Needs a better name: Tom Dick My Name Is Harry

And this time I'll actually elaborate on why. <.<;

The trope is (spoilerd in case you want to play Guess That Trope) someone trying to call someone else and can't get the right name. There seems to be more to it than that, but the description is vague as to exactly what.

To me, though, that title sounds like a guy introducing himself to two other guys.

And I'm pretty sure there's a whole "don't name tropes things that could be dialogue lines" thing going on, which this completely is.

e: It's got nine wicks and 27 inbounds, despite predating the current discussion system, which just screams "unhealthy trope!" And apparently the YKTTW was called Name List Rundown, which, while not much clearer, is distinctly not a line of dialogue.

edited 14th Aug '11 4:49:54 PM by billybobfred

I second everything in your post.

Agreed.

I think the format of the title is supposed to be one person saying "Tom? Dick?" and the other saying "My name is Harry!" but it's not clear at all.

Yes, I realized that after reading the trope description. It's easy enough to understand, if you already understand it... that doesn't exactly make sense but you get the idea.

Indeed. Titles definitely should not be Fridge Brilliance.

For now, custom title it to display correctly. Possibly rename if a better one comes up or if it's still a problem

I've custom-titled it to Tom? Dick? My name is Harry! .

Wow; single-digit wikilinks for an article older than the discussion system is definitely a sign of a non-healthy trope.

And there is no way this trope is that rare. Name List Rundown is perfectly serviceable, though I think something list Running Through The Names might be better.

The current name also has the problem of not indicating its call-and-response nature.

Maddy, isn't this a dialogue trope?

Agree 100% with the OP.

Second Running Through The Names, or what about Name Guessing?

I seriously thought this was a "Harry seems to be a popular name for heroes" trope, in the manner of Jack Attack.

@Deboss: Yes, this could be a textbook example supporting the "lines of dialogue are difficult to link" argument.

This isn't "Name Guessing". "Name Confusion" is closer, but still not precise.

Suddenly the word "muddling" seems to apply to this trope, but I'm not sure how you would turn that into a trope name.

Yes, it's a dialogue trope. That's not a problem; we have lots of Dialogue Tropes that are perfectly fine and healthy and have good names. And it's a valid trope.

It's just got a name that is a line of dialogue — that's the problem. Running Through The Names would work.

edited 15th Aug '11 8:52:26 AM by Madrugada

The problem with Running Through The Names is that it sounds more like "this character has a bunch of nicknames/titles/aliases, and I have to use them one by one until I find one that works".

Running Through The Names is the best one so far.

What Was Your Name Again?

I like What Was Your Name Again, although this trope also has significant overlap with My Name Is Not Durwood.

What Was Your Name Again is still a line-of-dialogue name, and it sounds like a completely different situation, where the one character asks what the other character's name is. This is running through the list of somehow related (even if only vaguely related) names before hitting the right one.

Well, My Name Is Not Durwood is frequently used to cover that situation. In fact, most of the examples I can think of that might be this trope are already listed under that one.

edited 15th Aug '11 1:38:54 PM by Fighteer

Name Mix Up?

Wait a sec. The whole reason we're having trouble with this is because we're focusing on the title and not the trope. What is the trope? If we figure that out then we can come up with a non-dialogue title that works for it.

Is it just Can't Remember Your Name, or it is specifically for when Alice tries a long list of names for Bob before remembering (or being reminded) of the actual one. Long List Of Possible Names might fit that.

edited 15th Aug '11 1:49:31 PM by Fighteer