->''"Queens shouldn't swing, if you know what I mean, but I'm 'bout to take my earrings off and get me some Vaseline."''
-->-- '''Music/JillScott''', "Gettin In The Way"[[note]]The Vaseline would go on her face to keep from getting scratched.[[/note]]

Two people who are established enemies come into contact with each other, there is an intense verbal battle, and a fight is the next logical step. The preparation begins: Maybe they'll psych each other out a bit, circle each other and spout insults, perhaps. But before the brawl goes down, they must remove items of clothing that would impede them. In this aspect, the trope is closely related to TheCoatsAreOff. Usually earrings, glasses or other such items are removed.

This is where Hold My Glasses comes in. One or possibly both opponents will calmly remove the aforementioned articles (most likely, earrings will come off first), and they will hand those articles off to the nearest bystander. This is usually the evidence that supports the suspicions of an impending battle.

Note that this doesn't always have to happen after a verbal battle. It can happen as a reaction to a particularly offensive statement, or it can be used as a threat. This works for any accessory/prop, and it is also used for comedic effect. The opponents are also almost AlwaysFemale, as it is usually a part of a CatFight or DesignatedGirlFight.

Contrast YouWouldntHitAGuyWithGlasses. Not to be confused with the expression "Hold my beer" or "Hold my drink" -- though, sure, that could be expressed as "Hold my ''glass''" -- which started out as part of a stock joke format and then turned into an Internet meme, although the ideas involved are similar. ("Hold my beer" is said by someone in a joke or story just before they do something suicidally foolish, [[BarBrawl usually]] not getting into a fight.)

Naturally, a sister trope for this is TheGlassesComeOff.
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!!Examples:

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[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* In ''Manga/OnePiece'', whenever Monkey D. Luffy gets really, ''really'' pissed off, he'll sometimes hand his prized straw hat to Nami before going off to battle.
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[[folder:Comics]]
* When ''Justice League: A New Beginning'' sees the neverending battle of wills between [[ComicBook/GreenLantern Guy Gardner]] and Franchise/{{Batman}} finally come to blows, Guy takes off his power ring and hands it to the ComicBook/BlueBeetle. Beetle promptly tosses it over his shoulder, as he's rooting for Batman (and [[CurbStompBattle gets his wish]]).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* Played with in ''Film/PaulBlartMallCop''. Blart comes into a women's clothing store to help with an altercation between two women. He makes some... [[BerserkButton unflattering remarks]] to one of the ladies, and she takes off her earrings, asks him to hold them... then beats ''him'' up.
* ''Film/FreeJimmy'' had Hudma Specs, an ill-tempered dude with a [[ViolentGlaswegian Scottish accent]]. His catchphrase? "Hud ma specs!", before beating someone up.
* The character Mike in ''Film/SLCPunk'' does this before walking through a mosh pit to keep a friend of his from being beaten by two bouncers.
* In ''Creator/JackieChan's Who Am I?'', Jackie eventually gets into a fight with some villains on a rooftop. As Jackie takes advantage of how one of them is wearing a jacket, tie, earrings, etc., the other guy immediately starts removing them.
* Used in ''Film/ScaryMovie'' with the AmbiguouslyGay character:
-->'''Ray:''' What, you wanna get butt naked and wrestle?! ''(turns to girlfriend)'' Here, Brenda, hold my earrings.
** Also, from the sequel:
--->'''[[TheStoner Shorty]]:''' Hold my tooth!
* {{Inverted| Trope}} in ''Film/TheManWithTheGoldenArm'', when a man asks someone else to take off his glasses so that he could punch the other guy in the face.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Don't Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings: [[Creator/TylerPerry Madea's]] Uninhibited Commentaries on Love and Life''
* Played with in an ''Literature/EncyclopediaBrown'' mystery. Encyclopedia's friend Sally is on a date, and the boy gets in a fight to defend Sally's honor and removes his glasses before he starts. However, Encyclopedia deduces that the fight was staged since [[spoiler:he put them in his shirt/coat pocket, where they would have been broken in a real fight]]. He tips Sally off to the ruse, who beats her suitor up until he fakes unconsciousness to get her to back off.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'':
** One of Marshall's female coworkers admits to Lily that she kissed Marshall. Lily seems to take it well as she has a calm, pleasant conversation with the woman. It isn't until she takes off her earrings that there is any warning of her [[PintsizedPowerhouse knocking the woman out.]]
** When a bartender goads Ted and Barney into joining him in a back-alley rumble, Barney sheds his suit jacket and gives it to Robin to hold (he is trying to impress her with his willingness to fight). He asks her to find a wooden hanger for it.
* Shows up in the ''Series/{{Glee}}'' episode titled "Silly Love Songs", Lauren hands her glasses to Puck before beating up Santana.
* A variation of this occurs in the ''Series/{{Victorious}}'' episode "A film by Dave Squires". Andre's cousin removes her earrings and simply drops them on the floor before fighting with the eponymous Dave Squires.
* Played for laughs in an episode of ''Series/SixFeetUnder'', when Vanessa and her sister are spying on [[spoiler:Rico's stripper girlfriend]]. Eventually Vanessa snaps and takes off her earrings (and puts Vaseline on her face like a catfight veteran) before going to pick a fight with her.
* The 'AIDS Burger' scene in season one of ''Series/TrueBlood'', where Lafayette removes his earrings before giving a group of homophobic redneck diners a beatdown.
* ''Series/HappyEndings'': Some ill-considered beans spilling by Max causes the Kerkovich Sisters' usually cattiness to escalate to a war of words, then another ill-considered attempt to patch things ups further escalates almost to the point of fisticuffs. Jane remove her earrings, while Alex practically slathers her face with Vaseline! When Jane snaps a mop handle in half, Max and Brad wisely decide that it's time to physically separate the two.
* Music/JenniferLopez appears in ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' for a sketch about a cheap commercial for hoop earrings, bringing up how you have to take them off before you get into a fight. Just a week later, a ColdOpen about the Democratic candidates' debate leads up to TheReveal that Donald Trump had been backstage and hearing them badmouthing him the whole time - cue Alec Baldwin as Trump storming onto the stage ''while taking off his hoop earrings.''
* ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir'': When Uncle Phil and Aunt Viv confront the racist cops that arrested Will and Carlton the cops insist they're "too busy" to deal with them. Viv responds by removing her earrings and telling them things are about to get ''very'' busy in here.
* One episode of Season 3's ''Series/TheMaskedSinger'' features guest panelist Creator/YvetteNicoleBrown. At one point she decides to take one of her hoop earrings off as she's speaking, which makes Nick Cannon nervous a fight's about to happen.
-->'''Nick Cannon''': When a black woman starts taking her earrings off that means it's turnt up!
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* In ''Webcomic/{{Shadowgirls}}'', a super-powered Charon hands her glasses to her daughter before taking a giant sea beast out with a {{Shoryuken}}.
* In ''Webcomic/WeakHero'', Jimmy tries to goad Wolf into battle when the two cross paths. Wolf accepts his challenge and indicates it by telling his right-hand man to hold his glasses.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* The [[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/hold-my-flower "Hold my flower"]] meme.
* In the ''WebVideo/EpicRapBattlesOfHistory'' video where Cleopatra went up against Marilyn Monroe, Marilyn takes off her earrings and looks like she's about to throw down with the Egyptian queen.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* Owen on ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' didn't have anyone to hand his glasses to, but when the gargoyles dared him to stop them from taking [[SpellBook the Grimorum Arcanorum]] from Xanatos' possession he calmly took them off, put them in his breast pocket and [[BattleButler tried to do just that]]. It didn't work, yet he still managed to firmly establish himself as a BadassNormal.
[[/folder]]
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