka's relationship with Shido that she causes the unopened soda can in her hand to burst.
* In ''Manga/DeathNote'', Light, acting as L, "advises" Near to escape from a situation Light himself created to trap him. While smirking. Near crushes the toy in his hand at Light's brazenness in barely even trying to hide his satisfaction.
* In ''Manga/DescendantsOfDarkness'', Tsuzuki does this after his new partner Hisoka introduces himself very curtly.
* ''Anime/DragonBallZ'':
** Vegeta does this to his scouter after reading Goku's PowerLevel and much later, Jeice does this to his scouter after reading Vegeta's.
** A much more literal example comes when Gohan and Goku return from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber having learned how to become Super Saiyans in their daily lives -- they attempt to have dinner with Chichi but Goku and Gohan can't help smashing glasses in their hands due to their insane strength.
** In an early episode Chi-Chi, while washing dishes, becomes frustrated at Goku for being so late (unaware he has actually been killed) and crushes the plate she is holding, then tosses it aside to reveal a garbage bin full of broken dishes and promptly breaks yet another one.
* ''Manga/DrStone'': Village chief Kokuyo has a habit of crushing clay cups in his hand when he's angry.
* In ''Manga/FateKaleidLinerPrismaIllya'', Illya makes an unopened soda can in her hand burst when she sees Kuro flirting with Shirou.
* Geki Hyuuma crushing his communicator is a RunningGag in ''Anime/GaoGaiGar''.
* ''Manga/GingaTeikokuKouboushi'': ''Volume 2: Foundation'': Jorane Sutt and Hober Mallow are drinking wine while they discuss a compromise. Incensed by Mallow's declaration that he can gain a political seat despite Sutt's opposition, Sutt smashes his glass on the table between them and says that he can put Mallow in jail for twenty years if the trader won’t accede to his demands.
* ''Manga/GTOTheEarlyYears'': At the end of Chapter 107, Eikichi crushes a glass in his clenched fist when he overhears Makoto telling his friend that "[[WeNamedTheMonkeyJack Onizuka and Danma are my dogs!]]"
* Franchise/{{Gundam}}'':
** Shinn Asuka does this at least three times with soft drink cans in ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSeedDestiny Gundam SEED Destiny]]''.
** Also by Michelo Chariot in the first episode ''[[Anime/MobileFighterGGundam G Gundam]]'', although it is more from battle lust. Parodied in ''G Gundam the Abridged Series'' where he crushes the glass... and screams out in pain as we cut to the title.
* In the TV ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'' series, Alucard did this in the end after asking Sir Integra for orders. Given that he's immortal, he doesn't to care.
* ''Anime/KirbyRightBackAtYa'': King Dedede crushes [[Manga/DeathNote a potato chip]]. [[HilariousInHindsight What?]] He later does it with a ramen cup when he's angry that Kirby gets to eat some fancy dinners at several people's houses for free while he's stuck with cheap dinners.
* In ''Literature/LegendOfTheGalacticHeroes'', Yang Wen-li crushed a disposable cup filled with hot tea with his hand when he received news of [[spoiler:the death of his mentor and friend Alexandre Bewcock]], scalding him in the process.
* ''Manga/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime1999'': Ganondorf crushes the ocarina Link got from Saria when he realizes that it is not the Ocarina of Time.
* During the third round of ''Manga/LiarGame'', [[TheChessmaster Yokoya]] performs this maneuver with [[NauseaFuel mice]] during a minor VillainousBreakdown.
* In the ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers'', manga, Teana does this with a paper cup when Subaru suggests that they can, through effort, shake off their reputation as the "airheaded pair," before [[NecktieLeash grabbing her necktie]] and telling her it's her fault they have this reputation.
* VAVA in the ''Manga/MegaManX'' manga ends up doing this to a glass of liquid, as a demonstration of how it matters little to him as to what's in the drink to X (he comments that Reploids can't tell the difference between bourbon or mud in a glass). Such was even given a MythologyGag with his D-Arts action figure, where it shows him with a glass of bourbon and even comes with it.
* In the ''Manga/MyHime'' manga, Haruka does this with a phone receiver when Shizuru informs her that Mai has defeated Nao.
* In the second volume of the manga ''Naisho no Tsubomi'', when strange men show up at the beach and try to lure the girls away, eventually even just grabbing them, En picks up a bottle from the sand and crushes it to scare them off.
* Sasuke from ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' does this with a hand-sized rock to try and size up the Sand village team before the start of the Chunin Exams.
* A JSSDF official in the first episode of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' snaps a pencil in two over astonishment that no conventional weaponry is working against Sachiel.
* In ''Anime/{{Noein}}'', Yuu crushes a paper cup when he notices Haruka is fawning over Karasu.
* Kanou shatters a glass after pouring over a jerk's head in ''Manga/OkaneGaNai'', as a clear indication that he is a badass.
* ''Manga/OmamoriHimari'': Rinko gets pissed off when Himari flirts with her crush Yuto and shatters a pen in her hand.
* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
** Crocodile snaps the handle of his tea cup after Mr. 3 admits that he never used his transponder snail on Little Garden, indicating that the Straw Hats are still alive.
** Boa Hancock does this while speaking with Granny Nyon.
** Duval crushes a glass of wine in his hand when he hears that the Straw Hats pirates, including the hated Sanji, are coming near his island.
* ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub'': Tamaki does this with his cell phone in the second Kasanoda episode.
* ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'':
** In the special "Mewtwo Returns", Giovanni did this once with a whiskey glass, and later again with a cellphone. The man must have incredible grip strength.
** In the ''Manga/PokemonAdventures'' manga, Norman is so upset when he finds out his son Ruby ran away from home that he does this with his cell phone. His wife implies he does that quite often.
** Similarly, ''Pokémon Adventures''' Koga does this to a Golbat-shaped viewing screen/communicator after being defeated by Green.
* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'':
** In the anime episode covering the unveiling of the [[UselessUsefulSpell Nekoken]], Genma does this while lamenting over how his son has suffered by having learnt the technique in question, crushing the glass he was drinking from (bloodlessly) while weeping over how you "just can't save a child from himself". The HypocriticalHumour here, of course, is that Ranma never ''wanted'' to learn the Nekoken -- ''Genma'' was the one who repeatedly [[HarmfulToMinors wrapped his son in fish and hurled him into a pit of starving cats]] until the trauma gave him a [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes phobia]] that could induce a cat-like split personality if he got too frightened.
** In both anime and manga, when Akane has "traded" Ranma to Nabiki, she at one point hears what she thinks is Ranma entering Nabiki's room, which is right next door, and does the "listen through a glass against the wall" trick. Between the sounds she hears and her own imagination, the glass promptly shatters violently between her fingers as she sees in her mind's eye Ranma jumping a not-exactly-unwilling Nabiki for sex, whereupon Akane goes storming into Nabiki's room. [[spoiler:And gets even more pissed off when she finds out that Nabiki psyched her out; Ranma isn't there and never was there, and Nabiki was just messing with her to get her to pay Nabiki to break up with Ranma.]]
** An occurrence from the last book of the manga: Mousse, Ryōga, the Jusenkyō guide and his daughter Plum are spying on Ranma and Shampoo through a wall, Mousse using the old trick of putting a glass against his ear. When he hears Ranma asking for Shampoo to take off her clothes (a ploy to steal some of the Phoenix people's magical eggs, but Mousse doesn't know this), the glass between Mousse's fingers cracks.
** Also, it isn't uncommon for Ryōga to break whatever is in his hands when he gets upset, considering his great strength. For example, at the end of the manga story where female Ranma pretends to be his sister Yoiko, when she finally reveals the trickery Ryōga pulverizes the phone receiver he was holding.
* In ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'', Makoto Shishio crushes a ''wakizashi'' with one hand, a memento returned to him by his AWOL TheDragon, symbolic of his relentless belief in SocialDarwinism. The animated adaptation goes further and shows whatever remaining fragments in his hand afterwards was held so tightly that it ''vaporized''.
* In ''Anime/SailorMoon'', Usagi and Chibiusa are eavesdropping on a disguised Tigers Eye and Fish Eye, who are at the time targeting Makoto. Having danced with her before, Tigers Eye makes an offhand comment about how it's so easy to romance other girls and that he can have as many as he wishes. Usagi is so angered that she crushes a pack of food in her hands, shocking Chibiusa in the process.
* In ''Manga/ShamanKing'', Tao En seems like [[BlatantLies a nice guy]], right? I mean, he's [[PetTheDog stroking a panda's head.]] Then when he gets riled up... Complete with LampshadeHanging as he tosses the now decapitated panda aside. And yes, the panda felt it coming. [[CrossesTheLineTwice And because he has the power to animate "Chinese zombies", the same panda makes an appearance at his lap again a few weeks later.]]
* ''Literature/{{Shimoneta}}'': When Anna catches her crush Tanukichi sharing a bed with Kosuri (in reality, Kosuri snuck in), she shatters a carrot in her hand.
* ''Manga/SpecialDutyCombatUnitShinesman'' has a RunningGag where Riko (the Salmon Pink Shinesman) crushes paper cups of hot coffee when excited. {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d when someone asks her "Doesn't that hurt?"
* In ''Anime/{{Texhnolyze}}'', Ichise accidentally does this after recently having a mechanical arm grafted on. He particularly has trouble with fine motor control using his new hand.
* In ''Anime/UltimateMuscle'', Sunshine does this out of anger regarding his [[ReluctantRetiree forced retirement]].
* ''Literature/UndefeatedBahamutChronicle'' has a variant where Lisha cracks the glass window she's leaning on when she sees Krulcifer kiss Lux twice.
* ''Manga/UQHolder'': Karin has this behavior as a RunningGag whenever her {{Yandere}} tendencies for Yukihime start spiking up. It's also perhaps the only real way to tell when she's angry, given that she is well and truly TheStoic.
* ''Anime/VoltesV'':
** At the beginning of Episode 10, Heinel ruminates on the need to discover the secret of Super Electromagnetic energy to counter Voltes V. He crushes it just as the episode card appears.
** This happens again in Episode 16 after their Beast Fighter is defeated yet again. His hand is seen bleeding after he crushes it, and Katherine tries to clean it before he tells her off.
* ''Manga/YoureUnderArrest'': An episode has the cast dealing with an IdolSinger who gets away with committing plenty of parking violations, due to his records being deleted. When Natsumi goes to complain with the Chief, he says that he can't really do anything, so she angrily grabs the cup of tea he's drinking and crushes it in her hand.
* ''Franchise/YuGiOh'':
** ''Anime/YuGiOh'': Yugi's aura was once so powerful, he broke a glass in Pegasus' hand. ''Through a TV screen''.
** In ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'', when Z-one came to the conclusion that humanity was too wicked to be saved, he got so angry that he crumpled up the [[spoiler:Shooting Star Dragon]] card in his hand.
** ''Anime/YuGiOhTheDarkSideOfDimensions'': Seto Kaiba rants at his scientists about his desire for a real final match against the Pharaoh and ends his speech by crushing his metal drinking flask and then dramatically tossing it aside. He then concludes with this gem:
--->'''Kaiba:''' Fire whoever designed that bottle. [=KaibaCorp=] products should not bend that easily!
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'':
** The arc "Prey" has Bruce Wayne break a glass when he hears Hugo Strange on a news broadcast perfectly outlining a profile for what might drive a man to become Batman; it's unclear if it's meant to be a MythologyGag to Strange smashing [[AGlassOfChianti a wine glass]] against a wall when Batman foils him in his debut.
** Batman does the same in the first part of the "War Crimes" arc, while watching a videotape of a show detailing Stephanie Brown's death.
* ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'': Lilandra's reaction to Reed Richards saving planet-devouring Galactus.
* ''ComicBook/TheFurtherAdventuresOfIndianaJones'': In issue #23, a jealous Hollywood star crushes a glass in his hand as he watches his costar flirting with Indiana Jones.
* ''ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}}'': In John Constantine's first appearance, he stares down a biker who's hassling him in a bar. The man isn't very intimidated, until he notices that John crushed his glass when he made a fist and is still squeezing the shards. His hand seems fine soon after, so it may have been an illusion.
* ''ComicBook/IFeelSick'': Devi grips a paint can while arguing with her living doll Sickness and ends up shattering it. Devi then complains at the doll for making her spill her paint. Sickness informs her that there ''was'' no paint in the container. Devi says a bad word.
* ''ComicBook/ScottPilgrim'': Scott crushes the plastic booze cup in his hand when he first tries to talk to Ramona Flowers.
* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': In ''ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderMan'' #350, Doctor Doom shatters a diamond in his armored hand as punishment to the Black Fox for having stolen an emerald that once belonged to Doom's mother. That was likely what Doom had intended for the Fox himself, had Spidey not convinced Doom that the Black Fox never intended to steal from Doom.
* ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'': Rorschach makes another person do this as an interrogation method, crushing the glass in his hand to cause tremendous pain.
* ''ComicBook/XWingRogueSquadron'': A TreacherousAdvisor type does this after two Rogues refuse to turn on one of their own.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* In ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'', [[ComicBook/CaptainAmerica Steve]] doesn't take hearing HYDRA is back well, resulting in this. The same thing also happens to Harry when he gets angry at a fellow student's idiocy-this one is rather justified, since Harry is just growing into his SuperStrength.
* [[StepfordSmiler Sketchbook]] in [[http://sketchbook-and-tony-adventures.tumblr.com/post/101528585965/we-assumed-you-meant-the-green-one this]] ''WebVideo/DontHugMeImScared'' CharacterBlog.
* In ''Fanfic/DragonAgeTheCrownOfThorns'', while in Orzammar, the only reason anyone realizes that [[spoiler:Raonar is pissed off at how Faren was slammed with Leske's betrayal]] is because the prince grips on his glass of wine hard enough to crush it in his bare grasp, blood and all.
* ''Fanfic/DungeonKeeperAmi'': In ''[[https://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/dungeon-keeper-ami-sailor-moon-dungeon-keeper-story-only-thread.30066/page-9#post-12096923 A New Home]]'', [[spoiler:Mukrezar]] had the wine glass in his hand shatter, "as he suddenly clenched his fist" after learning the lethal amount of magic that Ami used, and he basically has no way of matching to one-up her.
* ''Fanfic/FatesCollide'': [[WebAnimation/{{RWBY}} Nora Valkyrie]] crushes a cup three times: when she finds out Ren's new roommate is a girl, when she sees her, Kiyohime, for the first time, and when Kiyohime declares Ren will be her boyfriend, not Nora's.
* ''Fanfic/ImNobody'': Roxas accidentlly crushes some chopsticks after he hears how [[FantasticRacism the Quarians are treated by the other species]]. The Chef bafflingly notes they were ''[[SuperStrength metal]]'' chopsticks.
* ''Fanfic/LostToDust'':
** When Achilles pisses off Sienna Khan by saying the White Fang's path of violence achieves nothing except causing pain and creating monsters like the White Fang Killer, she crushes the armrest on her throne.
** When Qrow unmasks Hinako Akuta as the villain Yu Miaoyi, she crushes her glasses. This cuts up her hand, allowing her to use her BloodyMurder powers.
* In ''Fanfic/HarryPotterAndTheMethodsOfRationality'', Snape gets so angry during Harry's sorting that he crushes a ''silver goblet'' into a lump.
* ''Fanfic/MyLittleMagesTheNightmaresReturn'': When Twilight first mentions Nightmare Moon to Celestia, the princess breaks the handle off her teacup in surprise.
* ''Fanfic/WhiteSheepRWBY'': Cinder and Qrow, multiple times, shatter glasses when Jaune gets more exasperating than usual. Justified because [[SoulPower Aura]] shields them from harm. At one point, Cinder specifically notes she can't break a glass because it's her last one and she refuses to drink straight from the bottle.
* Paul in ''Fanfic/WithStringsAttached'' does this twice, once with a trash can lid and once with a stone cup. The first time, he is annoyed at John; the second time is inadvertent, and he douses himself with tea.
* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2917960/1/Yu-Gi-Oh-Tilting-the-Balance Yu-Gi-Oh: Tilting The Balance]]'': Degas crushes his wine glass in his hand when Jean-Vic is defeated. He then ends his list of grievances with [[LampshadeHanging "And I have glass in my hand!"]]
* ''Fanfic/YuyaVision'': Kiryu shatters a glass in his hand when he learns from José that their current plan (at the time) was to sit back and do nothing.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron'', the Horned King shatters the goblet in his hand when Taran refuses to show him how Hen Wen predicts the future.
* ''WesternAnimation/CatsDontDance'': Angry at Danny crashing her premiere, Darla squeezes a doll so hard the head pops out.
* Gru in ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe2'' crushes a glass in his hand when he witnesses his eldest adopted daughter Margot dancing with El Macho’s son Antonio.
* In ''WesternAnimation/FlushedAway'', Rodney the mouse angrily does this to a cheesepuff.
-->'''Sid:''' Here, have a cheesepuff.\\
'''Rodney:''' ''[crushes it with one hand]''\\
'''Sid:''' Have another.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheGreatMouseDetective'': [[BigBad Ratigan]] crushes a wind-up ballerina in his hand when threatening Flavisham.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles1'': Bob/Mr. Incredible is almost out the door to save a mugging victim when his boss threatens to fire him if he leaves. He lets go of the now crumpled doorknob.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoMovie2TheSecondPart'': Spoofed when Wyldstyle does so with a cup of overpriced coffee, when Emmet brings up "Everything Is Awesome" and her dislike for it.
-->'''Emmet:''' That song really bugs you, huh?\\
'''Wildstyle:''' [[BlatantLies No, it doesn't!]]
* Mima from ''Anime/PerfectBlue'' does this with a tea cup in one scene.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* ''Film/BladeRunner2049'' plays this pretty brutally. Joshi [[TheAlcoholic frequently carries a glass in her hand]], but this trope only occurs when [[spoiler:[[TheDragon Luv]] begins actively crushing her hand as she holds the broken shards of one to torture her]].
* In ''Film/BreakingTheWaves'', a [[OlderIsBetter Church Elder]] at Bess and Jan's wedding spots one of Jan's fellow riggers chugging down a can of beer and chugs down his glass of lemonade in response. The rigger watches, then crushes his beer can and smirks in invitation. Not to be outdone, the old man crushes his glass with his bare hand.
* In ''Film/{{Catwoman|2004}}'', the villain crushes her glass and marvels at how her hand is completely unscathed, an attempt at TheReveal. Unfortunately, it didn't work so well, considering how ground into the mind SoftGlass is.
* In ''Film/TheConIsOn'', Gabriel shatters his wine glass in frustration over the increasingly bizarre situation he is facing at his dinner table, and the fact that he is paying for it.
* In ''Film/CorvetteSummer'', Kenny crushes a styrofoam Coca-Cola cup while he yells at his classmate Kootz for letting his beloved Corvette get stolen.
* ''Film/{{Deception|1946}}'': Hollenius shatters a champagne glass in his hand while he seethes with rage at the wedding reception of Christine, who used to be his mistress. After this display of temper he spends the rest of the movie in FauxAffablyEvil mode while he sets out to undermine and destroy Christine's marriage.
* Calvin Candie does it in ''Film/DjangoUnchained''. It was not part of the script, but Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio stayed in character and kept going with the scene.
* ''Film/EnterTheDragon'': After being defeated by taking that large kick by Bruce Lee's character, Oharra grabs a bottle and shatters it, intending to use it on Lee. Unfortunately for Oharra, this wasn't enough to prevent his death by being crushed underfoot by Lee.
%%* At the start of the otherwise forgettable Creator/ChuckNorris action movie ''Firewalker'', Chuck is staked out in the desert to die. To taunt him, the villain leaves a bottle of water in his hand. Chuck is able to break the glass with just his hand, giving himself the glass shards to cut his bonds.
* In ''Film/TheFifthElement'', Korben is standing with his hands on a light fixture while Munro is recruiting him. When Munro reveals he had already rigged a contest so Korben would be sent to Phloston's Paradise, Korben tears the light off the wall.
* In ''Film/FirstMan'', Neil Armstrong attends a reception at the White House when he receives a call notifying him about the Apollo 1 fire. After putting the phone down, he breaks the wine glass he was holding and cuts his hand.
* Dick Blaney crushes a glass in his hand while having lunch with his ex-wife in ''Film/{{Frenzy|1972}}''. He's on the books as a {{Domestic Abuse}}r, and while he denies it the audience is never really sure.
* Flashbacks in ''Film/GeraldsGame'' reveal Jessie was sexually assaulted by her father as a girl. On the night of the assault, she sits at the dinner table holding a glass. Her mother asks about her day with her father, and she suddenly breaks it in her hand.
* ''Film/HalloweenEnds'': When some bullies start taunting Corey Cunningham, he gets so pissed that he shatters a bottle of chocolate milk in his hand. This cuts up his hand.
* ''Film/JamesBond'':
** Film/DrNo crushes a golden goblet with his metal hand to intimidate Bond.
** Not quite a glass but the same general idea: In ''Film/{{Octopussy}}'', the angry henchman Gobinda crushes dice in his hand.
** Which was basically a copy of the time in ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}'' when the insanely strong Oddjob crushes a golf ball in his hand, although he seems rather cheery about it.
* Used humorously in ''Film/{{Jaws}}'', where (big strong tough guy) Quint crushes a beer can, and (bookish weaker guy) Hooper crushes a styrofoam cup in response. Note that in 1975, beer cans were made from tin rather than aluminum, so crushing one actually was an impressive show of strength.
* In ''Film/LAConfidential'', Russell Crowe's character, Bud White, does this with a goddamn chair, snapping the solid wood chair back in half right before he busts into the interrogation room to play RussianRoulette with the prisoner.
* In the 1994 film of ''Film/TheLittleRascals'', Darla does the kid version of this, crumpling a soda can in her hand to show her anger at Alfalfa.
* ''Film/MickeyOne'': During Jenny's conversation with Castle about Mickey's worries about the Mafia, Castle carries what looks like a decorative glass egg around. Then Jenny exclaims, "You're bleeding!" Castle has crushed the object in his hand and cut himself on the shards.
* ''Theatre/ARaisinInTheSun'': Walter crushes a glass in his hand upon learning that his mother has put a down payment on a better house, rather than giving him the money to invest in a liquor store.
* Done twice in ''Film/ReAnimator''. Herbert West does the pencil version during Hill's lecture to show his mounting TranquilFury over plagiarist Dr. Hill using theories he stole from West's mentor Dr. Gruber. And in a deleted scene, Dean Halsey, while being hypnotized by Hill, squeezes his drink too hard, shattering the glass in his hand.
* ''Film/TheRibaldTalesOfRobinHood'': When Little John is informed of Tina's rape and murder at the hands of the Sheriff, he snaps his quarterstaff in half.
* ''Film/{{Rope}}'': On arriving at the apartment, Mrs. Atwater sees Kenneth and mistakes him for David, promoting her to call out David's name... and Phillip immediately breaks the champagne glass he's holding, cutting his hand.
* ''Film/TheScorpionKing'' does this in a similar fashion to the ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' example above, except the guy doing it wants the other guy to bow rather than for any practical purpose.
-->"[[BadassBoast If I am no king... why are you on your knees before me]]?"
* In ''Film/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld'', Lucas Lee crushes a paper cup filled with coffee after realizing that Scott beat up all his stunt doubles.
* In ''Film/SupermanReturns'', during Clark's first day back on the job at the ''Daily Planet'', he picks up a picture of Lois and her son from her desk. Jimmy sees it and confirms that yes, "fearless reporter Lois Lane is a mommy." The glass in the frame cracks instantly.
* ''Film/TrueLies'': Harry uses binoculars to watch the slimy used car salesman he thinks is sleeping with his wife. His partner makes several quips about the situation, and we know one has hit a nerve when we see one of the lenses crack under Harry's grip.
* Sutler in ''Film/VForVendetta'' shatters a glass of warm milk as he sees a comedy sketch mocking his inability to stop V on television. Including a line mocking his fondness for warm milk, no less.
* In ''Film/WarInc'', Hauser gets so stressed out at seeing Yonica acting slutty (the infamous scorpion down the pants scene) that he accidentally crushes the vial of cobra venom he was about to pour into Omar Sharif's food.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* Subverted in Creator/TimPowers's ''Literature/TheAnubisGates'': the protagonist ''tries'' to break a beer mug in his hand to show how tough he is and intimidate his way out of an awkward situation, but discovers, to his embarrassment and onlookers' amusement, that he isn't quite strong enough.
* In ''Literature/ArtemisFowl and the Last Guardian'', Artemis convinces a fairy named Gobdaw (Who's just awakened after several millenia of slumber) that he's become something of a joke in fairy society in his time away. Gobdaw responds by snapping a martini glass in two and attempting to stab Artemis with the jagged end of the stem.
* The ''Franchise/BattleTechExpandedUniverse'' has Justin Allard do this as a threatening gesture at Hanse Davion's wedding--he silently toasts Prince Davion as a WorthyOpponent before taking a drink of wine and then summarily crushing the wineglass in his hand. Notable for doing this with absolute calm when the wedding has just been thrown into chaos by Davion's announcement of the Fourth Succession War during the reception (and [[ItMakesSenseInContext a mad grab for dining plates]] and [[FoodFight cake being thrown everywhere]]). Justified by the fact that Justin has a [[ArtificialLimbs robotic arm]] with far more than enough strength in the limb to crush glass (see also the RealLife section below regarding prosthetics).
* Done by [[TheCaligula Taur]] [[BloodKnight Urgas]] in ''Literature/TheBelgariad'', crushing a golden goblet after drinking from it. Shortly after, he orders the butchering of a camp of foreigners. Part of this was to clear out potential spies before his upcoming invasion of the West, but mostly to feed his bloodlust.
* Downplayed and PlayedForLaughs in ''Literature/{{Campione}}''. When Godou tells Liliana that her hobby of writing romantic novels is nothing to be ashamed of, she becomes flustered and crushes the ice cream cone she's holding, then throws it at him before running off in embarrassment.
* Shizuo ends up doing this in vol. 5 of ''Literature/{{Durarara}}''. Since it's [[SuperStrength Shizuo]], he doesn't break a glass. Instead, he crushes a steel cup into a ball of foil. [[DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength Accidentally.]]
* ''Literature/HarryPotter'':
** In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban'', Aunt Marge believes she has accidentally broken a glass by squeezing it too hard. In actual fact, Harry subconsciously made it explode. However, she does claim to have accidentally broken another glass a few days before at someone else's house.
** In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince'', Dean crushes the glass in his hand after Harry kisses Ginny, whom he had been dating earlier during the year.
** Snape once demolished a ''silver goblet'' with one hand.
* ''Literature/KateShugak'': In ''No Fixed Line'', Auntie Vi is so angry when she learns that the children rescued from the crashed plane had been sexually abused, she breaks a Pyrex measuring cup and a mixing bowl while making dinner, and Kate is sure these were not accidents.
* In the Literature/LiadenUniverse book ''Conflict of Honors'', Shan does this when he thinks [[spoiler:Priscilla]] might be dead.
* ''Literature/LordPeterWimsey'': In ''The Five Red Herrings'', Peter is talking to a witness/suspect while playing with a tube of paint. When the witness innocently says something important to the case, Peter accidentally bursts the tube. [[spoiler:The real clue here turns out to be the brand of paint.]]
* In ''Magic Bleeds'', Literature/KateDaniels is on the phone with a man who tried to seduce her away from her love interest. Said interest listens to their conversation with a blank face while slowly rolling his plate into a tube. His ''metal'' plate. Kate has to explain the screeching noise as "construction". When he finally sets it down, it's been compacted into a ball an inch across.
* A potential villain does this in a ''Literature/NancyDrew'' book while exchanging nasty looks with another potential bad guy, thus revealing that regardless of their status as far as the story goes, they share an ugly history.
* In ''Literature/{{Neuromancer}}'', this comes as a clear sign that Armitage is beginning to crack: at dinner, Case catches him staring blankly into space, and he snaps the stem off his wineglass when Case tries to get his attention.
* In ''Literature/{{Nova}}'' Prince Red, whose right arm is artificial and freakishly strong, does this twice to threaten Lorq, first time to a table, crushing thick oak tabletop like cracker. Later he squeezes a fistful of sand and ''literally makes a glass lump in the hand''.
* A mild variant of this -- the narrator crumpling a photograph in his hand when startled by a noise, then reflexively stuffing it in his pocket -- sets up TheReveal in Creator/HPLovecraft's "Literature/PickmansModel".
* In ''Literature/ShamanBlues'', Witkacy crushes the glass he's holding in his hands when Vulture starts making unseemly suggestions towards romancing fifteen-years-old Wiktoria.
* ''Literature/TheSyrenaLegacy'': In ''Of Poseidon'', Galen sees his LoveInterest Emma flirting with another boy during their temporary break-up. He snaps his plastic fork in half between his fingers.
* In ''Literature/TheUnexploredSummonBloodSign'', the [[{{Yandere}} White Queen]] is happily cooking breakfast when Kyousuke [[BerserkButton says another girl's name in front of her]]. She crushes the handle of the frying pan.
* In the ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' novel ''Literature/SpaceWolf'', the title character Ragnar gets a new set of Power Armor. To demonstrate his new strength, he is given a fist-sized rock and told to crush it. He succeeds.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* Jenna from ''Series/ThirtyRock'' in response to Liz throwing a deliberately lame bachelorette party for her.
* Bill from ''Series/{{Alphas}}'' crushes a coffee thermos when he feels a sharp pain in his chest.
* Happens in the ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'' episode "[[Recap/TheBigBangTheoryS9E11TheOpeningNightExcitation The Opening Night Excitation]]". Penny snaps her wine glass in half when she hears [[spoiler:Sheldon announce that he plans to finally have sex with Amy]].
* ''Series/ABitOfFryAndLaurie'' parodies this in one of their "John and Peter" sketches, where the normally hard-drinking mid-level businessmen have been reduced to operating a public restroom and sipping instant coffee out of paper cups. John, as [[LargeHam disproportionately passionate]] about their situation as ever, keeps crushing the empty cups in his hand, leading to the prematurely crushing of one that's still full of very hot coffee.
* An unusual variation of this occurs in ''Series/BlackBooks''. Bernard, driven crazy by Manny's dad's incessant humming, looks ready to smash his teacup in frustration, but instead takes a ''bite'' out of it. Then goes back for seconds.
* In the ''Series/BroadCity'' episode "The Last Supper," Abbi shatters a wine glass she's holding, severely cutting up her palm, after she accidentally stabs herself with Ilana's [=EpiPen=].
* ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'': The normally timid Charles Boyle has gone full MamaBear (his words) badass to get [[spoiler:his Latvian adopted son Nikolaj]] a Captain Latvia action figure. When faced with an apathetic import warehouse manager, he does this ''repeatedly'' to the man's mugs to intimidate him. Jake tries it once -- and instantly begins screaming when the shards cut his hands.
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'':
** In "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS3E5Homecoming Homecoming]]", the other Scoobies abandon Buffy to support Cordelia's campaign for Homecoming Queen. Buffy insists to Giles that it's all just fun and nothing serious... and then grips her glass water bottle so hard it shatters. Then again she ''does'' have SuperStrength.
** In "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS6E19SeeingRed Seeing Red]]", Spike breaks a bottle in his hand after having a flashback of his [[spoiler:AttemptedRape of Buffy.]]
** In "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS5E12Checkpoint Checkpoint]]" Giles does his trademark GlassesPull during a tense discussion with the Watcher's Council. When Travers threatens him, he breaks his glasses because he's cleaning them at the time.
* In ''Series/CriminologistHimuraAndMysteryWriterArisugawa'', after the [[SerialKiller Night Prowler]] claims a 4th victim, lead investigator Nabeshima snaps a pencil in half while ordering the detectives to continue investigating as hard as they can.
* Happens multiple times on ''Series/TheDailyShowWithJonStewart'', as pictured above. The trope was quickly [[ExaggeratedTrope exaggerated]], as Jon would first break the glass, then the bottle, then a "[[RuleOfFunny comically-convenient fish tank]]". Then, after an incident in which he cut himself badly enough to require several stitches when he accidentally shattered a margarita glass, he would don protective equipment before picking up the glass to be broken.
* Happens to the butler in [=S3E1=] of ''Series/DowntonAbbey''. The aristocrat's youngest daughter has married a commoner with certain opinions about aristocracy that he freely shares at the dinner table. The butler is upset by his comments about the king.
* ''Series/FamilyMatters:'' A teacher frequently does this with a juice box, a milk carton, and an orange, thus revealing her increasing irritation with Steve Urkel, who keeps interrupting her, then has the unmitigated gall to chastise HER for interrupting him.
* ''Series/FreshMeat'': Episode 1x4. Josie to Kingsley while he is washing a mug in the sink: "[[DoYouWantToCopulate Sex]]." He doesn't appear to injure himself with his reaction. Or at least he's able to brush it off with a casual "it's fine" easily enough to respond "yes, please!"
* Spoofed in ''Series/GarthMarenghisDarkplace'', when Thornton Reed crushes a paper cup in his hand... despite the fact that the shot immediately before showed him holding a shovel.
* ''Series/TheGoldenGirls:'' Rose (normally a sweet woman, but also known as a poster child for BewareTheNiceOnes), when suspecting her boyfriend Miles is cheating, shatters a ''coffee mug'' with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8cZrCPtTak one hand.]]
* ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'':
** Lily is upset that Marshall took a judging position without consulting her, and every time she hears a legal term -- "judge", "court", "trial" -- she breaks the glass in her hand.
** The Mother broke a glass after she finds an ad placed by her jerkass bandmate seeking to replace her, and it insulted her looks in the process.
* Near the end of the run of the original ''Series/IronChef'', Chairman Kaga crushes a glass in his hand at the thought of closing his beloved Kitchen Stadium. We later see him holding a glass in his bandaged hand -- and, unfortunately, getting anguished enough to crush ''that'' glass too.
* In the ''Series/KnightRider'' episode "Knight of the Juggernaut", Philip Nordstrom breaks a drinking glass in his hand. Justified, in that the hand in question is cybernetic and therefore super-strong.
* In ''Series/{{Leverage}}'', [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9waEwRU7oBw this happens]] when a Victim of the Day starts hitting on [[NoSocialSkills Parker's]] "pretzels". With a ''beer bottle.''
* Phil from ''Series/ModernFamily'' is tasered while holding a mint-condition baseball card. He continues to seize, crushing it more and more while going through a descending list of collectible quality levels from "mint condition" to "trash".
* ''Series/OnceUponATimeInWonderland'': Alice breaks a glass after her stepmother suggests geting her married to a young man.
* ''Series/OneLifeToLive'': Having seduced his ex-wife Alex on the floor of the living room of the mansion she shares with her new husband Asa--whom he despises, Carlo Hesser is helping himself to some of Asa's brandy when Asa arrives home. The close-up of Carlo's hand shattering the glass of brandy tells you exactly how he feels about this.
* ''Series/{{The Outer Limits|1995}}'': In "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1995S3E15TheRevelationsOfBeckaPaulson The Revelations of Becka Paulson]]", Joe Paulsen is electrocuted while holding a beer bottle, which he proceeds to crush in his hand.
* ''Series/ThePartridgeFamily'': When Shirley withdraws a large sum of money from the bank, the president is so enraged that the pencil he's holding snaps.
* ''Series/PeepShow'' has a mild example, where a buddhist slams his drink down too hard at a stag night and ends up with a bloody hand. As Super-Hans puts it, "I think maybe Buddha wasn't too pleased".
* ''Series/RedDwarf'''s "[[Recap/RedDwarfSeasonVIOutOfTime Out of Time]]" has the Cat say of Rimmer: "You can tell he's tense by the way he scrunches up cups and throws them in the bin, and I'm not talking Styrofoam, I'm talking enamel." Of course, he is a HardLight hologram.
* In a 2018 ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' episode hosted by Creator/BillHader, Rex Tillerson (portrayed by Creator/JohnGoodman) does this while discussing being fired by Donald Trump.
-->'''Tillerson:''' It's just crazy how, one day, you're the CEO of Exxon -- a 50 billion dollar corporation -- and the next day... you get fired by a man who used to sell steaks in the mail. ''[shatters glass]''
* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'':
** When Clark does this to whatever poor object is in his hand, ''run''.
** Happens exactly so to Oliver Queen. This is, of course, not the first nor the last time in the show's history a character breaks something because they don't know their own strength or how to control it.
** Another notable example is glass-breaking girl Maddie who can control glass with her mind.
* In the sitcom ''Sparks'', a judge is talking about a criminal at a party, unaware that said criminal is all spruced-up and standing right next to her. The wine glass he's holding breaks when she calls him "scum".
* In the ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS05E05TheAssignment The Assignment]]", O'Brien is [[IHaveYourWife compelled to act normally]] at a party by a [[spoiler:Pah-wraith]] [[DemonicPossession possessed]] Keiko. The stress becomes too much for him when she shows mock-affection for his daughter, and he shatters his [[INeedAFreakingDrink whiskey glass]].
* ''Series/TwinPeaks'' has the pencil-breaking variety in the first episode. The morning Laura Palmer's dead body is found, a teacher comes in to Laura's secret boyfriend James' homeroom, presumably to tell the homeroom teacher school is out early after the principal's announcement. They then see a girl run screaming across the courtyard through the window. James and Donna both look at Laura's empty desk, and the penny drops. Donna starts crying and James snaps the pencil in his hand in half.
* ''Series/WalkerTexasRanger'': This happens in the prologue of the episode "[[Recap/WalkerTexasRangerS5E19DaysPast Days Past]]". Vince Pike, a notorious mobster who murdered Walker's old fiancée is let off on a reduced sentence. Walker sees the announcement from the TV in C.D.'s bar and pulverizes his drinking glass, mangling his hand with enough blood to make the shards cling to his flesh. So angry he doesn't even let anyone nurse his wound, he walks out to his Dodge Ram and stamps it with a bloody handprint when lays his damaged palm against the window as he seethes with rage and his eyes burn with a monstrous DeathGlare. C.D. even {{lampshade|hanging}}s this:
-->'''C.D.:''' [[JustGotOutOfJail How can they let that animal out in just ten years?!]]
* In ''Series/WandaVision'' Episode 2 "[[Recap/WandaVisionEpisode2DontTouchThatDial Don't Touch That Dial]]", Dottie freaks out and breaks the glass she was holding when she hears Wanda's name repeatedly on a radio, cutting herself and bleeding ([[SplashOfColor red, while everything else is black and white]]) in the process.
* ''Series/Warehouse13'' has an episode where an artifact granted SuperStrength The man using it threatened the agents by crushing a cup.
* In an interesting CutHimselfShaving twist, in ''Series/TheWestWing'' Josh's hand is (supposedly) cut up by a broken drink glass in the episode "Noel", when in fact he [[spoiler:smashed his hand through a window during a particularly intense reaction to his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* In ''Videogame/AnarchyReigns'', Douglas and Max do this when they're selected in the multiplayer menu. In Douglas' case, he crushes his goblet with the {{Pilebunker}} built into his arm.
* ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}''
** {{Dracula}} in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight'' holds a wine glass in the prologue, which he then violently throws to the floor before he gets up off his throne to fight Richter.
*** This was later [[EverythingTryingToKillYou parodied]] in ''VideoGame/IWannaBeTheGuy''.
*** It gets a ContinuityNod in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaAriaOfSorrow''. When the possessed Soma shows up in the Bad End, he does the same pose and throws the glass before fighting Julius.
*** Same in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaDawnOfSorrow'', when you fight Soma in Julius Mode.
** Elsewhere, in ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaPortraitOfRuin'', Brauner gets angry enough before his boss fight that he presses his cane into the ground until it snaps.
* In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRryhHGa51A this trailer]] for ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'', Adam pours himself a glass of whiskey and, presumably due to not being used to his mechanically augmented arms, cracks the glass when he holds it. It's a minor example, since the glass doesn't actually shatter, but it still counts.
* Grodd in ''Videogame/Injustice2'' combines this with SkullCups in his intros, first drinking from a human skull and then crushing it in one hand.
* In an early cut scene in ''VideoGame/MaxPayne3'', Max does this whilst getting absolutely blotto in his new Sao Paulo apartment.
* In ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes2DesperateStruggle'', Travis breaks an (empty) glass as he tells Sylvia that he wants revenge on the people who killed Bishop.
* In one of the plot summaries for ''Private Eye'' for the Atari 2600, the plot summary of one of the cases mentions protagonist Pierre Touche doing this.
* In Leon's campaign in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil6'', Derek Simmons crushes his fancy cell phone [[spoiler:as he starts to [[OneWingedAngel transform]]]].
* ''Franchise/StreetFighter'''s Vega will take his aggression out on his mask in ''Alpha 3'' if he fails to KO his opponent by round end.
* In ''VideoGame/StreetsOfRage 3'', if you get the ending as a result of you fighting Shiva as the final boss, you see Mr. X staring at a monitor showing him defeated with the heroes standing triumphantly over him. He promptly crushes the glass of wine in his left hand.
* In the Dominion trailer of ''Videogame/{{Wildstar}}'', Malvolio Portius crushes his wine goblet in a fit of rage near the end and asks for another later on.
* In ''VideoGame/YakuzaDeadSouls'', Kazuma cracks the phone in his hand when he learns Haruka was kidnapped.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* ''Franchise/AceAttorney''
** According to Gumshoe in case 3 of ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney'', Edgeworth did this as a result of Phoenix's work in court the previous day... it was a paper cup, but it was filled with hot coffee, so he still hurt himself doing it.
** When you break through [[spoiler:Dee Vazquez's]] alibis, [[spoiler:she crushes her pipette between her fingers]].
** Diego Armando does it to his cup of coffee at the end of the fourth case of ''[[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyTrialsAndTribulations Trials and Tribulations]]'', after [[spoiler:the defendant commits suicide before he can testify against his girlfriend]]. This instance also leaves out the SoftGlass (soft ceramic?) effect, as his hand bleeds profusely after breaking the mug, but he doesn't even flinch as he delivers one of the most iconic lines of the series. For added effect, [[TranquilFury this trope is the only outward sign of the fury he has to be feeling at that point]].
** Barok van Zieks in ''VisualNovel/TheGreatAceAttorney'' does this often with his wine chalice.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* ''WebAnimation/DukeNukemForeverQuest'' does a parody of ''Streets of Rage 3'', where the mysterious figure watching the monitor doesn't quite get his glass to smash.
-->"Come on, break, you bastard-- (''thumps glass on the table'') You stupid thing, makin' me look like a pansy... (''smashes glass, cutting his hand open'') ''[[WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill BWAAAAA-]]''
* ''WebComic/{{Lackadaisy}}'': PlayedForLaughs. As Viktor tends to the bar, and scares off the patronage, his boss gently scolds him and asks him to be more friendly, just as he accidentally [[DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength breaks the shotglass]] he was wiping.
* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': At the beginning of the Volume 2 FoodFight, Ruby declares war on Team JNPR while crushing a full carton of milk in her hand.
* ''WebAnimation/TurnaboutStorm'': After Sonata is exposed by Phoenix and Trixie, she furiously snaps a pencil in half with her magic.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* Happens [[CrossesTheLineTwice hilariously]] in ''Webcomic/AirForceBlues'', with ''a chipmunk''.
* Happened on ''Webcomic/BoyMeetsBoy''. Mik being stronger than he thinks plus distraction = broken glass.
* ''Webcomic/DaisyOwl'': Mr. Owl does it with a note from Steve saying that the moon school called to tell him they'd kidnapped Daisy and Cooper. He resolves to go save them and... [[UnsoundEffect Justice]].
* Zintiel does this in ''Webcomic/FlakyPastry''.
-->'''AltText:''' Hey, what did that orange ever do to you?!
* [[http://gear-boy.deviantart.com/art/So-GB-GG-and-Aya-walk-into-a-bar-547020918 Gear Girl]] does this with a beer bottle after a blonde bitch splashes Gear Boy's drink [[KickTheDog right in his face.]]
* ''Webcomic/GrrlPower'':
** Maxima is usually ''very'' in control of her SuperStrength, but the adolescent-level antics of her subordinates can sometimes upset her enough that [[https://grrlpowercomic.com/archives/comic/grrl-power-70-punked/ she'd crush her cellphone.]]
--->'''General Faulk:''' Do not break another phone, Colonel.
** [[https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/comic/grrl-power-1197-succubus-wrangler/ She also breaks a chunk of her pulpit]] after the [[spoiler:succubus lust aura incident, when Mr. Amorphous suggests that Heatwave ought to experiment it too -- but he doesn't mean it in a bad way]].
* Poor Equius, one of the trolls in ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'', suffers from the DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength version of this every time he tries to have a glass of milk... or a glass of anything, really.
* Sniper Wolf does it with a glass of water in ''Webcomic/TheLastDaysOfFoxhound''.
* The Tasting Judge, Harvey, from ''Webcomic/NectarOfTheGods'' does this effortlessly and constantly throughout the TournamentArc. It's not for dramatic effect or because he's angry, it's just [[http://www.drunkduck.com/Nectar_of_the_Gods/index.php?p=800206 an easier way to quickly judge through dozens of drinks without verbally announcing the loser]].
* Sandra crushes a soda can in ''Webcomic/SandraAndWoo'' when Larisa accidentally sent a nude pic to 60 million people.
* Happens with [[http://www.collectedcurios.com/sequentialart.php?s=531 Pip and a beer bottle]] in ''Webcomic/SequentialArt''. Apparently, including ''[[Film/IndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkull Crystal Skull]]'' as part of the ''Franchise/IndianaJones'' movies displeases him.
* ''Webcomic/{{Shortpacked}}'': A frustrated Galasso demands something to crush. [[{{Jerkass}} Mike]] gives him a glass. We never see the results, but it probably wasn't pretty, given the frantic cry for paper towels and a first aid kit in the very next panel.
* ''Webcomic/TowerOfGod'': Yeon Ehwa, 19 years old, trying to adjust to cohabitating with her new [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits team mates]].
* Forget a glass. Shelly of ''Webcomic/WapsiSquare'' crushes a [[http://wapsisquare.com/comic/squish-it/ stainless steel frothing cup]] when Tina makes her angry.
* In ''Webcomic/WeakHero'', after confirming that his friend Alex was beaten up by Jimmy, Ben effortlessly crushes his can of soda as he becomes resolved to take down Jimmy and the Union.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Videos]]
* WebVideo/TheCinemaSnob pulls a wine glass out of his suit for this express purpose in reaction to [[Film/TheOogielovesInTheBigBalloonAdventure the Oogieloves]] making a bad joke.
* ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'' has a moment early in the first campaign where Creator/TravisWillingham gets so angry at Vax's prank of shaving half of Grog's new beard he breaks his mechanical pencil with one hand.
* ''Series/FlandersCompany'': Parodied with Caleb crushing his coffee cup in the series finale. Though considering how much Caleb loves coffee, it shows well how upset he his.
* ''WebVideo/OutsideXbox'': In "7 Bosses You Had to Kill from the Inside Out, Ew", Luke Westaway crushes a drinks can in one hand when discussing the boss battle against Galdon in ''VideoGame/StarFoxAdventures'', because of his sheer hatred of [[TheScrappy Tricky]]. He then requests another can, so that he can crush that one too.
* Whenever something needs juicing, squeezing or mashing on ''WebVideo/RegularOrdinarySwedishMealTime'', it stands a fair chance of getting crushed to death in one hand.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* Malory on ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'' does this on more than one occasion. As a LadyDrunk who almost always has a glass of liquor in her hand, she is prone to crushing them whenever somebody, usually Sterling, angers her.
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'':
** In "[[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE41JokersWild Joker's Wild]]", the Joker is [[LostInACrowd dealing at one of the casino tables as if he's a costumed employee]]. After being [[StealthInsult trolled]] by Bruce (to distract him while Bruce gets a good look and confirms that he's the real Joker), he crushes the chip Bruce tossed him as a tip.
** In "[[Recap/TheNewBatmanAdventuresE7JokersMillions Joker's Millions]]", Batgirl suggests that Joker might give up crime now that he's [[UnexpectedInheritance rich]]. Batman snaps a gadget he's working on in half.
** In "[[Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE55TheMechanic The Mechanic]]", Penguin winds up [[PrisonersWork in prison polishing license plates]]. When he see that the next one in the pile [[VanityLicensePlate reads "1BAT4U"]], he angrily snaps it in two.
* Used in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko''. Yumi is in the middle of threatening Sissi when her cup (made of plastic or something otherwise hard to break, but not glass) shatters. Yumi's hand is mildly cut (but no blood) and Sissi wisely backs down. Somewhat subverted in that Yumi ''wasn't'' actually responsible for breaking the cup; XANA has been testing sonic vibrations to eventually knock down the school. Yumi is as surprised as Sissi when the cup-breaking occurs. This ends up being lampshaded by Ulrich when he's helping Yumi patch herself up and she throws out the idea of the glasses being fragile, pointing out "We're talking about cafeteria plastic, not Venetian crystal."
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'', when former mayor, Bob White, is introduced as the new principal to Doug's middle school, it's brought up [[ContinuityNod how he had lost his reelection campaign to Mrs. Dink]], causing him to snap the ballpoint pen in his hand.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Harley Quinn|2019}}'': In "[[Recap/HarleyQuinn2019S1E3SoYouNeedACrew So, You Need a Crew?]]", upon seeing the TV report of Harley getting a crew and successfully robbing Maxie Zeus, Joker crushes the glass he is holding. And then he [[ShootTheTelevision Shoots the Television]].
* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'': In "Ancient History", when Katar Hol spies his wife kissing another man, he crushes a stone railing to dust.
* On ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'', Isabella snaps a pencil in "Summer Belongs to You" when Phineas talks about failed romantic encounters in Paris, [[ObliviousToLove oblivious to the fact that she wanted one with him]].
* Spoofed in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', where Mr. Burns is incapable of crushing a paper cup without Smithers' aid.
* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': [=SpongeBob=] does this in "Can You Spare a Dime?", when he starts getting sick of Squidward's demands and laziness. Being a cartoon sponge, the broken glass is never touched on after it happens.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Music/{{Genesis|Band}} guitarist Music/SteveHackett said in the May 2015 issue of ''Prog'' magazine that he snapped a wineglass this way during the TroubledProduction of ''Music/TheLambLiesDownOnBroadway''. He overheard a comment at a party saying that the Sensational Alex Harvey Band [[TheBandMinusTheFace "would be nothing without Alex Harvey."]] The comment proved the tipping point for Hackett, already tense over his divorce and [[{{Music/PeterGabriel}} Peter Gabriel's]] [[IAmTheBand near-total creative control,]] severing a tendon in his thumb.
* One of the challenges in designing prosthetic hands and grippers is avoiding this trope. It's funny when your manipulator's force feedback sensors fail and you squish a glass. It would be less funny if you were shaking someone's hand at the time. Or the shards from the glass fly at your face or drop in your lap.
* Benito Mussolini employed this trope when he was haranguing his lackeys and REALLY wanted to make a point stick in their minds. Didn't work so well the last time, when they laughed him out of parliament with a bloody, painful hand.
[[/folder]]
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