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Fiction
"The...uh, Brick."
— Upon picking up a literal brick, Reelism
"You may be wondering about the Squid Research Lab. Well, we research... squids. In a lab!"
"The Custom Dual Squelcher is exactly what is sounds like—a Dual Squelcher with a custom look!"
— Sheldon, Splatoon
"You're in Rindir's Staffs. And I'm Rindir. I sell magical staffs. Imagine that."
— Rindir, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Walt: So, what do you watch?
Jesse: I dunno, stuff.
Walt: Like what?
Jesse: I dunno. Ice Road Truckers.
Walt: Ice Road Truckers. What happens on that one?
Jesse: Guys drive on ice.
Jesse: I dunno, stuff.
Walt: Like what?
Jesse: I dunno. Ice Road Truckers.
Walt: Ice Road Truckers. What happens on that one?
Jesse: Guys drive on ice.
— Breaking Bad, "Bug"
Gabe: What are you reading?
Tycho: The Time Machine.
Gabe: Oh? What's it about?
Tycho: The Time Machine? What's The Time Machine about?
Gabe: Yeah.
Tycho: Karate.
Tycho: The Time Machine.
Gabe: Oh? What's it about?
Tycho: The Time Machine? What's The Time Machine about?
Gabe: Yeah.
Tycho: Karate.
John Conner: Jesus, you were gonna kill that guy!
T-800: Of course. I'm a Terminator.
T-800: Of course. I'm a Terminator.
"This is Ronseal Quick Drying Woodstain. You can't miss it, it comes in a tin with Ronseal Quick Drying Woodstain on it. It protects and is rainproof in thirty minutes, which means that in thirty minutes your wood's rainproof and protected. So if you've got wood to stain and you want it to dry quickly, use Ronseal Quick Drying Woodstain. It does exactly what it says on the tin."
— Ronseal Quick Drying Woodstain, the Trope Namer
"The file's called 'catonfire_fallingfromanairplane.exe'. I'm not gonna tell you what it is, but trust me: You got to check it out!"
"Garbage Island. You haven't heard of Garbage Island? It's an island. ...Made of garbage!"
— Marshall, How I Met Your Mother, "Garbage Island"
"All I know is the steak tastes better when I take my steak-tastes-better pill."
— Jonathan Coulton, I Feel Fantastic
"What," said Trillian in a small quiet voice, "does 'sundive' mean?"
"It means," said Marvin, "that the ship is going to dive into the sun. Sun. Dive. It's very simple to understand."
"It means," said Marvin, "that the ship is going to dive into the sun. Sun. Dive. It's very simple to understand."
"What a load of rubbish. I've got a tin at home that says "Open other end". It never is."
— Humphrey Lyttelton, I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue
Internet Man: Bart, I'm not a woman, and I can't have babies. But I can give life to animated internet cartoons. Let me show you one of our hottest shows: Bin Laden in a Blender.
Bin Laden: [in a blender] Allah akb— AAAAHHH!
Lisa: Well, it delivers what it promises.
Bin Laden: [in a blender] Allah akb— AAAAHHH!
Lisa: Well, it delivers what it promises.
Percy: Here's one, my lord; the Jumping Jews of Jerusalem.
Blackadder: What do they do?
Percy: They jump, my lord. They travel from town to town and they jump... a lot.
Blackadder: What do they do?
Percy: They jump, my lord. They travel from town to town and they jump... a lot.
Avi: Why do they call [Boris] the "bullet dodger"?
Tony: ...Because he dodges bullets, Avi.
Tony: ...Because he dodges bullets, Avi.
— Snatch.
"That's right. This is just a nest of watchers, just as the name implies."
— Lyar Von Ertiana (referring to the Watcher's Nest), Divergence Eve.
"I hate it when the title of a book gives away the whole plot. Take Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea. Geez, talk about leaving nothing to the imagination."
— Dilbert
Karela: What are you doing in the Place of Death?
The Doctor: Oh, just pottering around. I have this insatiable curiosity, you see. Why do you call it the Place of Death?
Karela: Because anyone found in this place is automatically condemned to death.
The Doctor: Oh, just pottering around. I have this insatiable curiosity, you see. Why do you call it the Place of Death?
Karela: Because anyone found in this place is automatically condemned to death.
— Doctor Who, "The Creature from the Pit"
"What's a defabricator?" *ZAP* "Okay...defabricator — does exactly what it says on the tin."
— Captain Jack Harkness, Doctor Who
Amy: [after being shrunk] What was that?
Rory: Some kind of miniaturization ray.
Amy: How do you know that?
Rory: Well, there was a ray... and we were miniaturized.
Rory: Some kind of miniaturization ray.
Amy: How do you know that?
Rory: Well, there was a ray... and we were miniaturized.
— Doctor Who, "Let's Kill Hitler"
"It's a bow. Seriously. If you need a description of what a bow does, maybe you should stop playing. Maybe read a dictionary. People who don't know what bows are get shot in the eyeballs."
— Description of the Bow, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon
"Evil Overlords? Then you must be — a villain!"
"It's kinda implied in the name, isn't it?"
"It's kinda implied in the name, isn't it?"
Mother: Why not talk about the Christmas Lighted Farm Implement parade?
Son: There's not much to say. They put Christmas lights on farm implements and have a parade. It's all right there in the title.
Son: There's not much to say. They put Christmas lights on farm implements and have a parade. It's all right there in the title.
JB: I'm JB, Jibolba's Brother.
Tak: That's funny.
JB: What's funny?
Tak: Well, your name, JB. And you're Jibolba's brother. It's the same initials.
JB: That's not funny. That is my name, Jibolba's Brother. Mother didn't even bother to think of a name for me.
Tak: That's funny.
JB: What's funny?
Tak: Well, your name, JB. And you're Jibolba's brother. It's the same initials.
JB: That's not funny. That is my name, Jibolba's Brother. Mother didn't even bother to think of a name for me.
The stone relic we discovered has been named. We are calling it the Sheikah Slate. We have not found any mention of a name for this object in the records we have unearthed so far... Nevertheless, Purah insisted we call it the Sheikah Slate, as the relic is a slate made by the Sheikah tribe. Feels a bit on the nose to me, but it was not a fight I thought I could win.
—Zelda's Research Notes, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Sellsword. Pretty much sums it up: a poor man has a sword; a rich man needs a man with a sword; gold is exchanged.
—Bronn, Game of Thrones: History And Lore Of Westeros - Sellswords and Hedge-Knights
Roy: I don't remember the name, but you have a spell that locates objects, right?
Vaarsuvius: Yes. It is called Locate Object.
Vaarsuvius: Yes. It is called Locate Object.
Gladiolus: So, the Blademaster...
Cor: He's a master of blades. What, were you expecting something profound?
They called it, as Rainbow insisted, “Severe Weather Appreciation Week.” It seemed like a pretty easy concept to Rainbow Dash: you have severe weather, and you appreciate it. She wasn’t sure how much simpler she could make it.
“I don’t get it,” Rarity said. “Are you preventing the severe weather? Are we supposed to appreciate you for that?”
— Severe Weather Appreciation Week
by Cold in Gardez
by Cold in Gardez"Mentallo is using mind control? Oh yeah. "Mental-o." Now I see it. Now if anyone could explain to me what "Magnet-o's" powers are, this franchise would all make perfect sense."
—Deadpool, Weapon X (2017) #23
I think the title of that birthday kind of... tells you all you need to know.
— Birthday Boy, regarding the "Running-out-of-ideas-tell-you-what-let's-do-as-much-of-the-day-as-we-can-standing-on-one-leg Birthday"
"The hammerhead shark is known for its distinctive, hammer-shaped head, hence the name. Er, obviously."
— Blathers, Animal Crossing: New Horizons
"Our captain friends told me they call this sea "great" because it's so big! Isn't that big? I mean, great?"
—Olivia, Paper Mario: The Origami King
"The #1 movie in America was called Ass. And that's all it was for 90 minutes."
—Narrator, Idiocracy
Poirot: Tell me, what is this Brown Windsor Soup?
Waiter: Well, sir, it's soup...from Windsor.
Waiter: Well, sir, it's soup...from Windsor.
"Dragoon Hero Ryukyu! Quirk: Dragon! Honestly, the name pretty much speaks for itself."
— Present Mic narrating about Ryukyu's Quirk, which allows her to transform into a dragon, English dub of Episode 104 of My Hero Academia
Brock: What is 'Explode Into Sharks'?
[Brock uses it on Ledger, who explodes into a bunch of sharks]
Brock: O-Oh, okay.
Ledger: Wait, try it again, so we know for science.
Brock: Yeah, yeah.
[Brock uses it on Joe, who explodes into a bunch of sharks]
Ledger: Okay, yeah, yeah. Uhh, so it explodes people into sharks.
Brock: [Ledger Corpsing] Okay, I'm getting that.
[Brock uses it on Ledger, who explodes into a bunch of sharks]
Brock: O-Oh, okay.
Ledger: Wait, try it again, so we know for science.
Brock: Yeah, yeah.
[Brock uses it on Joe, who explodes into a bunch of sharks]
Ledger: Okay, yeah, yeah. Uhh, so it explodes people into sharks.
Brock: [Ledger Corpsing] Okay, I'm getting that.
— Mr. Gibbs, "Nextbot Stairway to Heaven"
Oona: [about her Oonabot] Oh, great. She went into the bottomless pit door!
Ocean: Does that mean she's going to fall forever?
Oona: If she doesn't... then I guess I'll have to rename that door.
Ocean: Does that mean she's going to fall forever?
Oona: If she doesn't... then I guess I'll have to rename that door.
— Odd Squad, "Oona and the Oonabots"
On Works
"Consumer note: Nobody walks on fire in this movie."
— Roger Ebert reviews Fire Walker (1986)
[introducing the heroes of Netflix's then upcoming MCU series]
"...and opposing [Jessica Jones] is The Purple Man, named so because he is purple (and also a man)..."
"...and opposing [Jessica Jones] is The Purple Man, named so because he is purple (and also a man)..."
"RoboCop was the finest movie; where the title was also the entire concept, the script, and all the advertising you'd ever need."
Matt: When I was in college, a professor of mine and I would routinely recite the voiceover from the HotD trailer, which warned of “zombies…HORRIBLE zombies.”
Chris: Truth in advertising.
Chris: Truth in advertising.
—Chris Sims and Matt Wilson on Bloodrayne
Bloodrayne"It seems like I've gotten to the point on this show where, really, I don't even think I need to watch the damn movie; I can just listen to the title and pretty much guess 100% what's going to be in it. What's this I have today? Curse of the Cannibal Confederates? Oh yeah, I'm sure there's a huge chance this is gonna be a Venice-set murder mystery!"
"At this point, you're probably wondering what Trash Humpers is about. Well, you know how Cats was about cats?"
— Oancitizen, Brows Held High
"The title says 'Electric Boogaloo' and by God that's what you're going to get. So sit down, shut up and watch the f*cking dancing! They dance, and dance, and dance, and dance and you feel like committing seppuku and then you realize you are only 10 MINUTES INTO THE MOVIE! If you were to make a drinking game where you take a shot every time a different dance scene started, you would be dead of alcohol poisoning at the 30 minute mark... Just imagine someone doing the robot, then doing a spinaroonie, then doing a little Michael Jackson move, then back to doing the robot again, lather rinse repeat. That is every single dance scene in the entire movie. That is your F*CKING Electric Boogaloo. Oh God, its like a never ending nightmare. If there is a hell, it is a constant loop of ‘I Believe in the Beat’ while Ozone shakes his pleathered package in your face..."
"Why it's, dare I say it, A Swarm, maybe even THE Swarm! That's a season 3 thing: Really Direct Titles. 'The Chute' is about a chute, 'Flashback' is about a flashback, 'Sacred Ground' is about some sacred ground, and 'Warlord' is about a warlord."
— SF Debris on Star Trek: Voyager, "The Swarm"
"New Walking Dead Season 5 Teaser Features Walking, Dead"
— Luke Y. Thompson, Topless Robot
, Topless Robot"It's perhaps cynical to decide to demand less of a story just because it's called Dinosaurs on a Spaceship, but what else can you do? The story is openly inviting us to revel in superficial fun, and it gives us lots of it. Among a TARDIS crew who can do this in their sleep (and, one occasionally suspects, might actually be), Rupert Graves, David Bradley, and Mark Williams, there's a cast that can make a bit of madcap silliness work...In the end, the worst you can say about this episode is that it's called Dinosaurs on a Spaceship, and that this is a pretty solid and reasonable title for what the story is. This is also the best you can say about it. Actually, it might just be all there is to say about it."
"You're a ninja, fruits are flying at you and fuck fruit!"
— Yahtzee on Fruit Ninja
"The point I'm trying to make is that 'Skate 2' is a game for skaters. The purity of the experience is right there in the title: 'Skate', because that's all it is. Also, 2, because there was another one."
— Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw, Zero Punctuation
"Get this: The full name of [this game] is 'Hannah Montana Pop Tour Guitar Video Game', which is one of my favourite titles ever for a video game, up there with 'Doom Space Marine First-Person Shooter Video Game', 'Nonsense Fantasy Role-Playing Video Game', and of course, 'Piece of Shit'."
"Look at these titles: 'Baseball', 'Basketball', 'Football'... Not this Madden shit, just plain ass, normal, everyday, no question about it, no 'NFL', no year, not named after a player, not named after a coach, not named after the referee's pet goldfish, no quarterback, dimeback, nickelback... Simple, ordinary, unembellished, unmistakeable, crystal clear, as frank as Frankenstein, as blunt as an atom bomb... One compound word, it's motherfucking, goddamn, sons-of-bitching, fuck-fuck fucking, FOOTBALL!!"
— The Angry Video Game Nerd, Atari Sports
"Under normal iOS rules for naming a game, 'Finger Sling' would be a game where you sling fingers. I don't know how or why we've got into this terrible funk with names, the kind where we end up with a game where you shoot lots of robots called 'Shoot Many Robots' or a game where you feed something oil called 'Feed Me Oil' or a game where you run through a temple called 'Temple Run'." Can you imagine if we’d have had this sort of thing at the dawn of videogames? 'I’m just nipping off for a game of Shoot Aliens', 'Anyone fancy a game of Eat Pills?' or 'Ride a bird into battle'.
— Rob of Retro Remakes, describing the iOS Game Finger Sling
, describing the iOS Game Finger Sling"I listened to it all and I said "Andrew, is this something I don't get? Is this about Queen Victoria, she's the main cat, Disraeli and Gladstone are other cats, and then there are, you know, poor cats and... am I missing this?" And he took a terrible, painful long pause and said "Hal, it's about cats." And we never discussed it again."
— Hal Prince, on why he turned down Cats
"(Moll Flanders is born in NEWGATE. Throughout her life, she has FORTUNES and MISFORTUNES and a CHILDHOOD. She becomes a WHORE. She gets married FIVE TIMES [once to her own BROTHER]. She becomes a THIEF. She is exiled to Virginia as a FELON. She gets RICH. She lives HONEST. She dies PENITENT.)"
— Book-A-Minute summary of Moll Flanders, which puts the verbose title into plain English.
of Moll Flanders, which puts the verbose title into plain English.