When someone responds in a dangerous, angry tone (usually "Whaaaat?"), it is typically in response to a loaded question, or anything loaded at all. It indicates that the person who said this indicates that the person they are addressing is about to enter a world of hurt. Variations include "What was that?", "You did WHAT?!" or "What did you call me?". It may or may not be said in a tone of Tranquil Fury and accompanied by a Death Glare.
One response to this could be a Lame Rhyme Dodge, which usually works — usually. Or they might repeat the original question more slowly for emphasis, either by punctuating their words or, if it's a single word, by spelling that word out.
Compare Big "WHAT?!", which is based on volume.
See also Flat "What", which is a confused statement in response to something weird, and Defensive "What?".
Examples:
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Fan Works
- The Mountain and the Wolf: After the Wolf learns the Iron Fleet won't be attacking King's Landing after all, his bloodthirsty grin stays but becomes far less amenable, and he gives a "What." before demanding an explanation. When the unfortunate messenger confirms it, the Wolf shakes him angrily and tromps off, venting his rage by flattening a soldier's helmet. It's all an act, as the Iron Fleet now obeys his orders and he needed them to keep Daenerys' armies in King's Landing without threatening them.
- She's Mine Then opens with Pepa furiously asking "What?!" upon hearing that Abuela is planning to send her five-year-old niece Mirabel away because she didn't get a Gift.
Film — Animated
- 101 Dalmatians: After Perdita's puppies are born, Cruella shows up with an offer to buy them for herself. She ends up doing this when Roger nervously, but defiantly, declares that the puppies will not be sold.
Cruella: (writing a check) When can the puppies leave their mother? Two weeks? Three weeks?
Roger: Never!
Cruella: (gets up and into Roger's face) What...?
Roger: We-We-We're not... not s-s-selling... th-the puppies. N-Not a single, single one! You understand? - Alice in Wonderland: In the trial against Alice, as the Queen of Hearts is about to carry out her sentence (by beheading, naturally), Alice reaches into her apron pockets and discovers the mushroom pieces from earlier, which she eats, allowing her to grow to giant size. Everyone is terrified at her size now, but as Alice proceeds to bad-mouth the Queen, she suddenly starts shrinking down to normal size as the effects of the mushrooms wear off, and her voice trails off as she realizes she's in big trouble now.
Alice: (to the Queen) And as for you, (curtsies) Your Majesty... (her expression turns sour) Your Majesty indeed! Why, you're not a queen, (suddenly starts shrinking) you're just a fat, pompous, bad-tempered old ty... (she is back to her normal size and she finishes weakly) ...tyrant...
Queen: (chuckles; softly but dangerously) And, uh, what were you saying, my dear?
Cheshire Cat: (sitting on the Queen's head) Why, she simply said you're a fat, pompous, bad-tempered old tyrant! (cackles)
(Alice becomes alarmed at what the Cat said)
Queen: OFF WITH HER HEAD!!! - The Emperor's New Groove: When Emperor Kuzco is turned into a llama and ends up in Pacha's village, he demands that he bring him back to his palace and change him back. But Pacha, whose village the emperor wants to raze to make way for his new summer home, says he'll do it on one condition...
Pacha: Build you summer house somewhere else.
Kuzco: (suddenly pauses) You wanna run that by me again?
Pacha: (with hesitation) I can't let you go back unless you change your mind and build your summer home somewhere else.
Kuzco: (beat) I have a little secret for you. Come here. No, closer. (Pacha leans in) I DON'T MAKE DEALS WITH PEASANTS!! - Frozen (2013): When Kristoff refers to Oaken as a "crook", Oaken stands up (revealing himself to be much taller than Kristoff) and asks, "Vhat did you...call me?" Cue him tossing Kristoff out of his store.
- In The Great Mouse Detective, while Prof. Ratigan's thugs are singing "The World's Greatest Criminal Mind", one particularly drunk thug, Bartholomew, makes the fatal mistake of calling him a rat. When he hears that, Ratigan, who was drinking some champagne, spits it out in shock and turns sharply to Bartholomew.
Ratigan: What was THAT?! What did you call me?!
Thug 1: (pleadingly) Oh, he didn't mean it, Professor!
Thug 2: It was just of the slip of the tongue!
Ratigan: (grabbing Bartholomew and yelling in his face) I AM NOT A RAT!!!
Thug 3: 'Course you're not.
Thug 1: You're a mouse.
Thug 4: Yeah, a-a big mouse.
Ratigan: SILENCE! - Hercules: When Meg tells Hades about her encounter with Hercules, he responds with angry questions because his minions were supposed to (and, as he's now learning, had failed to) kill him 18 years ago.
Hades: What was that name again?
Meg: Hercules. He comes on with this "big, innocent farm boy" routine, but I could see through that in a Peloponnesian minute. - The Lion King: After Scar becomes king, he gives an angry "what did you say?" to anyone who says his brother's name.
- When addressing Zazu, who is forced to entertain him...
Zazu: (grudgingly) Oh, I never had to do this with Mufasa.
Scar: What?! What did you say?
Zazu: Oh, nothing!
Scar: You know the law: never mention that name in my presence! I AM THE KING!
Zazu: Yes, Sire, you are the king! I-I... Well, I only mentioned it to demonstrate the differences in your own managerial approaches. - And when addressing the hyenas...
Banzai: (under his breath) And I thought things were bad under Mufasa.
Scar: What did you say?!
Banzai: I said Muf—(Shenzi nudges him) I-I said, uh, "Que pasa?".
Scar: ...Good, now get out.
- When addressing Zazu, who is forced to entertain him...
- My Little Pony: The Movie (1986): After Hydia finds out that Reeka and Draggle didn't get any Phlume for the Smooze, Reeka's attempt to defuse the situation only manages to push her mother's Berserk Button (namely, calling her "Mama").
Reeka: It was an honest mistake, Mama!
Hydia: What... did you... call me?
Reeka: Sorry, Hydia! I didn't mean to call you Mama! - In Turning Red, when Mei's father discovers her in her giant red panda form for the first time he exclaims "It's happened already?" to which Mei responds "What did you say?". She immediately realizes that her father's exclamation implies that her parents knew she would gain the ability to transform into a giant red panda and didn't tell her beforehand.
Film — Live Action
- Mirrormask: A nervous servant approaches the Dark Queen at dinner to tell her Helena has escaped with the Mirrormask (and technically the second time it's happened). When the Queen growls "What?!", her voice goes VERY demonic, a prelude to her One-Winged Angel form.
- From the 1998 remake of The Parent Trap:
- Meredith threatens to make life hell for Hallie and Annie when she marries their father, Nicholas, as the twins try to make her life hell during the Horrible Camping Trip (for Meredith anyway) they're on in order to break them up.
Meredith: One more trick from you two and I promise I'll make your lives miserable from the day I say "I do." Got it? (turns to walk off)
Hallie: Got it, Cruella.
Meredith: (turning sharply back to her) What did you call me?
Hallie: Nothing, nothing, not a thing... (under her breath) Cruella. - This happens again when Meredith is finally at her wits' end thanks to the twins and has it out with her fiancé over them:
Nicholas: (seeing Meredith sopping wet and seething) What's going on?
Meredith: Here's what's going on, buddy: the day we get married is the day I ship those (points at his daughters) brats off to Switzerland! Get the picture? It's me or them. Take your pick.
Nicholas: (gesturing toward his daughters) Them.
Meredith: (eyes widening in anger) Excuse me?
Nicholas: T-H-E-M, them. (leans in close to her) Get the picture?
- Meredith threatens to make life hell for Hallie and Annie when she marries their father, Nicholas, as the twins try to make her life hell during the Horrible Camping Trip (for Meredith anyway) they're on in order to break them up.
Literature
- Holes: The Warden's catchphrase, "Excuse me."/"Excuse me?" Half the time she says it, it's as a warning.
(After the Warden tells Mr. Pendanski to refill everyone's canteens)
"I just filled them a little while ago," said Mr. Pendanski.
The Warden stared hard at him. "Excuse me," she said. Her voice was soft.
"I had just filled them when Rex—"
"Excuse me," the Warden said again. "Did I ask you when you last filled them?" - Witches Abroad: During their nastiest argument, Magrat insults Granny Weatherwax, who then politely but firmly asks her to repeat herself. The narration notes that asking someone to repeat something both parties know full well the offended heard the first time around is "Defcon 3" in argument terms.
Video Games
- Banjo-Kazooie: Gruntilda does this in the German translation when Dingpot, her Kessel, says Tooty is prettier than she. Roughly translated in English...
Dingpot: Hmmm... doch da gibt es ein Mädchen... ("Hmmm... but there is a girl...")
Gruntilda: Das kann nicht sein, niemand hier darf schöner sein! ("That cannot be, nobody here can be more beautiful!")
Dingpot: Tooty ist so süss und klein, sie ist die hübscheste von allen! ("Tooty is so cute and small, she is the prettiest of them all!")
Gruntilda: WAS?! Du mieser alter Kessel, ich mache aus dir einen Sessel! ("WHAT?! You miserable old cauldron, I'll make an armchair out of you!")
Dingpot: Tooty ist nicht nur hübsch, sie ist ein wahrer Engel! ("Tooty is not only pretty, she is a real angel!")
(Gruntilda prepares to depart with her broom)
Gruntilda: Dem Biest werde ich es zeigen! ("I'll show that brat!") - Saints Row: The Third solidly establishes the Hair-Trigger Temper of Killbane, the successive leader of the Syndicate, as soon as Kiki DeWynter makes the mistake of addressing him by his real name. Luckily, Kiki's more cautious sister Viola is on hand to correct her and prevent Killbane from lashing out. When Kiki insults Killbane again much later in the game, he doesn't bother to correct her a second time.
Kiki: Calm down, Eddie.
Killbane: What... did you call me?
Web Animation
- In one issue of Teen Girl Squad (on Homestar Runner), the girls are celebrating "Valentime's Day", though So and So pronounces "Valentine's" correctly. Throughout the toon, Cheerleader is hunting for "cards from boys" so she won't lose her "Mindy cred". She becomes desperate when she doesn't seem to be making a lot of headway:
Cheerleader: Valentimes is serious times!
So and So: (annoyed) -tines.
Cheerleader: (angrily) Whaaaat?
So and So: ValenTINE'S! T-I-N—
(A racecar driven by a fork drives up)
Narrator Strong Bad: (imitating a car engine) Tines, tines, tines...
(The racecar runs over So and So, killing her)
Narrator Strong Bad: TINES!
Cheerleader: ...As I was saying, Vamlumtimes Day is serious times.
Western Animation
- Arthur: In "Bleep", D.W. swears when Jane's in earshot. Jane comes into the room and asks her what she said in a Tranquil Fury tone.
Jane: Dora Winifred Read...what did you just say to me?
D.W.: Um...can I have a soda? - My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic: Celestia, of all ponies, gives a very menacing "What?" in "A Royal Problem" when Starlight switches Cutie marks (and thus powers) between Celestia and Luna to stop the sisters from fighting, then says she can't reverse the spell for 24 hours... even if she wanted to.
- In one episode of Recess, Gus clumsily lets out the gang's code-name for Miss Finster to her face, earning himself a detention:
Gus: Don't look at us, Crocodilicus.
Finster: (menacing) What did you just call me, Griswald?!
(Gus gulps terrified, realizing what he just said) - South Park: A running gag prior to Ms. Crabtree's death is someone insulting Ms. Crabtree. She yells out her catchphrase, "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!", only to calm down immediately after they say they said something that rhymed.
- Played for Laughs in the Spongebob Squarepants episode "Imitation Krabs" where Plankton disguises in a Mr. Krabs cyborg and, after a lengthy and exhausting amount of rigmarole, demands the Krabby Patty formula from Spongebob:
Spongebob: No can do, Mr. Krabs.
Krabs-bot: (in Machine Monotone) WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!! - In Star vs. the Forces of Evil, Eclipsa is trying to talk to her long-lost daughter Meteora, who has assumed her monster form and is rampaging around Mewni, stealing people's souls.
Meteora: Are you really my...my mama?
Eclipsa: You know, I think I prefer "mother".
Meteora: (as her eyes glow dangerously) What?
Eclipsa: You know, "mama" is just fine. - Star Trek: Prodigy: In the pilot episode, after Rok-Tahk accidentally activates the Translator Microbes, Dal realizes that the apparent Rock Monster is actually a little girl.
Dal: And you're not a big fella. You're a...
Rok-Tahk: What!!
Dal: Not what I expected. - Steven Universe: When Peridot finally manages to make contact with Yellow Diamond, she suggests that the project to destroy the Earth should be suspended, causing Yellow to cock her head and ask "why?" in a coldly venomous tone.
- Teen Titans: In "Troq", Robin does this when Cyborg tells him that Val-Yor had been calling Starfire "Troq" because it's an anti-Tamaranian slur.
Robin: What?
Cyborg: (whispering) And that's what he's been calling her this whole time.
Robin: Starfire, why didn't you say something? (slams his fist into his palm) He will apologize! I'm gonna make him!
