Ambiguous Name: Wafer Thin Mint

Wafer Thin Mint is a thirty year old pop culture reference that you need to have seen Monty Python to get. The trope naming example on that page is basically a Zero Context Example that directs to a second page.

The page itself specifies "The last straw" and "The straw that broke the camel's back" as more commonly known names of this trope, so why isn't it called that?

I brought this up before in Trope Talk section, but Fighteer said it was a matter for TRS. Sooooo...I would suggest changing the name of the trope to "The last straw" or "The straw that broke the camel's back".

edited 1st Mar '14 11:13:27 PM by Eagal

As much as I love Monty Python I have to agree, it is sort of a bad name

Oh, so that's what that one FoxTrot strip was referencing…

Yeah, I agree, bad name. "The Straw That Broke the Camel's Back" is kind of long, but I tend to hear "the last straw" meaning "I've had it up to here and can't take it anymore", so I think that "…broke the camel's back" will suffice.

I'm reminded of Scylla and Charybdis, that's a long-standing title which can be ambiguous if you're not up on your Greek mythology. Far more esoteric than Monty Python for sure but I'm just reminded.

edited 1st Mar '14 11:43:34 PM by treelo

I support a rename. While Scylla and Charybdis has idiomatic value, this name doesn't.

It's still obscure but we keep it, that phrasing could be idiomatic to some in the same way but when was the last time anyone but some literary egghead said "we're between Scylla and Charybdis here"? I figure this probably comes up a lot more often so a rename sounds good but I wouldn't overlook we have far more obscure terms loitering around.

And when's the last time someone used Wafer Thin Mint as is defined on it's page outside of TV Tropes? If not a rename, could use several more redirects.

I'm not against a rename, I think it'd be beneficial as it's a Fan Myopia title and I'm not big on those and yeah, it's probably used about as much as Scylla and Charybdis in that context.

edited 2nd Mar '14 3:13:42 AM by treelo

^ With just over 100 inbounds I'm not sure. To be fair, that's more than we have for Scylla And Charbydis, but it's not a good value for 'catching on'. And a quick search for "wafer thin mint -tvtropes" turn up about 60k results, which is not very informative either (when much of them obviously reference the Monty Python skit).

Support rename to The Last Straw

Me too.

While the Wafer Thin Mint sketch is not exactly that obscure (one of the better-known parts of the film in fact), I do believe that The Last Straw does get the point across better.

edited 2nd Mar '14 2:22:11 PM by EarlOfSandvich

I'm for the name change

Agreed. I actually have some familiarity with Monty Python, but since I never saw that particular Monty Python movie, I still had to look it up to get the reference. The Last Straw would be much clearer, I think.

edited 2nd Mar '14 2:24:04 PM by MrL1193

Kill old name with fire. Put out fire before renaming to The Last Straw.

Lol. I'd say more we need to hit the name with a +50 asteroid of smiting, but that's just me. Agreed on the rename

+1 to rename to The Last Straw

And another +1 from me.

Do we even need to crowner this one?

I think the voice vote is unanimous.

Give it a day for any dissenting voices to be heard, just in case.

Another +1 for Last Straw, by the way.

• 1 for Last Straw

• 1 for rename to last straw

Just to be clear, are we planning to rename the trope "The Last Straw" or just "Last Straw"?

I guess "the last straw" works too. +1.

I'd say The Last Straw.