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** Bania at times, such as this example from "The Soup" after Bania gives him an Armani suit:
--> '''Bania''': You worn the suit yet?\\
'''Jerry''': Actually I did! I put it on last night and slept in it.\\
'''Bania''': Really?\\
'''Jerry''': (annoyed) Oh, I'm joking.
--> '''Bania''': You worn the suit yet?\\
'''Jerry''': Actually I did! I put it on last night and slept in it.\\
'''Bania''': Really?\\
'''Jerry''': (annoyed) Oh, I'm joking.
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** In "The Reverse Peephole", after Elaine mentions that Joe Mayo's fur coat was thrown out (she accidentally threw out what she thought was Puddy's fur coat, but it turned out to be Mayo's):
--> '''Elaine''': So now Joe Mayo wants me to buy him a new coat.\\
'''Jerry''': Because you threw it out.\\
'''Elaine''': No, because I was in charge of the coats. It's ''insane.''\\
'''Jerry''': But you did actually throw his coat out the window.\\
'''Elaine''': But he doesn't know that. As far as he knows, somebody stole it, and ''that's'' the person who should be responsible.\\
'''Jerry''': (confused) ...But that's ''you''.\\
'''Elaine''': So I guess I'll have to buy him a new coat, even though I don't think I should be held responsible, which I am anyway.
--> '''Elaine''': So now Joe Mayo wants me to buy him a new coat.\\
'''Jerry''': Because you threw it out.\\
'''Elaine''': No, because I was in charge of the coats. It's ''insane.''\\
'''Jerry''': But you did actually throw his coat out the window.\\
'''Elaine''': But he doesn't know that. As far as he knows, somebody stole it, and ''that's'' the person who should be responsible.\\
'''Jerry''': (confused) ...But that's ''you''.\\
'''Elaine''': So I guess I'll have to buy him a new coat, even though I don't think I should be held responsible, which I am anyway.
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** When Keith Hernandez spat on Kramer and Kramer is analyzing the trajectory of the saliva, he concludes that their must have been a second spitter. The whole scene parodies similar interpretations of the JFK assassination.
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** In "The Trip, Part 2", when Jerry and George are in L.A.:
--> '''George''': Excuse me, where are we?\\
'''Man''': Earth.
--> '''George''': Excuse me, where are we?\\
'''Man''': Earth.
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Changed line(s) 622,623 (click to see context) from:
* EarWorm: Invoked. In-universe, George can't get "Master of the House" from ''Franchise/LesMiserables'' out of his head. Jerry warns him that getting a song stuck in your head can drive you insane, like how Schumann kept humming an "A" over and over.
** In "The Chicken Roaster", George admits that he's sort of like an advertising jingle: Annoying, but you can't get it out of your head. To which he sings: "By Mennen!" Later, Jerry is mumbling that jingle to himself.
** In "The Chicken Roaster", George admits that he's sort of like an advertising jingle: Annoying, but you can't get it out of your head. To which he sings: "By Mennen!" Later, Jerry is mumbling that jingle to himself.
to:
* EarWorm: Invoked. In-universe, In-universe example, George can't get "Master of the House" from ''Franchise/LesMiserables'' out of his head. Jerry warns him that getting a song stuck in your head can drive you insane, like how Schumann kept humming an "A" over and over.
over. His randomly singing snippets of the song causes it to get stuck in Elaine's father's head as well.
** In "The Chicken Roaster", George admits that he's sort of like an advertising jingle: Annoying, but you can't get it out of your head. To which he sings: "By Mennen!" (and later: "Co-stanza!") Later, Jerry is mumbling that jingle to himself.
** In "The Chicken Roaster", George admits that he's sort of like an advertising jingle: Annoying, but you can't get it out of your head. To which he sings: "By Mennen!" (and later: "Co-stanza!") Later, Jerry is mumbling that jingle to himself.
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* [[{{Brown Note}} Brown Note]]: One of Elaine's boyfriends suddenly goes into a trance-like state any time he hears the song "Desperado". Later in the episode, a surgeon has a similar reaction when he hears "Witchy Woman".
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* DuelOfSeduction: There's one with no ulterior motive in "The Package". George accidentally receives a photo that isn't his from the photo store. Assuming the body in it belongs to Sheila, he thinks it's a come-on and wants to ask her out. Kramer criticizes George for not engaging in the game.
--> '''Kramer''': She goes to these lengths to entice you, and your only response is "Gee I really like your picture. Would you like to go out on a date with me please?"\\
'''George''': No good?\\
'''Kramer''': George, it's the timeless art of seduction. You got to join in the dance. She sends you an enticing photo, you send her one right back.
--> '''Kramer''': She goes to these lengths to entice you, and your only response is "Gee I really like your picture. Would you like to go out on a date with me please?"\\
'''George''': No good?\\
'''Kramer''': George, it's the timeless art of seduction. You got to join in the dance. She sends you an enticing photo, you send her one right back.
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* CrossingTheBurntBridge: A variation in "The Slicer": George interviews at Kruger Industrial Smoothing, but notices that he's in the photograph on Kruger's desk. It turns out he got into a fight with Kruger at the beach years ago, and is concerned he won't get the job once the photo jogs Kruger's memory.
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** In "The Chicken Roaster", Jerry acts like Kramer after spending a few nights in his apartment, and also uses one of his catchphrases ("Giddyup!").
to:
** In "The Chicken Roaster", Jerry acts like Kramer after spending a few nights in his apartment, and also uses one of his catchphrases ("Giddyup!"). Likewise, Kramer starts acting like Jerry and uses "That's a shame."
Changed line(s) 371 (click to see context) from:
* CloserToEarth: Subverted in the case of Elaine: she really only ''thinks'' she's closer to earth, when in reality, she is as bad as the other three. Exemplified best in "The Bizarro Jerry," where she dumps Jerry, George, and Kramer for well-adjusted, sophisticated doppelgangers, only to be dumped by the doppelgängers for being too [[strike: eccentric]] violent.
to:
* CloserToEarth: Subverted in the case of Elaine: she really only ''thinks'' she's closer to earth, when in reality, she is as bad as the other three. Exemplified best in "The Bizarro Jerry," where she dumps Jerry, George, and Kramer for well-adjusted, sophisticated doppelgangers, only to be dumped by the doppelgängers for being too [[strike: eccentric]] violent.
Changed line(s) 381,382 (click to see context) from:
* ComebackTomorrow: The whole premise of George's subplot in "The Comeback"; he's told by co-worker Reilly, "The ocean called. They're running out of shrimp." He can't think of a comeback until later: "Oh yeah? Well the jerk store called; they're running out of ''you''." George wants to re-enact the same scenario so he can deliver the comeback, but unfortunately for George, Reilly has transferred to a sister office in Akron, Ohio. George decides to fly there just to deliver the comeback. But when he does, Reilly retorts with "What does it matter? You're their all time best-seller!" George, unable to think of a witty comeback, blurts out: "Oh yeah? Well I had sex with your wife!" After being informed that Reilly's wife is in a coma, George feels guilty. However, on the car ride home, he thinks of a comeback for ''that'' line. [[HereWeGoAgain And he turns the car around.]]
* ComicSutra: In "The Fusilli Jerry", Elaine's boyfriend [[PatrickWarburton Putty]], who is also Jerry's friend, steals Jerry's sex move and uses it on Elaine. The only part of the maneuver that is described is the very end, and it is referred to only as "the swirl". The swirl is contrasted with the pinch, which Jerry finds "a little presumptuous". It is found out that George also has invented a sex move, and all we know is that there is a knuckle involved.
* ComicSutra: In "The Fusilli Jerry", Elaine's boyfriend [[PatrickWarburton Putty]], who is also Jerry's friend, steals Jerry's sex move and uses it on Elaine. The only part of the maneuver that is described is the very end, and it is referred to only as "the swirl". The swirl is contrasted with the pinch, which Jerry finds "a little presumptuous". It is found out that George also has invented a sex move, and all we know is that there is a knuckle involved.
to:
* ComebackTomorrow: The whole premise of George's subplot in "The Comeback"; he's told by co-worker Reilly, "The ocean called. They're running out of shrimp." He can't think of a comeback until later: "Oh yeah? Well the jerk store called; they're running out of ''you''." George wants to re-enact the same scenario so he can deliver the comeback, but unfortunately for George, Reilly has transferred to a sister office in Akron, Ohio. George decides to fly there just to deliver the comeback. But when he does, Reilly retorts with "What does it matter? You're their all time best-seller!" George, unable to think of a witty comeback, blurts out: "Oh yeah? Well I had sex with your wife!" After being informed that Reilly's wife is in a coma, George feels guilty. However, on the car ride home, after he gets back to New York, he thinks of a comeback for ''that'' line. [[HereWeGoAgain And he turns the car around.]]
* ComicSutra: In "The Fusilli Jerry", Elaine's boyfriend [[PatrickWarburtonPutty]], Puddy]], who is also Jerry's friend, steals Jerry's sex move and uses it on Elaine. The only part of the maneuver that is described is the very end, and it is referred to only as "the swirl". The swirl is contrasted with the pinch, which Jerry finds "a little presumptuous". It is found out that George also has invented a sex move, and all we know is that there is a knuckle involved.
* ComicSutra: In "The Fusilli Jerry", Elaine's boyfriend [[PatrickWarburton
Changed line(s) 384 (click to see context) from:
--> '''Putty''': What move?
to:
--> '''Putty''': '''Puddy''': What move?
Changed line(s) 386 (click to see context) from:
--> '''Putty''': You're move? What, are you kidding? I was doing that before I knew you. All you told me about was the ending.
to:
--> '''Putty''': '''Puddy''': You're move? What, are you kidding? I was doing that before I knew you. All you told me about was the ending.
Changed line(s) 388 (click to see context) from:
--> '''Putty''': Oh, that ending was so obvious. I would have figured it out anyway. I didn't need you to tell me that stupid twist.
to:
--> '''Putty''': '''Puddy''': Oh, that ending was so obvious. I would have figured it out anyway. I didn't need you to tell me that stupid twist.
Changed line(s) 390 (click to see context) from:
--> '''Putty''': Whatever. I don't even do it.
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--> '''Putty''': '''Puddy''': Whatever. I don't even do it.
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--> '''Putty''': Yeah, that's right.
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--> '''Putty''': '''Puddy''': Yeah, that's right.
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** Probably the mother of all ''Seinfeld'' bad dreams: in "The Baby Shower," Kramer talks Jerry into pirating cable TV; Jerry's anxiety about this decision results in a dream wherein he's [[MoodWhiplash shot to death by the police]].
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* CollectorOfTheStrange: In "The Cigar Store Indian", it is discovered that Frank Costanza collects issues of TV Guide Magazine.
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** Puddy promises Elaine that he'll give up painting his face for hockey games. So he paints his chest instead.
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* GrumpyOldMan: Sid Fields in "The Old Man". George's father Frank could also qualify.
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* GrumpyOldMan: Sid Fields in "The Old Man". Elaine's father, Alton Benes, in "The Jacket". George's father Frank could also qualify.
Changed line(s) 878 (click to see context) from:
* HypocrisyNod: In "The Burning", George is flabergasted that Kruger is eating in Monk's when he's supposed to be helping George out with a big project. After asking Kruger to get back to work, George remarks to Jerry:
to:
* HypocrisyNod: In "The Burning", George is flabergasted flabbergasted that Kruger is eating in Monk's when he's supposed to be helping George out with a big project. After asking Kruger to get back to work, George remarks to Jerry:Jerry:
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** In "The Nap", Elaine throws her back out and falls down by trying to move a mattress into her bedroom. The laughs are multiplied by the fact that the mattress smells terrible. She somehow procures a telephone and calls Jerry, begging him to come over and help her because, as she puts it, she's "trapped under a funky mattress".
Changed line(s) 445 (click to see context) from:
* CreepyDoll: It looks ''exactly'' like George's mother.
to:
* CreepyDoll: It In "The Doll", George is disturbed by one of his fiancee's dolls because it looks ''exactly'' exactly like George's mother.mother.
--> '''George''': Susan has this doll collection. One of the dolls looks exactly like my mother. She likes to sleep with it.
--> '''Jerry''': Wow. You were in bed with your mother last night?
--> '''George''': Felt like it. I tell you, this doll is pretty spooky. It's really freakin' me out, man.
--> '''George''': Susan has this doll collection. One of the dolls looks exactly like my mother. She likes to sleep with it.
--> '''Jerry''': Wow. You were in bed with your mother last night?
--> '''George''': Felt like it. I tell you, this doll is pretty spooky. It's really freakin' me out, man.
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* ComicSutra: In "The Fusilli Jerry", Elaine's boyfriend [[PatrickWarburton Putty]], who is also Jerry's friend, steals Jerry's sex move and uses it on Elaine. The only part of the maneuver that is described is the very end, and it is referred to only as "the swirl". The swirl is contrasted with the pinch, which Jerry finds "a little presumptuous". It is found out that George also has invented a sex move, and all we know is that there is a knuckle involved.
--> '''Jerry''': Hey, what's the story? I hear you're doing my move.
--> '''Putty''': What move?
--> '''Jerry''': What move? My move. The one I told you about. You used it on Elaine.
--> '''Putty''': You're move? What, are you kidding? I was doing that before I knew you. All you told me about was the ending.
--> '''Jerry''': The ending is the whole thing. Without the ending, it's nothing. You had nothing.
--> '''Putty''': Oh, that ending was so obvious. I would have figured it out anyway. I didn't need you to tell me that stupid twist.
--> '''Jerry''': Swirl.
--> '''Putty''': Whatever. I don't even do it.
--> '''Jerry''': Oh, yeah, I know. You do the pinch.
--> '''Putty''': Yeah, that's right.
--> '''Jerry''': Hey, what's the story? I hear you're doing my move.
--> '''Putty''': What move?
--> '''Jerry''': What move? My move. The one I told you about. You used it on Elaine.
--> '''Putty''': You're move? What, are you kidding? I was doing that before I knew you. All you told me about was the ending.
--> '''Jerry''': The ending is the whole thing. Without the ending, it's nothing. You had nothing.
--> '''Putty''': Oh, that ending was so obvious. I would have figured it out anyway. I didn't need you to tell me that stupid twist.
--> '''Jerry''': Swirl.
--> '''Putty''': Whatever. I don't even do it.
--> '''Jerry''': Oh, yeah, I know. You do the pinch.
--> '''Putty''': Yeah, that's right.
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** In "The Chicken Roaster", after Kramer asks Jerry to switch apartments temporarily, Jerry makes a sarcastic comment that goes right over Kramer's head.
--> '''Jerry''': Or I could sleep in the park. You could knock these walls down, make it an eight room luxury suite.
--> '''Kramer''': Jerry these are load-bearing walls, they're not gonna come down!
--> '''Jerry''': Yeah, that's no good.
--> '''Jerry''': Or I could sleep in the park. You could knock these walls down, make it an eight room luxury suite.
--> '''Kramer''': Jerry these are load-bearing walls, they're not gonna come down!
--> '''Jerry''': Yeah, that's no good.
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** '''SEVEN!'''
** '''SUUUUUUUUZE!'''
** '''SUUUUUUUUZE!'''
to:
** '''SEVEN!'''
'''SEVEN!''' ("The Seven")
**'''SUUUUUUUUZE!''''''SUUUUUUUUZE!''' ("The Susie")
** '''TWIIIIIIIIX!''' ("The Dealership")
**
** '''TWIIIIIIIIX!''' ("The Dealership")
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** In "The Wizard", when Kramer is running for Del Boca Vista condo president:
--> '''Kramer''': Remember, ma'am, a vote for me is a vote for Kramer.
--> '''Kramer''': Remember, ma'am, a vote for me is a vote for Kramer.
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Changed line(s) 117 (click to see context) from:
** Jon Voight, DavidLetterman, Jay Leno, George Wenht, Corbin Bernstien, Roudolph Guliani, Brian Gumble, Regis Philbin, Kathy Lee Gifford, Mel Torme
to:
** Jon Voight, DavidLetterman, Jay Leno, George Wenht, Wendt, Corbin Bernstien, Bernsen, Roudolph Guliani, Brian Bryant Gumble, Regis Philbin, Kathy Lee Gifford, Mel TormeTorme...
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** Ramon the pool guy automatically assumes that the reason Jerry doesn't want to be friends with him must be because Jerry is prejudiced against people who clean pools for a living.
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** Most seasons actually pick up from where the previous seasons left off, such as...
*** Season Five begins with George looking for a new job, after Season Four ended with his and Jerry's in-universe pilot not getting picked up for a series proper.
*** Season Eight starts with the Rosses starting up a foundation for Susan, and nabbing George on the board of directors, after Season Seven ended with Susan dying from sealing envelopes that had toxic adhesive (and their engagement was a thread that ran through the entire season). In fact, George mentions he just spent the last three months mourning (not really) her death, in reference to the summer hiatus between the two seasons.
*** Season Nine has George still recovering from the injuries he sustained in the Season Eight finale from falling down the stairs while his legs were in a state of extreme atrophy.
*** Season Five begins with George looking for a new job, after Season Four ended with his and Jerry's in-universe pilot not getting picked up for a series proper.
*** Season Eight starts with the Rosses starting up a foundation for Susan, and nabbing George on the board of directors, after Season Seven ended with Susan dying from sealing envelopes that had toxic adhesive (and their engagement was a thread that ran through the entire season). In fact, George mentions he just spent the last three months mourning (not really) her death, in reference to the summer hiatus between the two seasons.
*** Season Nine has George still recovering from the injuries he sustained in the Season Eight finale from falling down the stairs while his legs were in a state of extreme atrophy.
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** The format of the first four or so seasons seem to play out more like a stage play, as is common with many StudioAudience, multi camera sitcoms, however afterwards, despite still retaining an audience and multiple cameras, the overall format broadened, placing the characters in more locations throughout the show, and even outdoors, more akin to single camera sitcoms.
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** In "The Pothole", Kramer comments on various items he found while cleaning the highway:
--> '''Kramer''': (holding up a speed limit sign that reads "165") Speed limit, one hundred and sixty-five miles per hour. See? They slipped a one in there. (laughing) Those kids with the spray paint, God love 'em.
--> '''Kramer''': (holding up a speed limit sign that reads "165") Speed limit, one hundred and sixty-five miles per hour. See? They slipped a one in there. (laughing) Those kids with the spray paint, God love 'em.
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* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: In "The Chicken Roaster", Elaine visits J. Peterman in Burma, where he starts shouting at a young boy in a supposed foreign language:
--> '''Elaine''': You speak Burmese?\\
'''Peterman''': No, Elaine, that was gibberish.
--> '''Elaine''': You speak Burmese?\\
'''Peterman''': No, Elaine, that was gibberish.
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* FunWithAcronyms: George was fond of these:
** In "The Smelly Car":
--> '''George''': Oh, this is ''beyond'' B.O. This is B.B.O.
** In "The Lip Reader":
--> '''George''': She's a B.L.\\
'''Jerry''': (confused) A "B.L".??\\
'''George''': A "beautiful lineswoman".
** In "The Smelly Car":
--> '''George''': Oh, this is ''beyond'' B.O. This is B.B.O.
** In "The Lip Reader":
--> '''George''': She's a B.L.\\
'''Jerry''': (confused) A "B.L".??\\
'''George''': A "beautiful lineswoman".
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* GeekyTurnOn: George gets a secretary and decides to hire completely based on ability, turning down any attractive women applying for the job since they would only distract him from getting any work done. However, the one he does hire turns out to be so efficient at her job that it makes him attracted to her anyway.
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* BigDamnHeroes: The undercover cop who saves Kramer from the mugger in "The Subway."
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*** Elaine [[AllWomenAreLustful is always looking to nab a guy]], and usually goes for [[GuyOfTheWeek the first guy who grabs her attention, or vice-versa each week]]; plus, in Newman's case, the woman whose material he felt had a boyfriend.
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* CelibateHero: After George gains increased intellect due to no longer obsessing over sex, he decides to go this route and keep being smart. However, his new ability to speak Portuguese helps him hook up with a Portuguese waitress. He does the math and determines that it's a once in a lifetime opportunity, so he takes it, and becomes an idiot again.
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Deleted line(s) 30,32 (click to see context) :
* ActorAllusion: In the ''JFK'' parody in "The Boyfriend," Newman replicates his position standing in front of Kramer, just as Wayne Knight did in the movie standing in for John Connally in the courtroom demonstration of the "magic bullet" theory.
** A picture of a dinosaur appears in Newman's apartment, referencing Knight's role in ''Film/JurassicPark''.
** In the episode "The Maid", Kramer is picked up by a stranger who is looking for a maid and asks Kramer if he knows how to use a mop wringer. Kramer's answer is [[Film/{{UHF}} yes]].
** A picture of a dinosaur appears in Newman's apartment, referencing Knight's role in ''Film/JurassicPark''.
** In the episode "The Maid", Kramer is picked up by a stranger who is looking for a maid and asks Kramer if he knows how to use a mop wringer. Kramer's answer is [[Film/{{UHF}} yes]].
Deleted line(s) 173 (click to see context) :
* BannedEpisode: One of the last episodes of the series, "The Puerto Rican Day", was initially pulled after its original broadcast, mainly because Creator/{{NBC}} felt the episode was too offensive with its depictions of Puerto Ricans, as well as a scene involving Kramer (accidentally) burning a Puerto Rico flag, causing an angry mob of Puerto Ricans trashing the streets, and vandalizing Jerry's car (to which, Kramer remarks, "It's like this every day in Puerto Rico."). As of 2010, certain local markets across the country had placed the episode back into their packages; but as of 2012, the episode is now back permanently in the syndication package (Kramer's line, "It's like this every day in Puerto Rico" is absent, though it could be a case of being EditedForSyndication).
Deleted line(s) 462,465 (click to see context) :
* TheDanza: Jerry Seinfeld's character is named... "Jerry Seinfeld."
** George's mother Estelle is named after her actress. But they couldn't name his father the same way because [[OneSteveLimit they already had a Jerry]].
** But, George's dad was originally played by John Randolph.
** In "The Kiss Hello", Wendie Malick as Wendie the delicate genius.
** George's mother Estelle is named after her actress. But they couldn't name his father the same way because [[OneSteveLimit they already had a Jerry]].
** But, George's dad was originally played by John Randolph.
** In "The Kiss Hello", Wendie Malick as Wendie the delicate genius.
Deleted line(s) 477 (click to see context) :
* DescendedCreator: As the show went on, Larry David had more and more {{Creator Cameo}}s usually seen only from behind or voicing unseen characters like George Steinbrenner, a part David continued to voice for some time after he had already left the series as a writer.
Deleted line(s) 488 (click to see context) :
* DirectedByCastMember: Jason Alexander directed season 3's "The Good Samaritan".
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* DuelingShows: ''EverybodyLovesRaymond''
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* EditedForSyndication: Most episodes feature little dialog cuts here and there to save time for more commercials. The episode which suffers the worst in this regard is "The Yada Yada", as it originally ran ''26 minutes'' in its NBC premiere.
** Since 2010, most markets air the episodes in a cropped format (similar to a x1.2 zoom on most DVD players), and as such, all on-screen titles (opening credits, closing credits, subtitles, etc) have been changed accordingly. Some episodes also have either repositioned the show logo in the opening, or left alone, resulting in half of the 'S' in ''Seinfeld'' being cut off.
** Since 2010, most markets air the episodes in a cropped format (similar to a x1.2 zoom on most DVD players), and as such, all on-screen titles (opening credits, closing credits, subtitles, etc) have been changed accordingly. Some episodes also have either repositioned the show logo in the opening, or left alone, resulting in half of the 'S' in ''Seinfeld'' being cut off.
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[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:A-B]]
* AbortedDeclarationOfLove: "I've always loved you--nited airlines."
* AbsenteeActor: Jerry was the only character to appear in every episode, the other three leads missed at least one.
** Specifically:
*** Elaine was introduced in the [[SecondEpisodeIntroduction second episode]] [[ExecutiveMeddling after NBC requested a female character be added]] and was also absent from the two part VacationEpisode that started season 4.
*** Kramer is absent in both "The Pen" and "The Chinese Restaurant"
*** George is absent from "The Pen" and Jason Alexander was apparently so upset that he threatened to leave the show if he was ever excluded again.
* AbsurdlyBrightLight: The neon sign from Kenny Rogers Roasters chicken restaurant outside Kramer's apartment. It drives Kramer ''nuts''.
-->'''Jerry:''' What's going on in there?\\
'''Kramer:''' What?\\
'''Jerry:''' That light.\\
'''Kramer:''' Oh, the red. It's the chicken roaster sign. It's right across from my window.\\
'''Jerry:''' Can't you shut the shades?\\
'''Kramer:''' They ''are'' shut.
* AccidentalAimingSkills: Kramer's golf skills in "The Marine Biologist".
* AccidentalMisnaming: In "The Package", when Kramer goes to steal Elaine's medical chart:
--> '''Kramer''': It's "Bennett", right?
--> '''Elaine''': It's "Benes", you ''jackass''. My last name is Benes! (Kramer looks stunned) Yeah!
** In "The Baby Shower", an FBI agent calls Jerry "Mr. Steinfeld".
*** Maxwell from Maid to Order in "The Maid" also did this: "You Steinfeld?"
** In "The Bubble Boy", a waitress calls Jerry "Gary Seinfield". This was ''immediately after'' Elaine told her his name.
* AccidentalPervert: In "The Apology", Kramer doesn't know how to take a short shower so he goes to the locker room at the gym and studies random guys taking showers. Kramer is spotted by one of the guys and continues taking notes. Smash cut to Kramer asking Jerry for some meat for his black eye.
--> '''Kramer''': People in this city are crazy.
* AccompliceByInaction: The main cast is accused of this [[spoiler: by a bystander in the finale]].
* {{Acrofatic}}: Newman is apparently this, as in "The Reverse Peephole", he's able to climb a tree to retrieve a fur coat.
--> '''Kramer''': Where did you learn to climb trees like that?\\
'''Newman''': The pacific northwest!
* ActorAllusion: In the ''JFK'' parody in "The Boyfriend," Newman replicates his position standing in front of Kramer, just as Wayne Knight did in the movie standing in for John Connally in the courtroom demonstration of the "magic bullet" theory.
** A picture of a dinosaur appears in Newman's apartment, referencing Knight's role in ''Film/JurassicPark''.
** In the episode "The Maid", Kramer is picked up by a stranger who is looking for a maid and asks Kramer if he knows how to use a mop wringer. Kramer's answer is [[Film/{{UHF}} yes]].
* ActingForTwo: Jerry Stiller in the tag of "The Doll".
* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: In "The Trip Part 2", Lt. Martel uses this while grilling Kramer:
--> '''Martel''': Maybe the pervert in the park had a present in his pants, huh?
** In "The Voice":
--> '''Kramer''': He [Darrin] took all my clothes to some cleaners! I'm clueless!
* AddictionDisplacement: In "The Pez".
-->'''Jerry''': He's doing great in rehab. He's hooked on Pez! He's eating them like there's no tomorrow!
* AdolfHitler: In, "The Gymnast", Elaine's pen breaks, smearing ink everywhere; Mr. Pitt ends up having ink smeared on the lapels of his suit, as well as unknowingly dabbing a smear on his upper lip, resembling Hitler's mustache. Later still, Mr. Pitt gives a speech at a merger meeting he was attending:
-->'''Mr. Pitt''': I have been accused of wrong doing! We ''will'' annex Poland [Springs Water Company] by the spring! ''And'', our stocks will rise ''high'' (Raises hand in a similar fashion to the Nazi Party salute).
* AnAesop: Frequently subverted.
-->'''Kramer:''' The important thing is that you learned something.
-->'''Jerry:''' (smirking) No I didn't.
** Interestingly, the show ''does'' deliver aesops, even if incidentally. For instance, the main characters frequently lie, and in pretty much every instance, the lie comes back to bite them in the ass by the episode's end. So the aesop? Don't lie, it only makes things worse.
** A great many plots that are not powered by a SnowballLie are set off by small violations of the unwritten rules of society -- laughing in a concert hall, refusing junk mail, and so on. This never, ''ever'' ends well for the protagonists.
** The final episode repeatedly drives home the message that all four of the main characters are cynical, selfish {{jerkass}}es.
* {{Angrish}}: Jerry tells Newman that by booking the location of his New Year's party for "[[ExactWords the millennium New Year]]", he actually booked it one year too late, since the new millennium doesn't officially start until the year 2001. Upon this realization, Newman can barely contain his anger, only uttering one single squeaky, wheezing noise that is later played again during the Castle Rock logo in the credits.
* AffairHair: Parodied in "The Barber"; unsatisfied by a haircut given by long-time barber Enzo, Jerry gets his haircut by Enzo's nephew, Gino, in secret so as not to hurt Enzo's feelings. But Enzo eventually puts the pieces together by matching hairs (with help from Newman) and threatens to kill Jerry and Gino for betraying him.
* AirVentPassageway: George uses one to get ''into'' his office while being locked out by his employer in "The Voice".
* TheAlcoholic: In "The Nose Job," it's revealed that Kramer's mother is a "drunken [=stumblebum=]."
* AmbiguouslyJewish: George, though WordOfGod has it that he's half-Jewish. For what it's worth, George doesn't believe in God for anything except the bad stuff.
** Jason Alexander said despite the WordOfGod, he could never quite figure out personally if George was supposed to be Jewish or Italian, mainly since "Constanza isn't really a Jewish name", and because of the fact that they celebrated Christmas before his father created Festivus.
*** Frank is Italian ("The Doll") and Catholic ("The Fatigues"), Estelle is Jewish (WordofGod and just... common sense)
** Interestingly, WordOfGod has it that one of the reasons behind the ExecutiveMeddling in the beginning was that the network execs were concerned that the show's overall humor was "too Jewish" and "too New York", and wouldn't appeal to the masses. The executive who championed the show basically responded with "I'm not Jewish, I'm not from New York. I found it funny".
** Frank also invented "Festivus" while Christmas Shopping. Meanwhile the name "Costanza" is a real Italian name of Larry David's college roommate-- who later tried to sue ''Seinfeld'' for the ''use'' of his name.
* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Anna, George's girlfriend in "The Little Kicks".
* AllMenArePerverts: Jerry and George explain to Elaine how a man will say ''anything'' to get a woman. She doesn't believe them, so they elaborate:
--> '''George:''' I once told a woman I coined the phrase "Pardon my French".
--> '''Jerry:''' I once told a woman I don't eat ice cream because it goes straight to my thighs.
--> '''George:''' I once told a woman I ''enjoy spending time with my family''.
--> The two men sip their coffee triumphantly while Elaine sits there looking shocked.
** In ''The Contest'', the guys make Elaine pay double to enter the eponymous contest, reasoning that women don't have to masturbate every day, whereas for men it's "part of their lifestyle".
** Men in the Seinfeld universe receive a significant boost in intelligence once they stop having sex, because 99% of a man's brain (or at least George's brain, the numbers may vary depending on the man) is constantly obsessed with sex, and starts to function properly once sex is no longer a factor in the man's life. George, for example, becomes an OmnidisciplinaryScientist able to effortlessly hit several consecutive home runs in baseball using nothing but his newly acquired knowledge of physics, and also becomes fluent in Portuguese without even ''trying'' to learn it ("My cleaning lady is Portuguese. I must have picked it up."). Later on Elaine stops having sex with her boyfriend so that he can pass his licensing exam and become a doctor. However, going without sex has the opposite effect on Elaine. She becomes progressively dumber. Strangely enough, this is ''also'' because AllMenArePerverts.
---> '''Jerry:''' To a woman, sex is like the garbage man. You just take for granted the fact that any time you put some trash out on the street, a guy in a jumpsuit's gonna come along and pick it up. But now, it's like a garbage strike. The bags are piling up in your head! The sidewalk is blocked! Nothing's getting through! ...You're stupid!
* AlmostFamousName:
--> '''Kramer:''' I saw the sunrise at Liza's.
--> '''George:''' What, Minelli's?
--> '''Kramer:''' (matter-of-factly) No.
** In "The Mom and Pop Store", George is ecstatic that he bought a car previously owned by Jon Voight. However, it's revealed that the car didn't actually belong to the famous actor, but a periodontist named John Voight.
** Kramer's friend who wishes him to drop dead in "The Betrayal", is F.D.R. (Franklin Delano Romanowski).
* AlterKocker: Uncle Leo. Morty Seinfeld acts like one sometimes, too, and most of the residents of Del Boca Vista probably qualify.
* AlternateUniverse: See "The Bizarro Jerry".
* AluminumChristmasTrees: The diner is a real Manhattan diner, in the Upper West Side, called Tom's. The food there is mediocre at best, although the milkshakes are actually pretty good.
** The Boston Red Sox actually have an "Administrative Assistant to the Traveling Secretary and Baseball Operations".
* AmbiguouslyBrown: Invoked with Elaine's boyfriend in "The Wizard", who everyone thinks is black ([[ButNotTooBlack or possibly biracial]]). Amusingly, it turns out they're both actually white, and he thought she was Hispanic.
* AnalogyBackfire: In "The Butter Shave", Jerry describes Kenny Bania:
--> '''Jerry''': He's like that fish that attaches himself to the shark.\\
'''George''': And you're the shark?\\
'''Jerry''': Yeah, I'm the shark and he's the fish eating my laughs.\\
'''George''': I don't know how a fish could eat laughs.\\
'''Jerry''': (tiredly) Well, I'm glad I brought it up.
* AnnoyingLaugh: Naomi from "The Wallet", "The Watch", and "The Bubble Boy". Her laugh is described as "Elmer Fudd sitting on a juicer".
* {{Anorgasmia}}: In the episode "Mango" it turns out Elaine never has orgasms with Jerry.
* AntiAdvice: George does this to himself. Reasoning that following his instincts never got him anywhere, George decides that doing the opposite of his instincts should make him successful. It actually works... [[SnapBack for one episode]].
* AntiHumor: Attempted by Jerry in "The Butter Shave" so he'd be a bad lead-in for Kenny Bania.
--> '''Jerry''': What's with people getting sick? I mean, what's the deal with cancer?
--> '''Man in audience''': I ''have'' cancer!
** In "The Summer of George", George fails at comedy:
--> '''George''': I know a million theater jokes. "What's the deal with those ''guys'' down in the pit?"\\
'''Jerry''': They're musicians. That's not a joke.\\
'''George''': (adamant) It's a funny observation.
** A plot point in "The Cartoon": Elaine is baffled by a cartoon in The New Yorker, which consists of a cat and a dog in an office, and the cat saying, "I've enjoyed reading your email." Elaine manages to get an editor at The New York to concede that the comic had no actual joke, but merely printed it because he "liked the kitty".
* ArentYouGoingToRavishMe: One episode features a cult that masquerades as a carpet cleaning company in order to brainwash its customers into joining. George hires them because they're so cheap and he's confident he can beat the brainwashing. He gets offended when they just clean his carpet and give him the bill without attempting to brainwash him, and gets even more offended at the end of the episode when he sees that they've brainwashed Mr. Wilhelm.
-->'''George:''' ''Him'' you brainwashed?! What's ''he'' got that ''I'' don't have?!\\
'''Cult Member:''' (shrugs)
* ArgentinaIsNaziLand: The Soup Nazi ends in Argentina, of course.
* ARiddleWrappedInAMysteryInsideAnEnigma: Jerry says Newman is a Mystery wrapped in a Twinkie.
* ArousedByTheirVoice: "The Tape" revolves around an erotic message that was left on Jerry's tape recorder by Elaine, which none of the guys know initially.
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: From "The Revenge".
-->'''Jerry''': Elaine? How did you rope her into this?
-->'''George''': I told her what a sexist he is. How he cheats on his wife.
-->'''Jerry''': She knew that.
-->'''George''': But she didn't know he doesn't recycle.
* ArtisticLicenseCars: There is a good deal wrong with Jerry's Saab in ''The Bottle Deposit''. First, he mentions the AAA guy said "I was this close to sucking a muffin down the carburator." -- the Saab 900 was fuel injected. In the warehouse, the detective refers to the turbocharger and angle of the V6, which Jerry says can't be his because his isn't a turbo. The Saab 900 and 9000 were never offered with a turbocharged V6. Jerry then says his car is a 900S, but the car Kramer chases is a 900SE, the higher up model.
* ArtisticLicenseGeography: In ''The Bottle Deposit'', the best route from New York City to Michigan for Kramer and Newman's budget would have taken them across I-80, and through the northern part of Ohio-or something near that route. However, the second time Kramer calls Jerry he mentions that the guy they're following is "going south on 135", which Newman objects to since they're headed north to Michigan. The closest Highway 135 in that region is SR 135 near Lynchburg, Ohio, which would have already put them well out of their way.
** Additionally, the highway Kramer chases Tony is the Passadena Freeway.
* ArtisticLicenseLaw:
** The series finale; Good Samaritan laws do not work that way. There is so much wrong here we made a list:
*** They're to ensure someone who helps an obviously ill or injured person cannot be sued later for unintentional injury or death, as is the case in Massachusetts. Even the compulsory good Samaritan laws only apply to people who are injured or ill, not being threatened by a mugger. If anything, the Seinfeld cast should have been commended for getting pictorial evidence of the crime.
*** The punishment for violating a compulsary good Samaritan law is a small fine ($100-$300) with no jail time, and, as already explained, stopping a mugging is not covered by any real Good Samaritan law. In fact, the arresting officer states "within reason". Random strangers stopping any crime, much less a mugging, is not reasonable, ''especially'' when a police officer is at the scene the entire time.
*** Regardless of how the Good Samaritan law itself is written, bringing in dozens of "character witnesses" to recount every misdeed the defendants have ever committed is still ''incredibly'' illegal under U.S. law. [[note]]Character witnesses can only called in if the defence tries to use the defendant's character as a defense, which is not the case here.[[/note]] The writers probably knew this and simply exaggerated the idea and played it for laughs.
*** The police officer that arrested them only did so by watching the entire robbery, '''doing nothing about it''', and then arresting four bystanders/witnesses to a violent crime with video evidence, for not doing '''his''' job, even with a completely fictional representation and gross exaggeration of actual laws.
** Interestingly, Massachussetts has a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duty_to_rescue "Duty to Rescue"]] law (often incorrectly referred to as Good Samaritan Law despite being completely unrelated), '''''but''''' it is ''explicitely'' a duty to ''report'', not a duty to aid. [[note]]Chapter 268, section 40 provides "Whoever knows that another person is a victim of aggravated rape, murder, manslaughter or armed robbery and is at the scene of said crime shall, to the extent that said person can do so without danger or peril to himself or others, report said crime to an appropriate law enforcement official as soon as reasonably practicable." [[/note]] Since a police officer was at the scene almost immediately, they are not responsible to do anything. On top of this, Duty to Rescue laws are often ignored by lawmakers, law enforcers, courts and the general public, so any conviction for violating one is extremely unlikely.
** In ''The Bottle Deposit'', Newman and Kramer try to return bottles in Michigan for the higher deposit. Michigan prohibits out of state bottle returns, and limits returns to $25 a piece, though this is probably justified since Kramer and Newman weren't thinking beyond getting the bottles there.
** Also in "The Bottle Deposit", Jerry's insurance company refuses to acknowledge his car was stolen on the basis that he willingly surrendered the keys, meaning he has no financial recourse if his car is not recovered. The police investigating it certainly think it's a theft. Then again, insurance companies are infamous for making up the most ridiculous reasons to avoid paying out a claim.
** In "The Bris", after a suicidal mental patient jumps off the roof and lands on George's car, the Hospital Administrator refuses to pay for repairs and even chastises him for trying to "profit from a tragedy". The hospital is entirely at fault for the accident (roof access should be restricted just like razor blades should be confiscated), and George is well within his rights to demand they pay, even filing a lawsuit. In fact, he could provide testimony in court for the patient's family should they file a lawsuit.
* AsHimself:
** Happens a few times, most notably when Keith Hernandez shows up and his friendship with Jerry becomes the basis of an episode.
** Jon Voight, DavidLetterman, Jay Leno, George Wenht, Corbin Bernstien, Roudolph Guliani, Brian Gumble, Regis Philbin, Kathy Lee Gifford, Mel Torme
** Jerry himself is an example.
** Much of the New York Yankees appeared as themselves while George worked there.
* AskAStupidQuestion: George wondering how lesbians decide who will be the bride and groom at their weddings, and also how they decide who leads when they dance.
** In "The Keys", George and Jerry are looking for Jerry's spare keys in Elaine's apartment. George asks what the keys look like, to which Jerry replies in annoyance, "They look like ''keys'', George. They look exactly like ''keys''."
** In "The Old Man", Sid Fields mistakes Jerry's incredulous reactions to the fact that he's throwing away his valuable records as stupid questions:
--> '''Jerry''': What's all this stuff?\\
'''Sid''': Trash. Garbage.\\
'''Jerry''': You're throwin' this out??\\
'''Sid''': I believe that's what you do with garbage, you ''idiot''.\\
'''Jerry''': You don't want any of this?\\
'''Sid''': Well if I ''wanted'' it, I wouldn't be throwing it away, ''would'' I, Ein-stein?!
* AssShove: In "The Fusilli Jerry," Kramer discusses this trope... and Frank demonstrates it.
* AssholeVictim: The foursome. {{Deconstructed}} in the final episode. According to WordOfGod, Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer had gotten away with being jerks so long it was time they paid the price.
* AsTheGoodBookSays: A subversion. In "The Slicer", Kramer is convinced that Dr. Sitarides gave Jerry hives, and quotes a verse which isn't actually in the Bible: "Jerry, as The Bible says: "Thou who cureth can maketh ill.""
* AudienceSurrogate: The main cast and the supporting characters are intended, to a large extent, to represent normal everyday people. To underline this, the main cast are essentially fictionalised versions of Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David, Kenny Kramer and several women dated by Seinfeld and David.
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: Estelle and Frank Costanza.
* BackToFront: "The Betrayal."
* BadBadActing:
** Kramer on ''Murphy Brown'' in "The Keys".
** Jerry's girlfriend Isabel in "The Nose Job".
** Perfected by Kramer again in "The Stand In" in such a job on ''All My Children''.
** Kramer auditioning to play himself on ''[[ShowWithinAShow Jerry]]''. He was reading words that he himself said verbatim in another episode, and still sucked.
* BadDreams: Kramer, in "The Millennium". The dream is never shown, but based on the words he says, it's obvious the dream is about competing with Newman on who gets to host a millennium party.
--> '''Kramer''': Jerry... Newman... it's 2000... (wakes up) NEWMANIUM!
** Speaking of bad dreams, Elaine had a nightmare that she had a foursome with Jerry, George, and Kramer in "The Slicer". This bit is usually cut for time in syndication.
** In "The Bookstore", Jerry had a bad dream about Uncle Leo in prison, now buff from so many pull-ups and menacingly saying "Jerry... HELLO! Jerry... HELLO! Jerry... (phone rings) ANSWER THE DAMN PHONE!!!"
* BadLiar: George has a really bad poker face, which is why Gary Fogel never confided in George that he supposedly had cancer. When Gary confides in George that he never actually had cancer, Jerry can tell that George is keeping something from him later:
--> '''Jerry''': Hey. How'd it go with Gary?\\
'''George''': (evasive) Fine, fine.\\
'''Jerry''': Really?\\
'''George''': Yeah.\\
'''Jerry''': You look like something's on your mind.\\
'''George''': No. Nothing. Fine.\\
'''Jerry''': So, that's your poker face.\\
'''George''': My regular face.\\
'''Jerry''': No it isn't. I've seen your regular face. That is not it.\\
'''George''': What are you saying?\\
'''Jerry''': All right George, c'mon, what d'you got?\\
'''George''': I got nothing.\\
'''Jerry''': What you got, a pair of bullets?\\
'''George''': What you talking about?\\
'''Jerry''': Two pair? Three of a kind?\\
'''George''': Will you stop it?\\
'''Jerry''': Oh my God, you got a flush! You're holding a flush!\\
'''George''': I don't have a flush.\\
'''Jerry''': A full house? You got a full house? Turn 'em over George, I wanna see 'em. Come on, I'm calling! (pounds table) Whaddya got!\\
'''George''': (snaps) GARY FOGEL NEVER HAD CANCER!!! (Jerry smiles in victory)
** George is accused of being a bad liar in "The Jimmy", though in this instance, he's actually being truthful. It's just that he is sweating profusely from eating Kung Pao Chicken when grilled about stolen sporting equipment by Mr. Wilhelm.
** Elaine could fall into this too, like in "The Betrayal" when George asked her why Jerry was acting so strangely when he mentioned Nina (explanation: Jerry had slept with Nina a day earlier, despite that she started going out with George):
--> '''Elaine''': Nina? Nina? No. Psshhh.. Not weird. No. Nina.\\
'''George''': (suspicious) Why do you keep saying "Nina"?\\
'''Elaine''': (nervous) I don't know. Nina. ''Nina!''
* BannedEpisode: One of the last episodes of the series, "The Puerto Rican Day", was initially pulled after its original broadcast, mainly because Creator/{{NBC}} felt the episode was too offensive with its depictions of Puerto Ricans, as well as a scene involving Kramer (accidentally) burning a Puerto Rico flag, causing an angry mob of Puerto Ricans trashing the streets, and vandalizing Jerry's car (to which, Kramer remarks, "It's like this every day in Puerto Rico."). As of 2010, certain local markets across the country had placed the episode back into their packages; but as of 2012, the episode is now back permanently in the syndication package (Kramer's line, "It's like this every day in Puerto Rico" is absent, though it could be a case of being EditedForSyndication).
* BatDeduction: Demonstrated by Kramer in "The Secret Code" when George refuses to tell anyone his secret ATM code. (for the record, it's "bosco")
--> '''Kramer''': I'll bet I can guess it.\\
'''George''': Pfft, yeah right.\\
'''Kramer''': Oh, alright. Yeah. Uh, let's see. Um, well, we can throw out birthdays immediately. That's too obvious. And no numbers for you, you're a word man. Alright, let's go deeper. Uh, what kind of man are you? Well, you're weak, spineless, a man of temptations, but what tempts you?\\
'''George''': Huh?\\
'''Kramer''': You're a portly fellow, a bit long in the waistband. So what's your pleasure? Is it the salty snacks you crave? No no no no no, yours is a sweet tooth.\\
'''George''': (nervous) Get out of here.\\
'''Kramer''': Oh you may stray, but you'll always return to your ''dark master''... the cocoa bean.\\
'''George''': I'm leaving.\\
'''Kramer''': No, and only the purest syrup nectar can satisfy you!\\
'''George''': I gotta go.\\
'''Kramer''': If you could you'd guzzle it by the gallon! Ovaltine! Hershey's! Nestle Quik!\\
'''George''': Shut up!
* BathOfPoverty In the episode "The Shower Head", low flow shower heads are installed to save money on water, driving Jerry and Kramer crazy.
* BattleDiscretionShot: In "The Summer of George", Elaine and Raquel Welch's street fight isn't seen; we only get the reaction shots of the two cops, leering at the "cat fight".
* BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind: Jerry's mind vs. his penis in a chess game in "The Nose Job".
* BavarianFireDrill: Numerous examples.
** Kramer pretending to be a detective to get into an apartment in "The Statue". He has also pretended to be a proctologist and wealthy investor, among other things.
** Both Kramer and George have pretended to work at companies for which they were never actually hired.
** Jerry and George impersonate two men called "O'Brien" and "Murphy" to ride in a limousine (they quickly regret it when they realize the people they were mistaken for are actually neo-Nazis, of course).
* {{Beat}}: The reason Jerry never slept with Nina in "The Betrayal" is because their conversations were so engrossing that they never had any awkward pauses. However, one night they ''do'' have an awkward pause, and the two instantly have sex.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: In "The Blood", Elaine gets to do her babysitting gig after all, and then comes to regret it.
* BeastlyBloodsports: One episode involves Kramer realizing that he has improbably come into custody of a fighting cock. When the fight comes, Kramer leaps in to save the cock.
* BeautyEqualsGoodness: In "The Couch", Elaine is convinced her new boyfriend is pro-choice (and, in her opinion, morally correct) because "he's just so good-looking". This trope is eventually subverted when a disappointed Elaine realizes he's pro-life.
* BeefBandage: The trope image.
* BecomingTheMask: In "The Hot Tub," George pretends to look annoyed to give the impression that he was busy with work. But his plan worked too well, and his fuse just got shorter.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: In "The Visa", Ping informs Elaine that Cheryl is this:
--> '''Elaine''': Thank you so much for dropping the lawsuit against me.\\
'''Ping''': Not anymore.\\
'''Elaine''': What?\\
'''Ping''': Cheryl called me last night; lawsuit back on.\\
'''Elaine''': Why?\\
'''Ping''': She called you and your friends "big liars". You think she nice girl? Wait 'till you see her in court. She's a shark! They call her "The Terminator". She never lose a case. Now ''you'' make her mad. She double the damages. [[ShoutOut Hasta la vista, baby.]]
* BeyondTheImpossible: Parodied as part of Jerry's ridicule of Kramer's claim that Keith Herandez spat on him. He traces the imaginary path of the spittle which involves changing directions and pausing in mid air. "''that'' is one magic lugee." The point being to illustrate how impossible it was for the event to happen in real life.
* BiTheWay: Apparently runs in the Ross family. Susan's father apparently once had a torrid love affair with author John Cheever and late in season 4 Susan is seen dating another woman, although in her case it's implied that it's a result of dating George, since at the end of the episode she starts dating the woman George dated after her.
* BigShutUp: Both Jerry and Elaine do this repeatedly to the dog in "The Dog".
** Elaine (hoarsely) screams at the alley dog to shut up in "The Engagement".
** In "The Cafe", after Babu re-tools the restaurant to serve Pakistani food (and still not making much profit), he shouts "QUIET!" and "YOU SHUT UP!" to Jerry when Jerry says the shrimp is a little stringy.
** Elaine is twice told to shut up by [[HairTriggerTemper Arnie]] in "The Yada Yada". This reaction affects Arnie and Beth's eligibility to adopt a child.
* BigWordShout: See SkywardScream for more examples.
** '''SEVEN!'''
** '''SUUUUUUUUZE!'''
* BitterWeddingSpeech: George's curse toast in "The Opera".
* BizarroUniverse: Elaine's new friend, Kevin. His friends include the charitable and well-dressed Gene; quiet and considerate next-door neighbor, Feldman; and a [=FedEx=] employee known only as "Fargus," whom Kevin is very jovial with. His apartment is a mirror-opposite of Jerry's, complete with a unicycle hanging on the wall, and a PC in place of Jerry's Mac.
** When Jerry and Kramer have to switch apartments, Kramer become more sarcastic and reserved, while Jerry becomes more spastic and eccentric, even using Kramer's CatchPhrase "Giddy up!".
* BlackComedy: Zig-zagged by George in "The Comeback" when his "jerk store" retort to Reilly fails.
--> '''George''': ...Oh yeah? Well, I had sex with your wife!
--> '''Man''': [[DudeNotFunny His wife is in a coma.]]
** George is contrite at first, but on the drive home [[ComebackTomorrow he happens to think of the perfect coma joke...]]
** The way [[spoiler: George's fiancee, Susan]] is written out of the show, [[spoiler: by licking poisonous envelopes for their wedding invitations]].
* BlahBlahBlah: "The Yada Yada."
* BlindWithoutEm: George. Although he can apparently squint down to 20/20 vision without glasses.
** A subversion occurs with Jerry, who doesn't wear glasses; in "The Gum", he wears glasses to fool Lloyd Braun (long story) and stumbles around because the prescription makes things extremely blurry.
* BluffTheEavesdropper: While in the diner waiting for a reporter who's going to do a story on Jerry, he and George notice a young woman eavesdropping on their conversation, so to mess with her they pretend to be gay for each other. It turns out that she's the reporter Jerry was waiting for, who then outs them in her school newspaper as gay. They try desparately to convince her that they're not gay -- NotThatTheresAnythingWrongWithThat.
* BookEnds: The real tragedy of the end of the series is that they've run out of things to talk about, and have started looping back on themselves.
** Scenes of George and Jerry considering settling down with the women currently in their lives bookend Season 7.
** The final lines of the show are about the top button on George's shirt. That was the first Seinfeldian discussion on the show.
* BoomerangBigot: In one episode George's mother rejects the advice of Jerry's girlfriend Donna Chang because she finds out (having previously talked to the woman only on the phone) that Donna is not Chinese. "I don't want to take the advice of some girl from Long Island!" she shouts.
* BorrowedCatchphrase: In "The Fire", Jerry is twice accused of stealing "Baby!" from George.
--> '''Jerry''': There's no precedent, baby!\\
'''George''': ...What, are you usin' my "babies" now?
** In "The Chicken Roaster", Jerry acts like Kramer after spending a few nights in his apartment, and also uses one of his catchphrases ("Giddyup!").
* BottleEpisode: "The Chinese Restaurant", "The Parking Garage", etc.
* BreadEggsMilkSquick:
** As they were befriending elderly people through an agency in "The Old Man":
-->'''Jerry''': They really should mention that in the breakdown: height, weight, goiter.
** When George gets hired by the Yankees in "The Opposite":
-->'''Jerry''': Ruth, Gehrig, [=DiMaggio=], Mantle, Costanza?
* BreakingTheFourthWall: Towards the beginning of "The Understudy," as Jerry is leaving his apartment with George, the two are talking about how hard it is to tell bad actors that they stink. Jerry then directly talks to the camera: "Just once I would like to tell someone they stink. You know what? I didn't like the show. I didn't like you. It just really stunk. The whole thing, real bad. Stinkaroo. Thanks for the tickets though."
** Jerry winks at the camera at the end of "The Race," in homage to George Reeves as Superman.
* BreakoutCharacter: Cosmo Kramer
** George Costanza seems to have become this in the years after the series' end having nearly made the top 5 of various "Greatest Sitcom Characters" lists all by himself.
* BrickJoke: The majority of episodes' subplots are arranged to have one of these in some way or another:
** In "The Puffy Shirt," George mentions that he won "a contest" to see who can go the longest without ADateWithRosiePalms. In "The Finale", it's revealed that he cheated.
** Halfway through season four, Jerry's father finds his wallet missing after going to a doctor, and accuses him of stealing it, which is left unresolved. In the season finale, Jerry discovers it simply fell out of his pocket and between the couch cushions.
** The closing credits of Season 9 tend towards this, including some soundbite from earlier in the episode in lieu of the Castlerock fanfare. As an example, in "The Dealership," an elderly character remarks that he could buy a candy bar for a nickel back in the day - later repeating "A ''nickel''!" out of the blue. This example is actually a DoubleSubversion - it ends with the usual fanfare, but it fades out, and... "''[[RuleOfThree A nickel!]]''"
** Towards the beginning of "The Sponge", Jerry is obsessed with whether the homeless get sick of eating soup all the time, and bugs his girlfriend Lena about it. Towards the end of the episode, Lena finally answers one of his soup questions: "Oh, by the way, I checked at the soup kitchen: They ''do'' have cream soups." But by that point, Jerry doesn't care: "Hey, that's dynamite."
** In the Season Seven premiere, Jerry decides to toast George's engagement to Susan, but realizes that he has no champagne. In the Season Seven finale, Jerry gets engaged, and toasts both his and George's future wives, and points out he has champagne.
** "The Alternate Side" opens with Jerry's car having just been stolen. He calls the car phone and speaks to the thief, and Kramer takes the phone and asks the thief to drop off a pair of gloves that he left in the car. During the credits, Kramer comes into the coffee shop to talk about how he was fired from the Woody Allen movie he got a part in. He then pulls out a pair of gloves, which Jerry recognizes as the ones that were in his car.
* BriefAccentImitation
-->'''Elaine''': Maybe the dingo et yer baby.
** Also discussed by Jerry and Kramer with their (very bad) attempts at a Cockney accent.
-->'''Kramer''': Not bloody likely!
-->'''Jerry''': That's the worst Cockney accent I've ever heard in my life.
* BrosBeforeHoes: Inverted in "The Stranded". Jerry allows George to take a woman home from a party, leaving himself and Elaine stranded there for hours until Kramer can come pick them up. When Elaine questions him, he says "There's nothing I could do. It's part of the Code." It then cuts to Jerry doing stand-up explaining this further.
--> '''Jerry:''' All plans between men are tentative. If one man should suddenly have an opportunity to pursue a woman, it's like these two guys never met each other ever in life. This is the Male Code. And it doesn't matter how important the arrangements are, I mean, most of the time when they scrub a space shuttle mission it's because one of the astronauts met someone on his way to the launch pad. They hold that countdown. He's leaning against the rocket talking to her, "So listen, when I get back what do you say we get together for some Tang?"
* BullyingADragon: George taunts a handcuffed criminal about to be taken on a plane by police over getting the last copy of ''Time Magazine''. Later in the episode, George is waiting to use the bathroom on a plane. The door opens, and guess who is inside, and with no police around? He pulls George in and presumably beats the crap out of him.
* BurningTheFlag: In one controversial episode, while walking through the Puerto Rican Day Parade, Kramer accidentally sets the Puerto Rican flag on fire with a sparkler and immediately tries to stomp it out. HilarityEnsues when several Puerto Ricans see him stomping on the still- burning flag...
* ButWeUsedACondom: In "The Fix-Up", there's a brief concern that George got Cynthia pregnant when she misses her period:
--> '''Elaine''': But he used a condom, right?
--> '''Cynthia''': I know, but these things aren't always foolproof!
* ButtMonkey: Elaine and especially George going into ChewToy territory.
* ByTheBookCop: Marcelino in "The Little Jerry". When he refuses to take Jerry's bounced check down, even after Jerry pays him back:
--> '''Marcelino''': Sorry, no. It's store policy.\\
'''Jerry''': But it's your bodega.\\
'''Marcelino''': Even ''I'' am not above the policy.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:C-D]]
* CaliforniaDoubling: For the most part unnoticable [[note]] For example, there are people who still think the second season premiere was filmed in New York, and not NBC's LA studio[[/note]], but [[http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_310663-Chevrolet-Caprice-1993.html some parts]] it seems as though TheyJustDidntCare [[note]]If you can't tell, that's a California license plate on a New York taxi[[/note]]
** Jerry's apartment is actually an LA building, with very noticeable earthquake retrofitting (the diamonds on the side).
** The highway Kramer chases Jerry's mechanic on in ''The Bottle Deposit'' - said to be the Ohio SR 135 - is the Passadena Freeway.
* CallBack: During the season 7 premiere, "The Engagement", George goes to the beach pier to re-evaluate his life. He starts thinking of Susan and how he'd like to give her another shot. He starts running and a flock of pigeons disperses as he runs towards them. This type of scene is used two more times, only with Jerry in George's place (the season 7 finale, "The Invitations", has Jerry contemplating whether he should marry Jeannie, while season 9's "The Voice" has Jerry contemplating whether he wants to keep seeing his latest girlfriend or dump her so he can do a silly voice).
** George asking Jerry what kind of professions he would be best suited for first appears in "The Revenge" after he quits his job. This same type of conversation is revisited much later in the series (using the same staging and everything) in "The Slicer" when George is concerned that he'll get fired for the photo on Kruger's desk.
** In "The Finale", George gripes about how dinky the plane is, how Ted Danson gets a better plane. George's jealousy of Ted Danson was first revealed in some early season 4 episodes when Jerry and George were pitching the pilot to NBC.
** Also in "The Finale", the closing moments of the series have Jerry talking about the buttons on George's shirt, which is the same conversation the two had in the first episode. Lampshaded by George asking, "Have we had this conversation before?"
* CantGetAwayWithNuthin: Likely more examples than can be reasonably counted - the "who owns a pony" line comes to mind.
* TheCaper: Often overlapping with ZanyScheme.
** Lampshaded in "The Café":
-->'''Jerry''': Hey, I love a good caper.
-->'''Elaine''': Yeah, that's what this is. A caper.
* CaptainObvious: In "The Chinese Restaurant":
--> '''George''': She called. He yelled Cartwright. I missed her.\\
'''Jerry''': Who's "Cartwright"?\\
'''George''': ''I'm'' Cartwright.\\
'''Jerry''': You're not Cartwright.\\
'''George''': OF COURSE I'M NOT CARTWRIGHT!!!
** In "The Secretary", Kenny Bania states the obvious and Jerry calls him out on it:
--> '''Bania''': You know Jerry, I was thinking. For our next meal, do you think we should come here ... or should we go someplace else? You know it has it's pros and cons. On the one hand, here, you're guaranteed a great meal. On the other hand-\\
'''Jerry''': (annoyed) Yeah, yeah I know. This would be good, but it would be the same. But if we go some place else, it would be different, but it might not be as good. It's a gamble. I GET IT.
** In "The Abstinence":
--> '''Katie''': Oh. Jerry, great news. I got you an assembly.\\
'''Jerry''': An assembly?\\
'''Katie''': Two hours in front of the entire junior high, grades six through eight. That's six grade, seventh grade--\\
'''Jerry''': I understand.
* CarryingACake
* TheCasanova: Over the course of the show, 73 women were shown or said to be dating and/or sleeping with Jerry, though that has more to do with his tendency to drop a girl at the slightest provocation than any of his supposed seduction skills.
** Him being able to get a ''new'' woman each time he dumped another one, though, can be chalked up to either this trope or his "Even Steven" powers.
** Kramer is said to have an inexplicable ability to land beautiful women.
** George also has a quite impressive number of girlfriends over the show's run, despite how much he bemoans his difficulty with getting one.
* CatapultNightmare: Kramer, in "The Millennium".
* CatchPhrase: Elaine's "'''Get out'''," Jerry's "That's a shame," and Kramer's "Giddy up!"
** "Helloooooo, Newman..." And alternatively, "NEWMAN!"
** (After George excitedly blurts out something he needs Jerry to do after Jerry answers the phone) "Who is this.........?"
*** Even Jerry's mother says hi to Newman that way.
** David Puddy: "Yeah that's right."
** "That's gold, Jerry, gold!", "Evidently...", "NO SOUP FOR YOU" etc. There's a lot.
* CaughtOnTape: Kramer's video recording of an armed robbery (including the MainCharacters' mockery of the victim) gets used against them in court during the finale.
* CaughtOnTheJumbotron: In one episode, George eats very sloppily on the Jumbotron, and the commentators mock him for not using a napkin.
* CaughtWithYourPantsDown: The setup for "The Contest."
* CavemenVsAstronautsDebate: Elaine's breakup with Jake Jarmel over an exclamation point.
** Additionally, Jerry breaking up with his latest girlfriend because he didn't like a Cotton Dockers jeans ad and she did.
** Elaine is treated as almost subhuman because she doesn't like ''Film/TheEnglishPatient''. She gets dumped by her boyfriend, she loses her friends, and Peterman even fires her from her job (although reconsiders when she agrees to go to Tunisia where they filmed the movie).
* CelebrityResemblance: Kramer thinks that Jerry looks like Lena Horne.
* ChalkOutline: In his standup in "The Beard" Jerry pokes fun at the thought that the police employ people solely for this.
* CharacterDevelopment: Completely averted, by design. "No hugging, no learning".
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Puddy is almost a completely different character in his first two appearances - in his first episode, he's a very competent, fair, and honest mechanic, who can speak coherently; in his second appearance, he's an overzealous hockey fan who ends up scaring a Spanish priest nearly to death with his Devils face painting. After that, he becomes the dimwitted, mumbling doofus he's best known for.
** Really, this happens with all of the main cast too, with the possible exception of Kramer. Jerry, George and Elaine are all far saner and empathetic in the earlier years and grow progressively sociopathic and self-centered.
*** Speaking of that: In the earliest episodes, Jason Alexander patterned George after Creator/WoodyAllen. During season 2, however, he began to find his groove with the character.
* CharacterTitle: ''Seinfeld'', named after its titular character.
** In-universe, ''Jerry''.
** The in-universe movie ''Death Blow'' is apparently named after the character of the same name in the movie, since Kramer shouts at the screen, "Go get 'em, Death Blow!"
*** Unless it's like when people call Bruce Willis' character "Die Hard".
* ChekhovsGun:
** Season 5's "The Marine Biologist". Jerry makes a high school friend believe George is a marine biologist. Kramer goes to the beach and hits golf balls into the ocean, never brought up again. Until the end, when [[spoiler: George must rescue a whale from dying, and he finds an obstruction in its blowhole. It turns out to be one of the golf balls from earlier, and Kramer recognizes it when George regales the whale of a tale [[RhymesonaDime (sorry)]] to his friends.]]
** In season 3's "The Keys" Jerry's girlfriend tells him "you were so fast with those keys" as they enter his apartment, pretending to be escaping a murderer. Seconds later Jerry demands Kramer hand in his spare key to Jerry's apartment.
* ChekhovsGunman: In season 3's "The Subway" Kramer meets a blind guy on the subway. Later he gets a hot tip on a horse race, bets on it, and wins a large sum of C-notes which a thug hunts him down for. It turns out [[spoiler: the blind beggar from earlier was an undercover cop, who Kramer gave money to, and arrests the thug.]]
* ChewOutFakeOut: Reversed. Henry Atkins, the postmaster general in "The Junk Mail" (played by Wilford Brimley) starts out very friendly to Kramer, only to tear into him mid-speech.
--> '''Kramer''': Can I get out of here?\\
'''Henry''': (amiable) Oh, oh. Sit a bit. Sit a bit. I mean, after all, I drove all the way up here from D.C. just to talk to you. I even had to cancel a round of golf with the secretary of state. Do you like golf, Mr. Kramer?\\
'''Kramer''': Yeah.\\
'''Henry''': Kramer, I've been, uh, reading some of your material here. I gotta be honest with you: you make a pretty strong case. I mean, just imagine: An army of men in wool pants running through the neighborhood handing out pottery catalogs, door to door. (Kramer laughs; Henry gets serious) Well it's my job, and I'm pretty damn serious about it. In addition to being a postmaster, I'm a general. And we both know, it's the job of a general to, by God, get things done. So maybe you can understand why I get a little irritated when someone calls me away from my golf.\\
'''Kramer''': I'm very, very sorry.\\
'''Henry''': Sure, you're sorry. I think we got a stack of mail out at the desk that belongs to you. Now, you want that mail, don't you Mr. Kramer?\\
'''Kramer''': Sure do.\\
'''Henry''': Now, that's better.
* TheChewToy: George Costanza. A trope named after him was eventually merged with this one.
* ChristmasEpisode: "The Pick", "The Strike".
* CigarChomper: Elaine becomes one as temporary boss of J. Peterman's company in "The Foundation".
* CircularReasoning: Attempted by Elaine in "The Maid":
--> '''Elaine''': 646? What is this?
--> '''Phone guy''': That's your new area code.
--> '''Elaine''': I thought 646 was just for new numbers.
--> '''Phone guy''': This ''is'' a new number.
--> '''Elaine''': No, no, no, no. It's not a new number. It's, it's, it's just a ''changed'' number. See? It's not different. It's the same, just... changed.
--> '''Phone guy''': Look, I work for the phone company. I've had a lot of experience with semantics, so don't try to lure me into some maze of circular logic.
** In "The Smelly Car":
--> '''Maître'd''': What do you mean, "stunk up"?\\
'''Jerry''': I mean, the car stinks! George, does the car stink?\\
'''George''': Stinks.\\
'''Jerry''': Stinks!\\
'''Maître'd''': Well perhaps ''you're'' the one who has the odor.\\
'''Jerry''': Hey, I've never smelled in my life, buddy!\\
'''Maître'd''': (skeptical) Really. Well I smell you ''now''.\\
'''Jerry''': That's from the car!\\
'''Maître'd''': Well maybe ''you're'' the one who stunk up the car, rather than the car stinking up you!!\\
'''George''': [[LampshadeHanging It's the chicken and the egg.]]
* ClingyCostume: Kramer's jeans in "The Wait Out".
* ClingyMacGuffin: George uses the bathroom at a bookstore and takes a book in with him to read, and the store makes him buy it. His attempts to return it all meet with failure because the book has been "flagged". At the end of the episode he tries to drop it off at Goodwill, only to have the lady working there recognize that the book is flagged and reveal she used to work at one of the stores in the chain. She's disgusted with George that he would try to subject the less fortunate to a book that he took into the bathroom.
* ClipShow: Two of them: One in season 6, the other in season 9.
** And the finale... sort of.
* CloserToEarth: Subverted in the case of Elaine: she really only ''thinks'' she's closer to earth, when in reality, she is as bad as the other three. Exemplified best in "The Bizarro Jerry," where she dumps Jerry, George, and Kramer for well-adjusted, sophisticated doppelgangers, only to be dumped by the doppelgängers for being too [[strike: eccentric]] violent.
** This can also apply to Jerry, who is quite sane if he puts his mind to it, but usually doesn't care enough to clean his act up.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Kramer.
** Elaine has had a number of these moments as well.
** Also, Peterman.
** And Steinbrenner.
*** And Steinbrenner's {{Exp|y}}ies Fidel Castro and the President of Tyler Chicken.
** Pretty much the entire cast actually, especially since there are no "[[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Frank]] [[AudienceSurrogate Grimes]]"-type characters with which to contrast them.
* ColdOpening: Started replacing the stand-up routines in season 7; Larry David left the show around that time, so Jerry took on more responsibilities and no longer had time to write new material.
* ComebackTomorrow: The whole premise of George's subplot in "The Comeback"; he's told by co-worker Reilly, "The ocean called. They're running out of shrimp." He can't think of a comeback until later: "Oh yeah? Well the jerk store called; they're running out of ''you''." George wants to re-enact the same scenario so he can deliver the comeback, but unfortunately for George, Reilly has transferred to a sister office in Akron, Ohio. George decides to fly there just to deliver the comeback. But when he does, Reilly retorts with "What does it matter? You're their all time best-seller!" George, unable to think of a witty comeback, blurts out: "Oh yeah? Well I had sex with your wife!" After being informed that Reilly's wife is in a coma, George feels guilty. However, on the car ride home, he thinks of a comeback for ''that'' line. [[HereWeGoAgain And he turns the car around.]]
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Often occurs with Kramer. An example from "The English Patient":
--> '''Jerry''': (on the phone with Kramer) They're real Cubans?! They're human beings, from Cuba?!
--> '''Kramer''': I said Cubans; what did you think I meant?
--> '''Jerry''': CIGARS?!
--> '''Kramer''': Jerry, Cuban cigars are ''illegal'' in this country!
** A subversion occurred in "The Van Buren Boys", when Kramer accuses Elaine of missing the point of his story, despite that Kramer's story made no sense in the first place:
--> '''Kramer''': Well, I'm on the phone with Bob, and I realize right then and there that I need to return this pair of pants. So, I'm off to the store. (...) ...I slipped, and fell in the mud. Ruining the very pants I was about to return.\\
'''Elaine''': I don't understand.. you were wearing the pants you were returning?\\
'''Kramer''': I guess I ''was''.\\
'''Elaine''': What were you gonna wear on the way back?\\
'''Kramer''': Elaine, are you listening?! I didn't even ''get'' there!
* ComicalOverreacting: A trademark of George. One example, in "The Seven" after Susan rejects George's idea to name their child "Seven":
--> '''George''': (shouting out the car window) ALL RIGHT, LET'S JUST STAY CALM HERE!!! DON'T GET ALL CRAZY ON ME!!!
* CompetitionCouponMadness: Invoked several times with the show's focus on the characters' daily lives.
** Elaine's quest to become a ''submarine captain'' [[note]](free sub)[[/note]] at ''Atomic Sub'' in "The Strike".
** Kramer buys absurdly high amounts of food at the Price Club in "The Rye".
** In "The Van Buren Boys" Peterman's surprisingly mundane private life includes collecting coupons.
* TheComplainerIsAlwaysWrong: Elaine is the only one who doesn't like ''Film/TheEnglishPatient'', and that opinion causes her to lose her boyfriend, her friends, [[GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity and her job (temporarily)]].
* CompressedAbstinence: In the episode "The Contest", the characters try to "[[UnusualEuphemism be the master of their domain]]" by spending the longest without... [[ADateWithRosiePalms mastering their domain]]. It doesn't last long. It was called back to, however, even in the series finale.
* CompressedVice: George takes his shirt off in the bathroom and doesn't put it on properly again only in "The Gymnast".
* {{Confessional}}: Jerry visits one in "The Yada Yada", although it's not so much to repent of sins, but to complain to the priest that Tim Whatley's making Jewish jokes.
* TheConfidant: In "The Hot Tub", Judy, a friend of Elaine's, confided in her that her baby was born out of wedlock. Elaine doesn't tell anybody except Jerry, but later in the episode Jean-Paul says hi and calls her baby a "cute little bastard" (a word he learned from George, who was using curse words to fit in with some Texas ball team managers). An offended Judy jumped to conclusions that Elaine told Jean-Paul her secret.
* ConspiracyTheorist: Kramer could fall into this at times; in one episode, he claimed the alternative media is where you hear the truth. And in "The Bris", Kramer claimed that the government has been experimenting with creating a race of pigmen since the '50s ("Jerry wake up to reality. It's a military thing. They're probably creating a whole army of pig warriors!").
** In "The Limo", Kramer was convinced that Jerry was working for the CIA, and thought Jerry probably knew who killed [[JohnFKennedy Kennedy.]]
** Jerry fell into this once too: In "The Non-Fat Yogurt", Jerry wondered if the non-fat yogurt thing was a conspiracy, and didn't know how deep it went.
* ContinuityCavalcade: The entire finale; nine seasons worth of wronged bystanders show up as character witnesses. There's the Virgin and the Soup Nazi and Puddy and Judge whose name is 'Art Vandaly.'
* ContinuityNod: Tons of them, rewarding loyal viewers with all sorts of in-jokes and references to previous events. It's yet another aspect of SeinfeldIsUnfunny, because nowadays this is common in sitcoms, but back then was relatively rare.
* ContrivedCoincidence: Almost every episode with an [[TwoLinesNoWaiting A plot and B plot]] will have them collide at the end, no matter how unlikely.
* ControlFreak: After George's therapist doesn't think the "Jerry" pilot script is funny, George accuses Jerry of being a control freak, having taken out all his good lines.
* TheCouch
* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: "YOU HAD TO HOP ON THE PLANE!!!"
** In "The Wizard", when Susan's parents keep calling George's bluff on going to his non-existent house in the Hamptons, George finally tells the truth when the three get to the Hamptons:
--> '''George''': There's no house! It's a lie! There's no solarium. There's no Prickly Pete. There's no ''other'' solarium.\\
'''Mr. Ross''': We know.\\
'''George''': Then, why? ''Why'' did you make me drive all the way out here? Why didn't you say something? Why? Why? Why?!\\
'''Mrs. Ross''': We don't like you, George.\\
'''Mr. Ross''': And we always blamed you for what happened to Susan.\\
'''George''': Oh.
* CountingToThree: In "The Revenge", Glenda is blocking George's seat, which he needs to slip a mickey into his former boss's drink. So he says:
--> '''George''': I'm gonna count to three. If you don't give up the chair, the wig is coming off.\\
'''Glenda''': I don't wear a wig!\\
'''George''': ...One... (Glenda hustles out of the seat)
* CourtroomEpisode: Several, including the finale.
* CovertPervert: Many of the women Jerry dates, including one who had ''[[CrazyPrepared an entire closet]]'' full of contraceptive sponges. Justified they had been discontinued, and women in the Seinfeld-verse are [[UndyingLoyalty unflinchingly loyal]] to their preferred methods of birth control.
* CrackOhMyBack: The [[SitcomArchNemesis hyper-competitive]] Izzy Mandelbaum throws out his back in "The English Patient" trying to show up Morty Seinfeld in the exercise room. Later, he tries to jump out of bed ... and he does it again. [[GenerationXerox And so does his son. And his father.]]
* CrazyCulturalComparison: "Festivus," George's dad's alternative to Christmas.
* CreepyDoll: It looks ''exactly'' like George's mother.
** When Jerry and Kramer switched apartments, one of the things that disturbed him to most was a ventriloquist dummy Kramer referred to as "Mr. Marbles."
-->'''Jerry:''' You gotta get rid of this thing! [[DemonicDummy I keep thinking it's gonna come to life at night and kill me!]]
* CringeComedy
* TheCrocIsTicking: Elaine uses this technique by giving a container of Tic-Tacs to an employee who sneaks up on her in inconvenient situations.
* {{Cult}}: The Sunshine Carpet Cleaners. They get to Wilhelm.
--> '''Wilhelm''': Most of the world is carpeted. And one day, we will do the cleaning.
* CurseCutShort: In "The Fire":
--> '''Elaine''': Sure, the pinky toe is cute! But, I mean, what is it? It's useless! It does nothing. It's got that little nail that is just impossible to cut. What do we need it for?
--> '''Jerry''': Because Elaine, that's the one that goes 'wee-wee-wee all the way home.'
--> '''Elaine''': ...Why don't you just shut the f- (Kramer interrupts)
** In "The Shoes":
--> '''George''': Elaine, this pilot... it doesn't matter to me, it's not me I'm concerned about... it's my mother. I've been over to the hospital to see her...\\
'''Elaine''': Oh yeah, because she caught you [[ADateWithRosiePalms jer-]]\\
'''George''': NEVER MIND.
** In "The Pool Guy":
--> '''Jerry''': Y'know, George isn't too happy, uh, about your new friendship.\\
'''Elaine''': Yeah? Well I don't really give a sh- (shuts bathroom door)
** In "The Package", Elaine addresses her medical chart, where it claims she was difficult at an earlier appointment:
--> '''Elaine''': I'm not difficult; I'm easy.\\
'''Jerry''': Why? Because you dress casual and sleep with a lot of guys?\\
'''Elaine''': ...Listen to me, you little sh-\\
'''Kramer''': Smile!\\
(Jerry and Elaine fake a smile for Kramer's camera)
** In "The Finale":
--> '''Jerry''': Well, it's only a year. That's not so bad. We'll be out in a year, and then we'll be back.\\
'''Kramer''': Could be fun. Don't have to worry about your meals, or what you're going to do Saturday night. And they do shows. Yeah, we could put on a show, maybe ''Theatre/ByeByeBirdie'' or ''Theatre/MyFairLady''. Elaine, you could be Liza Doolittle.\\
'''Elaine''': ...Why don't you just blow it out your a-\\
'''Kramer''': (stammers to interrupt her)
* CynicismCatalyst: In "The Statue", after George fails to get back the statue that he suspects Ray stole:
--> '''George''': There's just no justice. This experience has changed me. It's made me more cynical, more bitter, more jaded.\\
'''Jerry''': Really?\\
'''George''': Sure, why not.
** In "The Postponement", Elaine seemed to display traits of this, not caring at all that she got in trouble with the law:
--> '''Kramer''': Do you realize this is gonna be on our permanent records? Are you aware of this?\\
'''Elaine''': (sarcastic) Oh, dear.\\
'''Kramer''': It can never be erased. It'll follow us wherever we go for the rest of our lives. I'll never be able to get a job. I mean, doesn't that concern you? Everything I've worked for, down the drain, because of one stupid mistake. I mean, aren't we entitled to make one mistake in our lives, Jerry?\\
'''Jerry''': We're gonna change the system.\\
'''Kramer''': Yes!\\
'''Elaine''': Well, I could care less. I hope it ''is'' on our record. I'm just sorry they didn't ''lock'' me up.
* TheDanza: Jerry Seinfeld's character is named... "Jerry Seinfeld."
** George's mother Estelle is named after her actress. But they couldn't name his father the same way because [[OneSteveLimit they already had a Jerry]].
** But, George's dad was originally played by John Randolph.
** In "The Kiss Hello", Wendie Malick as Wendie the delicate genius.
* DarkReprise: In the second half of "The Finale", a minor-key version of the show's theme is played on the oboe while the four are waiting to be sentenced.
* ADateWithRosiePalms: The whole premise of "The Contest" was to see who could go the longest without, um, doing this. George wins. [[labelnote:*]]Except not really, he cheated. Jerry is the real winner.[[/labelnote]]
* DayInTheLife
* DeadpanSnarker: Jerry.
* DeathGlare: In "The Strike", Jerry gives one to Kramer when he says "Another Festivus miracle!" after Gwen arrives to tell off Jerry.
* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment:
-->'''Kramer''': Jerry, this relationship is killing me. The distance, the longing, the distance...
** In "The Pool Guy" when George calls out to Jerry, Elaine, and Susan in the theater:
--> '''George''': I know you're there, laughing at me! Laughing and lying and laughing!
** In "The Susie":
--> '''Elaine''': We don't have to name names, or, point fingers, or... name names!
* DescendedCreator: As the show went on, Larry David had more and more {{Creator Cameo}}s usually seen only from behind or voicing unseen characters like George Steinbrenner, a part David continued to voice for some time after he had already left the series as a writer.
* DescriptionCut: In "The Gum", Kramer wants to wear a jester outfit to promote a movie at the vintage theater, but is told by the preservationist that only a short, stocky man of generous girth could fit into it. Cut to George wearing the outfit.
* DidntThinkThisThrough: In "The Secretary", this definitely applies to Kramer.
--> '''Jerry''': ...Where are your clothes??\\
'''Kramer''': I told you: I sold them to Bania.\\
'''Jerry''': You mean, what you were ''wearing''?!\\
'''Kramer''': Yeah.\\
'''Jerry''': How did you expect to get out of here??\\
'''Kramer''': Well I didn't think ahead!
* DidYouJustHaveSex: Jerry deduces that Elaine and Puddy are "backsliding" by her hair and the clothes she's wearing (the same as yesterday's). Later, she's shown with messy hair handing Jerry money, presumably because she lost their bet that she wouldn't do it again.
* DigitalDestruction: [[http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k290/snowthbo/seinfeldcrops_zpsfeb90765.jpg TV networks show no mercy]]
* DirectedByCastMember: Jason Alexander directed season 3's "The Good Samaritan".
* DisabledLoveInterest: Lola, who was denied "The Handicap Spot".
* DiscriminateAndSwitch: In "The Pledge Drive", a guy who looks like a street thug is actually very helpful to Jerry's nana.
--> '''Man''': You lookin' for something, lady?\\
'''Nana''': Isn't the Chemical Bank on this block?\\
'''Man''': The bank? It burned. It's ''GONE''!\\
'''Nana''': Oh dear.\\
'''Man''': Now what you wanna do is go down to 49th Street, that's the main customer service branch. Ask for Mr. Fleming. He'll help you. (walks away)
* DisproportionateRetribution: The entire show is full of this. In "The Soup Nazi," the eponymous character refuses to serve Elaine because she annoys him. In the course of the episode, she ends up finding the Soup Nazi's recipes. What does she do? She uses the recipes to ''drive him out of business and force him to move to Argentina''.
** How about physically attacking someone over double dipping a chip?
** In "The Dealership", George wanted the surly mechanic to be fired merely for getting a free Twix that was supposed to be George's had it not gotten stuck in the machine. This involves buying several more Twix as part of a set-up to prove that the mechanic had indeed "stolen" the original Twix. He could have just eaten one of those, but instead he is dead-set on revenge, and in the end doesn't even get a chance to pull off his scam because his other Twix were discovered and eaten by the staff, mechanic included.
* {{Dissimile}}: In "The Nose Job":
--> '''Jerry''': I'll tell you, the sex... I mean, I was like an animal. I mean it was just completely uninhibited.
--> '''George''': It's like going to the bathroom in front of a lot of people, and not caring.
--> '''Jerry''': ...It's not like that at ''all''.
** In "The Friar's Club", George keeps comparing their foursome (he and Susan; Jerry and Hallie) to the [[Literature/TheGreatGatsby Gatsbys]]. Jerry is thoroughly confused both times he says it.
--> '''George''': We could be like the Gatsbys. Didn't they always like, you know, a bunch of people around, and they were all best friends?\\
'''Jerry''': That doesn't sound right.\\
'''George''': (agreeing) No...
** Later:
--> '''George''': I want it to get back to when we were the Gatsbys!\\
'''Jerry''': I still don't know what that means.\\
'''George''': Yeah, well...
* DistaffCounterpart: In one episode, Jerry falls in love with a woman (Creator/JaneaneGarofalo) who is exactly like him in every way. He even proposes to her, before realizing that he can't marry someone exactly like him ... because he hates himself. They then have the perfect mutual break-up.
* DistantPrologue: If you watch "The Betrayal" in sequential order, the episode begins years ago when Jerry first moved across the hall from Kramer.
* DistractedByTheSexy: Elaine does this to George's boss in "The Revenge".
-->'''Elaine''': So, I'm going to a nudist colony next week...
** She does it again in "The Shoes", by putting her cleavage in Russell Dalrymple's face.
** And again (this time, unknowingly) in "The Gum" when her shirt is unbuttoned, displaying her cleavage to Lloyd Braun.
** "The Caddy": Sue Ellen Mischkie accidentally causes a car accident by walking around in a bra with no shirt, starting a trend.
* DoesNotUnderstandSarcasm: Kramer.
-->'''Kramer:''' Do you have a leaf blower?
-->'''Jerry:''' [[SarcasmMode Yeah, it's in my tool shed, next to my ride-on lawnmower]].
-->''[minutes later]''
-->'''Kramer:''' Now, where's that tool shed of yours?
** When Kramer is losing sleep due to the neon sign outside his window.
-->'''Kramer:''' I'm just gonna have to move in here with you.
-->'''Jerry:''' [[SarcasmMode Or I can just go live in the park!]] Yeah, you can knock down these walls, get an eight-room suite!
-->'''Kramer:''' [[ComicallyMissingThePoint Jerry, these are]] ''[[ComicallyMissingThePoint load-bearing]]'' [[ComicallyMissingThePoint walls!]] They're not gonna come down!
** After Poppy pees on Jerry's couch.
-->'''Kramer:''' Ah, you're making too much of it.
-->'''Jerry:''' [[SarcasmMode Yeah, you're right.]] It's just a natural human function... happens to be on my sofa, instead of in the toilet, where it would normally be!
-->'''Kramer:''' Right!
** In "The Slicer":
-->'''Kramer''': Oh, and Jerry, we're gonna need a case of Kaiser rolls.\\
'''Jerry''': I think we might have one left in the stock room.\\
(later...)\\
'''Kramer''': Hey, and I couldn't find that stock room.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: In the same episode where Elaine laments that the guy she really likes is pro-life instead of pro-choice like her, Kramer and Poppy have an argument about pizza toppings reminiscent of a pro-life vs. pro-choice debate.
-->'''Poppy:''' No no no, you can't-a put-a cucumbers on a pizza.\\
'''Kramer:''' Well, why not? I like cucumbers.\\
'''Poppy:''' That's-a not a pizza. It'll taste-a terrible.\\
'''Kramer:''' Yeah, but that's the idea. You make your own pie.\\
'''Poppy:''' Yes, but we cannot-a give-a the people the right to choose ''any topping they want!'' Now, on this issue there can-a be ''no debate!''\\
'''Kramer:''' What gives you the right to tell me how I would make my pie?!\\
'''Poppy:''' Because it's a ''pizza!''\\
'''Kramer:''' It's not a pizza until it comes out of the oven!\\
'''Poppy:''' It's a pizza the moment you put-a you' fists in the dough!\\
'''Kramer:''' No, it isn't!\\
'''Poppy:''' Yes it is!
* DontExplainTheJoke:
-->'''Kramer''': Well, I signed up for a food delivery service, Now We're Cookin'. That's a play on words.
** In the same episode:
--> '''Maxwell''': My name is Maxwell. I'm from Maid To Order. It's a pun.
** In "The Checks", after Jerry and George show the ''Jerry'' pilot to some Japanese execs:
--> '''Executive''': We're bit confused. Why was this man Jerry's butler?\\
'''George''': Ah. You see, the man who was the butler, uh, had gotten into a car accident with Jerry, and because he didn't have any insurance, the judge decreed that the man become Jerry's butler.\\
'''Executive''': Is this customary in your legal system?\\
'''Jerry''': (congenial) No. That's what makes it such a humorous situation.
* DoorFocus: Happens when Kramer yells at Jerry about him wanting to reclaim a phone number of a woman he was trying to stop seeing. Kramer storms out and slams the door and a beat later he comes back in to grab the cereal and milk he was borrowing off of Jerry's counter. Then he leaves again.
* DoppelgangerDating: In "The Cartoon" and "The Invitations".
* DoubleStandard: As proven in "The Sniffing Accountant", it's okay for women to touch men's material, but do it in reverse, and you're accused of being a pervert and are fired from a job you haven't even started yet.
** Then again, the whole thing was started by a man doing it to Elaine and getting a date with her because of it. Maybe it's just not okay if you're [[BeautyEqualsGoodness unattractive]] (eg. George and Newman), or it's ''only'' okay if you do it to [[OneOfTheBoys Elaine]].
* DownerEnding: The series finale. Not that it actually bothered any of the protagonists.
* DrivingADesk: Happens rather frequently, but in particular, "The Bris". George's car is clearly in Park during the driving scenes.
* DrivesLikeCrazy: Elaine, as seen in "The Wait Out."
* DropInCharacter: Kramer.
* DroppedAfterThePilot: Claire, the waitress at Pete's Luncheonette, was intended to be a regular but she was [[SecondEpisodeSubstitute replaced]] by the character [[Creator/JuliaLouisDreyfus Elaine]] after the pilot episode. Pete's Luncheonette was also replaced with Monk's Cafe, explaining why Claire is never seen again.
* DuelingShows: ''EverybodyLovesRaymond''
* DumpThemAll: In the backwards episode, one woman chooses this solution.
* DyingDeclarationOfLove: It's debatable that Elaine almost told Jerry she loved him in "The Finale Part 1" because she thought their plane would crash. But the plane straightens out before she can finish her sentence. Also debatable that Russel Dalrymple did this in "The Pilot 2" when he is seen drifting away and a fellow Greenpeace member is shouting "I'll remember her name! Elaine Benes! I'll write to her. I'll tell her all about you and what you did out here!"
* DynamicEntry: Kramer, every time he comes through the door.
** Episode-specific example: In "The Susie", George and Kramer, acting like a bickering couple, are at a ball. During a scuffle, George accidentally rips the back of Kramer's tux, causing Kramer to twirl towards some spectators. Wilhelm: "Wow! What an entrance!"
[[/folder]]
[[folder: E-F]]
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The pilot features a different theme song; Jerry is living in a studio apartment with a grey leather couch and a skylight; Kramer (actually, "Kessler") knocks on the door, owns a dog, and is agoraphobic; the hangout is a place called Pete's Luncheonette rather than Monk's; and Elaine is absent (it appears that a deadpan waitress at Pete's was meant to be the major female character).
** The earlier seasons also had a lot more of a lax tone, and episodes were slower-paced (especially ones that took place in one location, such as "The Chinese Restaurant" or "The Parking Garage"); most likely because of the "show about nothing" premise. For that matter, the early episodes even seemed to be shot on cheaper stock.
** An early episode known as "Male Unbonding" did not conform to the "The Something" title formula, and had a sequence in which Jerry and George have a conversation on the elevator ride to Jerry's apartment. In later episodes, characters would ring the buzzer and almost immediately be at the door. Most importantly, the premise was about Jerry not wanting to spend time with a friend he'd known since he was a kid who was petty and constantly complaining: traits inherent in George.
** Season 3's first episode had some vocal scatting dubbed over the theme. While not intended to be literal words, many remarked that it sounded like the singers were saying, "easy to beat."
** In the first three-or-so seasons, Elaine was very much concerned with animal rights. Eventually, this aspect of the character was forgotten, until it was referenced in "The Reverse Peephole" when Puddy started wearing a fur coat:
--> '''Elaine''': Eh, anti-fur. I mean, who has the energy anymore? This is more about hanging off the arm of an idiot.
** Newman's first appearance off-camera appearance was a voice-over performed by Larry David, later dubbed in by Wayne Knight in syndication. That's not the weird part: the weird part is that this "Newman" (or "Nueman" in the script) threatened suicide, and was said to be unemployed. In later episodes, it's clear that Newman has been a postal worker as far back as the late '70s when he knew Sam Berkowitz.
** Both Jerry Seinfeld's and George Costanza's fathers were initially played by different actors from those who would become better-known in those roles. Each had a very different look and gave a very different performance. Again: it's not just a casting change that's weird, or even how different the better-established versions of the characters were, but that in syndication, they reshot John Randolph's scenes as Frank Costanza using Jerry Stiller, but did not do the same thing with the two versions of Jerry's father.
*** In the commentary for the one episode with Phil Bruns as Morty Seinfeld before Barney Martin played him in subsequent appearances, Seinfeld and Larry David revealed that they had considering reshooting the scenes with Martin for syndication, but realized they couldn't because the other characters had all aged five years by then (as opposed to only a few months for the George's father episode).
** George makes some rather cryptic statements in early episodes that prefigure or contradict later ones.
*** In Season 3's "The Truth," George remarks that he's driven women to lesbianism before, but says he hasn't in an episode the following season when he sees Susan with a woman.
*** George says to Jerry in the pilot to "always do the opposite of what your instincts tell you." He actually hears this advice FROM Jerry, spends the whole episode doing the opposite of what he thinks he should do, and things go well for him.
*** When George quits his job in real estate, he talks about how he'd like to join a ball club as an announcer or some such, years before joining the Yankees as Assistant to General Manager.
*** When George makes up the phoney charity he says he'd like to be in a position to give away money to worthy people. Guess he forgot he was put in charge of just such an organization after Susan's death.
** In "The Busboy", George and Jerry console Elaine after she fails at getting an unwanted houseguest to the airport on time. This kind of compassion is extremely rare for the show, and was quickly phased out.
* EarWorm: Invoked. In-universe, George can't get "Master of the House" from ''Franchise/LesMiserables'' out of his head. Jerry warns him that getting a song stuck in your head can drive you insane, like how Schumann kept humming an "A" over and over.
** In "The Chicken Roaster", George admits that he's sort of like an advertising jingle: Annoying, but you can't get it out of your head. To which he sings: "By Mennen!" Later, Jerry is mumbling that jingle to himself.
* EasilyForgiven: Jerry has this in a couple episodes.
** In "The Kiss Hello," the other apartment tenants [[FelonyMisdemeanor are very angry with him for not wanting to get kissed hello]], and in the next episode, everything's okay again. Alternatively, it might just be a case of StatusQuoIsGod.
** In "The Hamptons," his bringing over a good dinner was all he needed to get back on his girlfriend's [[OverprotectiveDad father's]] [[ThroughHisStomach good side]].
* TheEasyWayOrTheHardWay: In "The Yada Yada", Elaine goes to the adoption agent to convince him to let Beth and Arnie have a baby:
--> '''Elaine''': Look it, look it, Ryan. These people are gettin' a baby. Period. Now, we can do this the easy way, or... [[InstantSeduction we can do this... the fun way]].
* EatingLunchAlone: Elaine pretends to live in the janitor's closet of the apartment building across the street because her building isn't in the delivery zone for a certain Chinese restaurant known for their flounder. She says this is preferable to eating it alone in the restaurant "like some loser".
** George eats alone at Reggie's twice in the series: First, in "The Soup" when he can't confront the waitress that he dated, and later in "The Pool Guy" when he eats there out of protest that Susan getting chummy with his friends is making his worlds "collide".
* EditedForSyndication: Most episodes feature little dialog cuts here and there to save time for more commercials. The episode which suffers the worst in this regard is "The Yada Yada", as it originally ran ''26 minutes'' in its NBC premiere.
** Since 2010, most markets air the episodes in a cropped format (similar to a x1.2 zoom on most DVD players), and as such, all on-screen titles (opening credits, closing credits, subtitles, etc) have been changed accordingly. Some episodes also have either repositioned the show logo in the opening, or left alone, resulting in half of the 'S' in ''Seinfeld'' being cut off.
* EldritchAbomination: To Jerry anyways, the woman with the man hands.
-->'''Jerry:''' Like a creature out of GreekMythology! Part woman, part horrible beast!
** The unriddable B.O. someone leaves in a car is much the same to him. "You don't understand what I'm up against. This is a force more powerful than anything you can imagine. Even ''Superman'' would be helpless against this kind of stench!" Later, Jerry refers to the odor as "[[Literature/TheBible The Beast]]".
* EmbarrassingFirstName: Cosmo Kramer, but he eventually embraces it... especially when he gets his new license plates mixed up with a proctologist...
-->'''Kramer''': I'm Cosmo Kramer -- the Ass Man!
* EmbarrassingNickname: In "The Pick", Elaine is given the nickname "Nip" after she accidentally exposes her nipple in a Christmas card.
** In many season 3 and 4 episodes, George is nicknamed "[[Theatre/DeathOfASalesman Biff]]" by Jerry. George is always annoyed by being associated with one of the biggest losers of theatre.
** In "The Maid", George is nicknamed "Coco" because he looked like a monkey when he was going on a tirade to Watkins about stealing his nickname (T-Bone). Later in the episode, George is nicknamed "Gammy", much to his annoyance.
* EnemyMine: In "The Andrea Doria", Newman wants a transfer to Hawaii, but is put out of commission from [[BrickJoke a bite by Kramer]]. Upon hearing this, Jerry agrees to take Newman's route, with the logic being that he wants Newman out of his life just as much as Newman wants to move to Hawaii.
* EpisodeOnAPlane: "The Airport."
* EstablishingShot
* EuphemismBuster: In "The Phone Message", after a date, George's girlfriend asked him if he wanted to come up to her apartment for coffee. George replied, "I can't drink coffee late at night, it keeps me up." The date ended, and only later did George realize she was alluding to sex.
* EvenBeggarsWontChooseIt: In one episode, Elaine sells muffin tops, and needs to dispose of the stumps (making them without stumps just isn't the same, you see). Both a homeless shelter and a garbage dump reject them.
** Jerry finally rids himself of the unkillable B.O. in his car by just abandoning the car on the street and handing the keys over to some bum. The episode ends with a freeze frame of his expression after getting in the car, which indicates he didn't bother keeping it.
** Jerry finds himself suddenly repulsed by his GirlOfTheWeek and unable to kiss her after discovering that she not only went out with Newman, but that Newman was the one who ended the relationship. The thought of dating a woman who is below the standards of a man he doesn't think should even ''have'' standards in the first place is just too much for him to bear.
---> '''Jerry:''' All I could think of when I was looking at her face... was that '''''Newman''''' found this '''''unacceptable'''''!
** George takes a book from the shelf at a bookstore into the bathroom with him and is forced to purchase it. He can't return it at any of the locations in the chain because it's been "flagged" as having been in the bathroom. He tries to give it to Goodwill, only for the woman at the counter to immediately recognize that the book is flagged because she used to work at one of the chain locations. She calls George a sick and evil man for trying to give the flagged book to the less fortunate.
* EverythingIsRacist: Uncle Leo seems to think so.
-->''He's an anti-Semite!''
* EverytownAmerica: Kramer turns his apartment facade into "Anytown, USA", which is waterlogged with Type-I {{Eagleland}} and all the tropes accompanying it. This was during the "Serenity Now" episode.
* EvilDetectingDog: In "The Wink", Elaine is barked at by James's dogs. Apparently they knew Elaine hated dogs from her experience in "The Engagement".
* EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor: In "The Little Kicks", Jerry jokes that Brody the movie bootlegger is working on quite a foodbag.
--> '''Brody''': (serious) It's for ''all'' of us. Is there a problem?\\
'''Kramer''': Brody, come on, he's just kidding. He's a joke maker, tell 'im, Jerry.\\
'''Jerry''': (nervously) I'm a joke maker.
* ExactWords: George often asks people what someone's exact words were, to the point where Jerry can see it coming.
--> '''George''': So she doesn't like me?
--> '''Jerry''': No.
--> '''George''': She said that?
--> '''Jerry''': Yes.
--> '''George''': She told you she doesn't like me!
--> '''Jerry''': Yes.
--> '''George''': What were her exact-
--> '''Jerry''': "I don't like him."
** Jerry puts a damper on Newman's new millennium party by telling him that by booking the venue for "the millennium New Year" he actually booked it one year too late, since the new millennium doesn't officially start until 2001.
* FailureIsTheOnlyOption
* FanDisservice: Used in-universe in one episode when Jerry and his girlfriend walk around the apartment naked. He sees her as a vixen, she sees him as a gorilla.
* FanService: Notice throughout the final seasons, the [[GirlOfTheWeek Girls of the Week]] were wearing shorter and shorter skirts.
* FantasticRacism: Played for laughs in "The Yada Yada" when Jerry is annoyed that his dentist Tim Whatley (who recently converted to Judaism) is making so many Jewish jokes. However, Jerry is chided by Tim for telling a dentist joke, proclaiming Jerry has no idea what his people (that is, the dentists) have been through.
--> '''Kramer''': You think that dentists are so different from me and you? They came to this country just like everybody else, in search of a dream!
--> '''Jerry''': Kramer, he's just a dentist.
--> '''Kramer''': Yeah, and ''you're'' an anti-dentite.
--> '''Jerry''': I am ''not'' an anti-dentite!
--> '''Kramer''': You're a ''rabid'' anti-dentite! Oh, it starts with a few jokes and some slurs. "Hey! Denty!" Next thing, you're saying they should ''have their own schools''!
--> '''Jerry''': They ''do'' have their own schools!
--> '''Kramer''': Aaahhh!!!
** Later, as Jerry meets with a priest...
--> '''Priest''': And this offends you as a Jewish person?
--> '''Jerry''': No, it offends me as a comedian!
* FatBestFriend: Kramer's buddy and Jerry's antagonist Newman.
** George is pretty much a more subtle example of this; he's nowhere near as ''huge'' as Newman is, however, his own, "Generous proportions" are brought up on occasion.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Newman, complete with EvilLaugh. Though he seems to think it's [[AffablyEvil the other way around]].
-->'''Elaine:''' Perhaps there's more to Newman than meets the eye?
-->'''Jerry:''' No, there's less. I've looked into his eyes. He's pure evil.
* FauxInterracialRelationship:
** In one episode, Elaine thinks the guy she's going out with is black, but she's not quite sure, and spends the episode trying to find out without directly asking. It turns out he had been thinking Elaine was Hispanic.
** In another episode, Jerry falls for a woman named Chang over the phone, believing that she's Chinese - but it turns out she's Jewish. The family name was originally "Changstein."
* FawltyTowersPlot: Many examples, the best being "The Wizard," where George drives to the far eastern tip of Long Island before "blinking" first.
* FeeFiFauxPas: Perhaps the earliest instance was in "The Pony Remark" when Jerry and Elaine started making fun of ponies, and Jerry said he hated anybody who had a pony growing up.
--> '''Manya''': ''I'' had a pony!
** In "The Comeback", Elaine doesn't know what to rent from the video store now that Vincent stopped making picks:
--> '''Gene''': Well, we have a wide variety of Gene picks.\\
'''Elaine''': Gene's trash.\\
'''Gene''': (hurt) ''I'm'' Gene.\\
'''Elaine''': (embarrassed, smiles nervously) Hi.
** In "The Strongbox", Jerry confronts a neighbor with whom he's already on thin ice with:
--> '''Jerry''': (congenial) Phil... hi. I-I know we kind of got off to a bad start. But your bird, which is lovely, by the way, made a mess on my door.\\
'''Phil''': And?\\
'''Jerry''': I thought maybe you'd clean it up, or your maid, there.\\
'''Phil''': That's my ''wife''.\\
({{Beat}})\\
'''Jerry''': All right, I think we're done here.
* FingerLickingPoison: Susan drops dead from licking toxic envelopes in "The Invitations."
* FinishingEachOthersSentences: One of Jerry's girlfriends did this; the trope is subverted in that how she finishes Jerry's sentence is not what he was going to say at all.
--> '''Jerry''': I'll tell you Lisi, I never expected that movie to-
--> '''Lisi''': ...End underwater?
--> '''Jerry''': ...Be that long.
* FirstNameUltimatum: "Newman." [[NoNameGiven Probably his last name]], but still.
* {{Flanderization}}: Everyone goes through some level of this, except arguably Jerry.
** His neat-freak tendencies grew, somewhat.
*** They deliberately had to flanderize George's idiocy; because he wore glasses, people insisted on seeing him as TheSmartGuy, to the point where the writers had to have him openly proclaim himself "Lord of the Idiots."
**** In another episode George calls out these people by mentioning that a lot of people think he is smart when he really isn't.
**** Then, in season 9's "The Dealership" episode in which George flips out over not getting his candy bar from the vending machine. On the commentary track on the DVD, Jason Alexander proclaims, "I am in an animated cartoon here, folks."
* FlashbackCut: In "The Library", there's a brief cutaway to Jerry and George in high school during the '70s, when Jerry lends George "Tropic of Cancer" after gym class.
** In "The Nose Job", Jerry tells George about a woman he met on the elevator, and clips from said scene are shown.
** In "The Fire", we get a quick glimpse of old home movies of George's birthday party:
--> '''Frank''': Blow out the candles! Blow out the candles, I said! Blow out the damn candles!\\
'''Estelle''': [[ComicalOverreacting Stop it, Frank! You're killing him!]]
* FlashForward: Occurs in "The Invitations": Jerry realizes that if George and Elaine both get married and move to another burrough, it'll just be him and Kramer. Cue a daydream of a slightly older-looking Jerry and Kramer:
--> '''Kramer''': (slides in) Hey!! Buddy. I thought of a great invention for driving. A periscope in a car, so you can see the traffic.\\
'''Jerry''': (aggravated) How you gonna drive when looking through a periscope?! Besides, it's not a submarine and there's no room for a periscope in a car!\\
'''Kramer''': Huh! You make a higher roof.\\
'''Jerry''': They're not making higher roofs.\\
'''Kramer''': Why can't you make a higher roof?\\
'''Jerry''': (simmering) Because it's a ''stupid'' idea. No one's gonna go for it. Don't you understand?! It's stupid, stupid...
* FlippingTheBird: Implied in "The Dealership" when Kramer shouts to two women on the street: "Can I interest you in a little supplemental restraint?", and is disturbed by their off-screen reaction.
** A plot point in "The Pledge Drive": George thinks a drive who cut him off gave him the finger, but it was merely a guy with a cast on his hand, with his middle finger stuck up for some reason.
* FollowTheLeader: You can't deny how influential the show was. To this day the majority of sitcoms, whether they're about single people or families, focus on immature, petty characters who rarely ever learn from their mistakes by the end of the episode. Also, in the '90s there were many, many sitcoms (especially those about single people) that loved to borrow two very specific concepts made famous by "Seinfeld". One was the BottleEpisode structure of episodes such as "The Chinese Restaurant" and the other was having main characters obsess over the odd quirks of their Boy or GirlOfTheWeek.
* TheFoodPoisoningIncident: In "The Voice", George heads to the bathroom and weakly shouts, "I think Play Now is putting something in my food!"
** In "The Betrayal", George eats a Clams Casino and remarks, "Hmm, tastes a little funky." Jerry assures him: "I'm sure it's fine." [[DescriptionCut In the next scene, George says something's not sitting right.]]
* ForTheEvulz: George Steinbrenner once threatened to move the Yankees to New Jersey "...just to upset people!"
** Plus the woman who robbed George in the episode "The Subway." [[TropesAreTools On the other hand]], it was worth it to hear George say "[[ComicallyMissingThePoint Will I see you again?]]"
* {{Foreshadowing}}: In the episode "The Rye", Elaine tells Jerry "You know, one of these days, something terrible is going to happen to you. It ''has'' to!" Come the series finale, and not only does something terrible happen to Jerry ([[AngstWhatAngst not that it bothers him]]), it happens to Elaine too. [[TemptingFate Woops]].
** Similarly, in "The Soul Mate", there's an opening scene (usually cut in syndication) where George remarks how fascinating prison is, and Jerry agrees. George wistfully pines, "Maybe someday..." [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor Oh George...]]
* ForInconveniencePressOne: In "The Pool Guy" Kramer enjoys playing an Interactive Voice Responder to callers who misdialed Moviefone's number. Made all the funnier when the ''actual'' responder goes to Kramer's apartment because Kramer had been taking all his business, and talks exactly like the hotline.
* FourthDateMarriage: Kramer's friend Mickey marries one of the two girls he and Kramer are double-dating after only a few dates. Made funnier in that she confesses to having wanted Kramer all along, while the girl who Kramer was dating wanted Mickey.
* FragileFlower: For two grown people, both George and Elaine will cry about something at the drop of a hat.
* FreakOut: Jerry loses it in "The Diplomat's Club" after getting bugged about every little detail by his assistant.
* FriendsRentControl: Despite being able to live in a decent one-bedroom Manhattan apartment, Kramer holds down nothing resembling a steady job. He gets by by mooching most of his food off of Jerry and playing with various odd jobs (department store Santa, film extra, babysitter, illness actor for medical interns, the list goes on) and money-making schemes. Some of these are actually quite successful, like when he wins $18,000 dollars at the horse track in an early episode, and later gets his coffee table book about coffee tables published and eventually optioned as a movie (allegedly making him enough money to "retire" to Florida briefly). Subverted in that it's never handwaved as being rent control, but also vaguely plausible at times. The real Kramer managed to live comfortably off royalties from a piece of electronic disco jewellery he invented in the seventies.
** An early episode, back when George was in real estate, implies that the building is pretty cheap. An entire episode revolves around trying to move Jerry into a better building as he can afford much better. Another episode, in which his upstairs neighbour passes away, reveals the rent of that apartment was $400.
** Averted with George moving in with his parents in season 5, and moving out when he gets a job with the Yankees.
* TheFriendsWhoNeverHang: In the "The Dog" from Season 3, for one of the first times George and Elaine have to interact without Jerry as a buffer, and they realize that they have nothing in common. They manage to overcome their awkwardness only by gossiping about Jerry, but that quickly grows old. (In later seasons George and Elaine have a number of storylines featuring just the two of them.)
* FriendsWithBenefits: Jerry and Elaine try to do this in "The Deal". Lampshaded with George telling Jerry AnAesop about how it can't be done. Turns out George was right.
** The season 5 premiere, "The Mango", features a CallBack to this premise after Jerry discovers Elaine faked orgasms with him when they were dating, which put him in a foul mood.
--> '''Elaine''': We have to have sex to save the friendship!
--> '''Jerry''': Sex... to ''save'' the friendship?
* FromMyOwnPersonalGarden: Parodied.
* FullNameBasis: The woman who always introduced herself as Donna Chang (which she changed from Changstein), which Jerry believes she does because she likes people thinking she's Chinese.
** Crazy Joe Davola is always referred to as Crazy Joe Davola.
* TheFunInFuneral: "The Susie".
* FunnyAnsweringMachine / SongParody: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zlm98dJiLE0 George's classic message]], sung to the tune of the theme from ''TheGreatestAmericanHero''.
* FunnyBackgroundEvent: Watch Puddy while Jerry is on the phone with Elaine in "The Dealership": He's just blankly staring into space.
* FunnyForeigner: Babu Bhatt.
** Testikov from "The Marine Biologist".
** The doctor who treats Elaine after she is bitten by a dog in "The Glasses".
--->'''Elaine:''' That's it? I don't need a shot?\\
'''Doctor:''' No shot. Dog bite.\\
'''Elaine:''' I know I ''wasn't'' shot. Do I ''need'' a shot?\\
'''Doctor:''' (slower) No shot. Dog bite. "Woof woof", not "bang bang". (walks away, clearly thinking Elaine is a complete idiot)
* FunWithForeignLanguages
[[/folder]]
[[folder:G-H]]
* TheGamblingAddict: Kramer.
* GangOfBullies: The Van Buren Boys.
* GaveUpTooSoon: The episode with the Chinese restaurant.
* GayMoment: George, unsure of his sexuality in "The Outing", gets flustered when [[CallBack a male patient behind the curtain gets a sponge bath from the male nurse.]]
* {{Gayngster}}: Cedric and Bob, the Puerto Rican thugs who steal Elaine's armoire, harass Kramer for not wearing an AIDS ribbon and then chase him for accidentally burning a Puerto Rican flag.
* GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity: In "The Pilot", Russell Dalrymple (who is despondent after Elaine breaks up with him) fires a stagehand merely for bumping into him.
--> '''Russell''': All right. All right. What's your name?\\
'''David''': David.\\
'''Russell''': Get out! You're fired!\\
'''David''': But Mr. Dalrymple-\\
'''Russell''': Don't talk back to me. Didn't you hear what I say? Get out! You want me to call the cops? I make and break little worms like you ''every day''. Do you know how much money I make? Do you have ANY IDEA?! Do you know where I live? I can have any woman in this city that I want. ''Any one.'' Now, GET OUT!
** In "The Calzone":
--> '''George Steinberenner''': (on the phone) That's right, do you want me to say it again? I'll say it again! I haven't had a pimple since I was eighteen, and I don't care if you believe me or not! And how's this: You're fired! ({{Beat}}) Okay, you're not, I'm just a little hungry.
* GetOut: Mrs. Sweedler threw George out of her office in "The Bris" when he requested to be compensated for the mental patient committing suicide by falling onto his car.
** In "The Mango", Karen threw George out after he accused her of faking her orgasm.
** In "The Fatigues", Frank throws Kramer out after he tries to get Frank to cook again.
** In "The Serenity Now", Jerry tries to fake anger and fails miserably:
--> '''Jerry''': Kramer, I am so sick of you comin' in here and eatin' all my food. Now shut that door and get the ''hell'' outta here!!\\
({{Beat}})\\
'''Kramer''': (laughs) What is that, a new bit?
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: "The Contest." Several advertisers pulled out at the very ''mention'' that there'd be an episode entirely dedicated to masturbation, but judicious use of UnusualEuphemism, visual gags and [[RuleOfFunny simply being very funny]] saved it.
** Done more overtly in an earlier episode, "The Pez Dispenser", when George is dumped by Noel, a concert pianist, after he tries to gain an advantage, or upper hand, in their relationship.
--> '''George''': But I have hand!
-->'''Noel''': [[ADateWithRosiePalms And you're gonna need it.]]
* TheGhost: Kramer's various friends, such as Bob Saccamano and Lomez.
-->'''Jerry''': You sure have a lot of friends. [[LampshadeHanging How come I never see any of these people?]]
-->'''Kramer''': They want to know why they never see you.
* GilliganCut: Seen in "The Voice" when Elaine keeps sleeping with David Puddy, and then the scene cuts to Elaine forking over lost bet money to Jerry because of it.
* GirlOfTheWeek: Lampshaded.
-->'''Elaine:''' Jerry, you break up with a girl every week.
** But despite this, the characters are also...
*** HollywoodDateless
* GirlOnGirlIsHot: Discussed.
-->'''Elaine''': What is so appealing to men about a CatFight?
-->'''Jerry''': Because men think if women are grabbing and clawing at each other, there's a chance they might somehow... ''kiss''.
* GoldenMoment: Averted at all costs.
* GoneHorriblyRight: After the building super installs crappy low-flow shower heads in all the apartments, Kramer and Newman track down a black market shower head dealer so they can have strong water pressure again. They insist on buying the Commando 450, despite the dealer's insistence that it's only for use on circus elephants, not humans. During the credits we see Kramer trying out the Commando 450 in his shower, and is nearly BlownAcrossTheRoom.
* GoodCounterpart: In "The Bizarro Jerry," Elaine realizes that Kevin is largely this to Jerry. He even lives in an apartment which is a mirror-reflection of Jerry's apartment, keeps a model of [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Bizarro]], he has friends who are also all good counterparts to George, Kramer, and Newman, and he and his friends eat at Reggie's instead of Monk's.
* GoodIsDumb: Kramer seems to be Larry David's AuthorTract on how being unselfish and caring for people makes you an idiot.
* GoodNewsBadNews: Frank, to Lloyd Braun in "The Serenity Now":
--> '''Frank''': I have good news and bad news, and they're both the same: You're fired.
* GossipEvolution: In "The Maid", Jerry, George, Kramer, and Elaine were sitting at a counter in Monk's. Elaine was on one end of the line, and Kramer was at the other end. Elaine told Jerry that she got a new phone number because an old lady in the building died. Kramer, not fully hearing Elaine, heard "Newman died" instead.
* GoToAlias:
** George had Art Vandelay, who was an architect. Usually he used this alias when he didn't need to.
** Kramer would often pretend to be H.E. Pennypacker or Dr. Van Nostrand.
* GratuitousSpanish: A specialty of Kramer's.
-->'''Tony''': Hey Kramer, what are you doing ''mañana''?
-->'''Kramer''': ''Mañana''? I'm doing ''nada''.
** In "The Millennium", Kramer (posing as H.E. Pennypacker) tastes some chips & salsa and says, "Mmm, Machu Picchu!"
* TheGreys: According to George in "The Raincoats", if there was an alien invasion, they would relate first to bald humans.
* GroinAttack: In one of the outtakes for "The Trip Part 2", George is accidentally hit in the keys by, um, Kramer's keys.
* GrumpyOldMan: Sid Fields in "The Old Man". George's father Frank could also qualify.
* HairTodayGoneTomorrow: George in the flashback from "The Library".
* HairTriggerTemper: Michael in "The Good Samaritan", who snaps at George because he told his wife "God bless you" after a sneeze. Later in the episode, after he pieces together that George and his wife had sex, he tells Elaine:
--> '''Michael''': He's finished! I'm going to sew his ass to his face! I'm going to twist his neck so hard his lips will be his eyebrows! I'm going to break his joints, and reattach them!
** Elaine herself has bouts of this in "The Glasses". Justified in that she thought she had rabies.
** In "The Voice", when Darrin the intern arranged a lunch with himself, Jerry, and Kramer, but Elaine joined in after the appointment was already made:
--> '''Jerry''': Hey, Elaine is going to come with us, alright?\\
'''Kramer''': What? When did this happen?\\
'''Jerry''': Well, j-\\
'''Kramer''': DARRIN!!!
* HalfHumanHybrid: In "The Bris", Kramer is convinced he saw a half man, half pig in the hospital, which he dubs "Pigman".
* HalfwayPlotSwitch: Jerry's idea to perform "The Switch" doesn't come up until halfway into the episode, when he meets his girlfriend's roommate and Kramer's first name has been revealed.
* HandshakeRefusal: Elaine's boss has a cold. Having left his handkerchief in Elaine's office, he sneezes into his hand and is unable to shake the hand of a Japanese businessman when he sneezes, explaining that he can't because of the germs. The Japanese men assume he is implying that they might be diseased and cancel their business dealings.
* HardDrinkingPartyGirl: Susan Ross's mother.
* HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday: In "The Cartoon", when Jerry and George discuss how Jerry's latest girlfriend, Janet, looks a lot like Jerry:
--> '''George''': 'Cause you don't think Janet?...
--> '''Jerry''': No.
--> '''George''': Why would I...
--> '''Jerry''': It's ludicrous.
--> '''George''': Yes.
--> '''Jerry''': For either one of us.
--> '''George''': No...
--> '''Jerry''': So...
--> '''George''': Exactly.
--> '''Jerry''': ''I'm'' not gay.
--> '''George''': ...Neither am ''I''... (after a pause, they yell for Kramer to get in there to break the awkward silence)
* TheHeckler: Jerry got frustrated when Kramer brought his girlfriend to the show who was too excitable over his humor (it distracts both the comic and the audience and the person hasn't really said anything). Jerry gets even by going to her job and heckling her.
** In "The Red Dot", a drunk Dick interrupts Jerry's stand-up.
--> '''Jerry''': I like the hand blower, I have to say. It takes a little bit longer, but I feel when you're in a room with a revolting stench, you want to spend as much time as you can.\\
'''Dick''': The only stench is coming from ''you''.
* TheHedonist: Dr. Tim Whatley (Bryan Cranston)
-->'''Jerry:''' Is this guy a dentist or Caligula??
** George acts like one in "The Blood" when he includes food (and later television) in lovemaking.
--> '''Jerry''': Oh no, I'll tell you what you did, [[EmperorCaligula Caligula]]... you combined food and sex into one disgusting, uncontrollable urge!
* {{Hellistics}}: Many of the events one character caused ended up biting another character in the ass...
* HerBoyfriendsJacket: In "The Little Kicks" episode, Anna returns to work at the J. Peterman Catalog at one point, wearing George's Yankees jacket, after Elaine warned her to stay away from him on the grounds that he's "a bad seed".
* HereWeGoAgain: The series finale ends with Jerry and George having thesame conversation they did in the pilot.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: Jerry and George. George more-or-less admits to himself that the one thing he wants more than anything is a female version of Jerry that he can sleep with. Eventually he gets it, and freaks out because Kramer mentions it.
* HiddenInPlainSight: George's glasses, in the episode of the same name, are revealed to be on the top of his locker at the gym.
* HighSchoolSweethearts: In "The English Patient", Jerry is confused that Izzy Mandlebaum Jr. is only a slightly younger old man than Izzy. He explains:
--> '''Izzy''': I got married in high school.
* HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood: George.
--> Frank Costanza: "Blow out the candles! Blow out the damn candles!"
** Also...
---> George: "I need my glasses..."
---> Frank: "You don't need glasses, you're just weak! You're weak!!"
* HilariousOuttakes: Some season 9 episodes have audio bits from the episode in the credits.
* HintDropping: In "The Burning", Jerry keeps trying to get his latest girlfriend to tell him "The Tractor Story" by dropping not-so-subtle verbal hints about farms.
--> '''Jerry''': (playing a board game) They should update these pieces. Nobody rides horses anymore. Maybe they should change it to a ''tractor''.
--> '''Sophie''': Jerry, are you embarrassed that you're losing?
--> '''Jerry''': Losing? You know, yesterday I lost control of my car. I almost ''bought the farm''.
--> '''Sophie''': "Bought the farm"?
--> '''Jerry''': ''TRACTOR''!
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: The series finale, [[LaserGuidedKarma where the characters finally get punished for all the people they've screwed over]].
* HollywoodDateless: George.
* HomoeroticSubtext : Jerry and George, which was lampshaded in "The Outing." Between Jerry and Mets first baseman Keith Hernandez in "The Boyfriend."
** Pfft, those are nothing compared to Kramer/Jerry. Case in point: "The Kiss Hello." After a rant about how Jerry hates kissing, ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-iV2q-W9BE Kramer passionately kissed him.]]''
*** Best part? It was never mentioned again.
*** No, the best part is that George walks in on it, stares, and then slowly backs out of the room and closes the door behind him.
** Susan's father is revealed to have had a passionate affair with gay author John Cheever in his first appearance, though it's never mentioned again.
* HypeBacklash: An in-universe example. Elaine hates ''Film/TheEnglishPatient'', and everyone she talks to loves it, including her boyfriend (who leaves her because of it), the waitress at Monk's (who refuses to serve her after finding out she hates it), and her boss (who fires her but reconsiders when she agrees to travel to Tunisia where they filmed the movie).
* HypocrisyNod: In "The Burning", George is flabergasted that Kruger is eating in Monk's when he's supposed to be helping George out with a big project. After asking Kruger to get back to work, George remarks to Jerry:
--> '''George''': Have you ''ever'' seen anything like this?!
--> '''Jerry''': [[SarcasmMode Never.]]
** In "The Pick", after Jerry and George rationalized that nose picking wasn't a big deal:
--> '''Jerry''': Let me ask you something. If you were going out with somebody and if she did that, what would you do? Would you continue going out with her?\\
'''George''': No. That's disgusting!
[[/folder]]
[[folder:A-B]]
* AbortedDeclarationOfLove: "I've always loved you--nited airlines."
* AbsenteeActor: Jerry was the only character to appear in every episode, the other three leads missed at least one.
** Specifically:
*** Elaine was introduced in the [[SecondEpisodeIntroduction second episode]] [[ExecutiveMeddling after NBC requested a female character be added]] and was also absent from the two part VacationEpisode that started season 4.
*** Kramer is absent in both "The Pen" and "The Chinese Restaurant"
*** George is absent from "The Pen" and Jason Alexander was apparently so upset that he threatened to leave the show if he was ever excluded again.
* AbsurdlyBrightLight: The neon sign from Kenny Rogers Roasters chicken restaurant outside Kramer's apartment. It drives Kramer ''nuts''.
-->'''Jerry:''' What's going on in there?\\
'''Kramer:''' What?\\
'''Jerry:''' That light.\\
'''Kramer:''' Oh, the red. It's the chicken roaster sign. It's right across from my window.\\
'''Jerry:''' Can't you shut the shades?\\
'''Kramer:''' They ''are'' shut.
* AccidentalAimingSkills: Kramer's golf skills in "The Marine Biologist".
* AccidentalMisnaming: In "The Package", when Kramer goes to steal Elaine's medical chart:
--> '''Kramer''': It's "Bennett", right?
--> '''Elaine''': It's "Benes", you ''jackass''. My last name is Benes! (Kramer looks stunned) Yeah!
** In "The Baby Shower", an FBI agent calls Jerry "Mr. Steinfeld".
*** Maxwell from Maid to Order in "The Maid" also did this: "You Steinfeld?"
** In "The Bubble Boy", a waitress calls Jerry "Gary Seinfield". This was ''immediately after'' Elaine told her his name.
* AccidentalPervert: In "The Apology", Kramer doesn't know how to take a short shower so he goes to the locker room at the gym and studies random guys taking showers. Kramer is spotted by one of the guys and continues taking notes. Smash cut to Kramer asking Jerry for some meat for his black eye.
--> '''Kramer''': People in this city are crazy.
* AccompliceByInaction: The main cast is accused of this [[spoiler: by a bystander in the finale]].
* {{Acrofatic}}: Newman is apparently this, as in "The Reverse Peephole", he's able to climb a tree to retrieve a fur coat.
--> '''Kramer''': Where did you learn to climb trees like that?\\
'''Newman''': The pacific northwest!
* ActorAllusion: In the ''JFK'' parody in "The Boyfriend," Newman replicates his position standing in front of Kramer, just as Wayne Knight did in the movie standing in for John Connally in the courtroom demonstration of the "magic bullet" theory.
** A picture of a dinosaur appears in Newman's apartment, referencing Knight's role in ''Film/JurassicPark''.
** In the episode "The Maid", Kramer is picked up by a stranger who is looking for a maid and asks Kramer if he knows how to use a mop wringer. Kramer's answer is [[Film/{{UHF}} yes]].
* ActingForTwo: Jerry Stiller in the tag of "The Doll".
* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: In "The Trip Part 2", Lt. Martel uses this while grilling Kramer:
--> '''Martel''': Maybe the pervert in the park had a present in his pants, huh?
** In "The Voice":
--> '''Kramer''': He [Darrin] took all my clothes to some cleaners! I'm clueless!
* AddictionDisplacement: In "The Pez".
-->'''Jerry''': He's doing great in rehab. He's hooked on Pez! He's eating them like there's no tomorrow!
* AdolfHitler: In, "The Gymnast", Elaine's pen breaks, smearing ink everywhere; Mr. Pitt ends up having ink smeared on the lapels of his suit, as well as unknowingly dabbing a smear on his upper lip, resembling Hitler's mustache. Later still, Mr. Pitt gives a speech at a merger meeting he was attending:
-->'''Mr. Pitt''': I have been accused of wrong doing! We ''will'' annex Poland [Springs Water Company] by the spring! ''And'', our stocks will rise ''high'' (Raises hand in a similar fashion to the Nazi Party salute).
* AnAesop: Frequently subverted.
-->'''Kramer:''' The important thing is that you learned something.
-->'''Jerry:''' (smirking) No I didn't.
** Interestingly, the show ''does'' deliver aesops, even if incidentally. For instance, the main characters frequently lie, and in pretty much every instance, the lie comes back to bite them in the ass by the episode's end. So the aesop? Don't lie, it only makes things worse.
** A great many plots that are not powered by a SnowballLie are set off by small violations of the unwritten rules of society -- laughing in a concert hall, refusing junk mail, and so on. This never, ''ever'' ends well for the protagonists.
** The final episode repeatedly drives home the message that all four of the main characters are cynical, selfish {{jerkass}}es.
* {{Angrish}}: Jerry tells Newman that by booking the location of his New Year's party for "[[ExactWords the millennium New Year]]", he actually booked it one year too late, since the new millennium doesn't officially start until the year 2001. Upon this realization, Newman can barely contain his anger, only uttering one single squeaky, wheezing noise that is later played again during the Castle Rock logo in the credits.
* AffairHair: Parodied in "The Barber"; unsatisfied by a haircut given by long-time barber Enzo, Jerry gets his haircut by Enzo's nephew, Gino, in secret so as not to hurt Enzo's feelings. But Enzo eventually puts the pieces together by matching hairs (with help from Newman) and threatens to kill Jerry and Gino for betraying him.
* AirVentPassageway: George uses one to get ''into'' his office while being locked out by his employer in "The Voice".
* TheAlcoholic: In "The Nose Job," it's revealed that Kramer's mother is a "drunken [=stumblebum=]."
* AmbiguouslyJewish: George, though WordOfGod has it that he's half-Jewish. For what it's worth, George doesn't believe in God for anything except the bad stuff.
** Jason Alexander said despite the WordOfGod, he could never quite figure out personally if George was supposed to be Jewish or Italian, mainly since "Constanza isn't really a Jewish name", and because of the fact that they celebrated Christmas before his father created Festivus.
*** Frank is Italian ("The Doll") and Catholic ("The Fatigues"), Estelle is Jewish (WordofGod and just... common sense)
** Interestingly, WordOfGod has it that one of the reasons behind the ExecutiveMeddling in the beginning was that the network execs were concerned that the show's overall humor was "too Jewish" and "too New York", and wouldn't appeal to the masses. The executive who championed the show basically responded with "I'm not Jewish, I'm not from New York. I found it funny".
** Frank also invented "Festivus" while Christmas Shopping. Meanwhile the name "Costanza" is a real Italian name of Larry David's college roommate-- who later tried to sue ''Seinfeld'' for the ''use'' of his name.
* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Anna, George's girlfriend in "The Little Kicks".
* AllMenArePerverts: Jerry and George explain to Elaine how a man will say ''anything'' to get a woman. She doesn't believe them, so they elaborate:
--> '''George:''' I once told a woman I coined the phrase "Pardon my French".
--> '''Jerry:''' I once told a woman I don't eat ice cream because it goes straight to my thighs.
--> '''George:''' I once told a woman I ''enjoy spending time with my family''.
--> The two men sip their coffee triumphantly while Elaine sits there looking shocked.
** In ''The Contest'', the guys make Elaine pay double to enter the eponymous contest, reasoning that women don't have to masturbate every day, whereas for men it's "part of their lifestyle".
** Men in the Seinfeld universe receive a significant boost in intelligence once they stop having sex, because 99% of a man's brain (or at least George's brain, the numbers may vary depending on the man) is constantly obsessed with sex, and starts to function properly once sex is no longer a factor in the man's life. George, for example, becomes an OmnidisciplinaryScientist able to effortlessly hit several consecutive home runs in baseball using nothing but his newly acquired knowledge of physics, and also becomes fluent in Portuguese without even ''trying'' to learn it ("My cleaning lady is Portuguese. I must have picked it up."). Later on Elaine stops having sex with her boyfriend so that he can pass his licensing exam and become a doctor. However, going without sex has the opposite effect on Elaine. She becomes progressively dumber. Strangely enough, this is ''also'' because AllMenArePerverts.
---> '''Jerry:''' To a woman, sex is like the garbage man. You just take for granted the fact that any time you put some trash out on the street, a guy in a jumpsuit's gonna come along and pick it up. But now, it's like a garbage strike. The bags are piling up in your head! The sidewalk is blocked! Nothing's getting through! ...You're stupid!
* AlmostFamousName:
--> '''Kramer:''' I saw the sunrise at Liza's.
--> '''George:''' What, Minelli's?
--> '''Kramer:''' (matter-of-factly) No.
** In "The Mom and Pop Store", George is ecstatic that he bought a car previously owned by Jon Voight. However, it's revealed that the car didn't actually belong to the famous actor, but a periodontist named John Voight.
** Kramer's friend who wishes him to drop dead in "The Betrayal", is F.D.R. (Franklin Delano Romanowski).
* AlterKocker: Uncle Leo. Morty Seinfeld acts like one sometimes, too, and most of the residents of Del Boca Vista probably qualify.
* AlternateUniverse: See "The Bizarro Jerry".
* AluminumChristmasTrees: The diner is a real Manhattan diner, in the Upper West Side, called Tom's. The food there is mediocre at best, although the milkshakes are actually pretty good.
** The Boston Red Sox actually have an "Administrative Assistant to the Traveling Secretary and Baseball Operations".
* AmbiguouslyBrown: Invoked with Elaine's boyfriend in "The Wizard", who everyone thinks is black ([[ButNotTooBlack or possibly biracial]]). Amusingly, it turns out they're both actually white, and he thought she was Hispanic.
* AnalogyBackfire: In "The Butter Shave", Jerry describes Kenny Bania:
--> '''Jerry''': He's like that fish that attaches himself to the shark.\\
'''George''': And you're the shark?\\
'''Jerry''': Yeah, I'm the shark and he's the fish eating my laughs.\\
'''George''': I don't know how a fish could eat laughs.\\
'''Jerry''': (tiredly) Well, I'm glad I brought it up.
* AnnoyingLaugh: Naomi from "The Wallet", "The Watch", and "The Bubble Boy". Her laugh is described as "Elmer Fudd sitting on a juicer".
* {{Anorgasmia}}: In the episode "Mango" it turns out Elaine never has orgasms with Jerry.
* AntiAdvice: George does this to himself. Reasoning that following his instincts never got him anywhere, George decides that doing the opposite of his instincts should make him successful. It actually works... [[SnapBack for one episode]].
* AntiHumor: Attempted by Jerry in "The Butter Shave" so he'd be a bad lead-in for Kenny Bania.
--> '''Jerry''': What's with people getting sick? I mean, what's the deal with cancer?
--> '''Man in audience''': I ''have'' cancer!
** In "The Summer of George", George fails at comedy:
--> '''George''': I know a million theater jokes. "What's the deal with those ''guys'' down in the pit?"\\
'''Jerry''': They're musicians. That's not a joke.\\
'''George''': (adamant) It's a funny observation.
** A plot point in "The Cartoon": Elaine is baffled by a cartoon in The New Yorker, which consists of a cat and a dog in an office, and the cat saying, "I've enjoyed reading your email." Elaine manages to get an editor at The New York to concede that the comic had no actual joke, but merely printed it because he "liked the kitty".
* ArentYouGoingToRavishMe: One episode features a cult that masquerades as a carpet cleaning company in order to brainwash its customers into joining. George hires them because they're so cheap and he's confident he can beat the brainwashing. He gets offended when they just clean his carpet and give him the bill without attempting to brainwash him, and gets even more offended at the end of the episode when he sees that they've brainwashed Mr. Wilhelm.
-->'''George:''' ''Him'' you brainwashed?! What's ''he'' got that ''I'' don't have?!\\
'''Cult Member:''' (shrugs)
* ArgentinaIsNaziLand: The Soup Nazi ends in Argentina, of course.
* ARiddleWrappedInAMysteryInsideAnEnigma: Jerry says Newman is a Mystery wrapped in a Twinkie.
* ArousedByTheirVoice: "The Tape" revolves around an erotic message that was left on Jerry's tape recorder by Elaine, which none of the guys know initially.
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: From "The Revenge".
-->'''Jerry''': Elaine? How did you rope her into this?
-->'''George''': I told her what a sexist he is. How he cheats on his wife.
-->'''Jerry''': She knew that.
-->'''George''': But she didn't know he doesn't recycle.
* ArtisticLicenseCars: There is a good deal wrong with Jerry's Saab in ''The Bottle Deposit''. First, he mentions the AAA guy said "I was this close to sucking a muffin down the carburator." -- the Saab 900 was fuel injected. In the warehouse, the detective refers to the turbocharger and angle of the V6, which Jerry says can't be his because his isn't a turbo. The Saab 900 and 9000 were never offered with a turbocharged V6. Jerry then says his car is a 900S, but the car Kramer chases is a 900SE, the higher up model.
* ArtisticLicenseGeography: In ''The Bottle Deposit'', the best route from New York City to Michigan for Kramer and Newman's budget would have taken them across I-80, and through the northern part of Ohio-or something near that route. However, the second time Kramer calls Jerry he mentions that the guy they're following is "going south on 135", which Newman objects to since they're headed north to Michigan. The closest Highway 135 in that region is SR 135 near Lynchburg, Ohio, which would have already put them well out of their way.
** Additionally, the highway Kramer chases Tony is the Passadena Freeway.
* ArtisticLicenseLaw:
** The series finale; Good Samaritan laws do not work that way. There is so much wrong here we made a list:
*** They're to ensure someone who helps an obviously ill or injured person cannot be sued later for unintentional injury or death, as is the case in Massachusetts. Even the compulsory good Samaritan laws only apply to people who are injured or ill, not being threatened by a mugger. If anything, the Seinfeld cast should have been commended for getting pictorial evidence of the crime.
*** The punishment for violating a compulsary good Samaritan law is a small fine ($100-$300) with no jail time, and, as already explained, stopping a mugging is not covered by any real Good Samaritan law. In fact, the arresting officer states "within reason". Random strangers stopping any crime, much less a mugging, is not reasonable, ''especially'' when a police officer is at the scene the entire time.
*** Regardless of how the Good Samaritan law itself is written, bringing in dozens of "character witnesses" to recount every misdeed the defendants have ever committed is still ''incredibly'' illegal under U.S. law. [[note]]Character witnesses can only called in if the defence tries to use the defendant's character as a defense, which is not the case here.[[/note]] The writers probably knew this and simply exaggerated the idea and played it for laughs.
*** The police officer that arrested them only did so by watching the entire robbery, '''doing nothing about it''', and then arresting four bystanders/witnesses to a violent crime with video evidence, for not doing '''his''' job, even with a completely fictional representation and gross exaggeration of actual laws.
** Interestingly, Massachussetts has a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duty_to_rescue "Duty to Rescue"]] law (often incorrectly referred to as Good Samaritan Law despite being completely unrelated), '''''but''''' it is ''explicitely'' a duty to ''report'', not a duty to aid. [[note]]Chapter 268, section 40 provides "Whoever knows that another person is a victim of aggravated rape, murder, manslaughter or armed robbery and is at the scene of said crime shall, to the extent that said person can do so without danger or peril to himself or others, report said crime to an appropriate law enforcement official as soon as reasonably practicable." [[/note]] Since a police officer was at the scene almost immediately, they are not responsible to do anything. On top of this, Duty to Rescue laws are often ignored by lawmakers, law enforcers, courts and the general public, so any conviction for violating one is extremely unlikely.
** In ''The Bottle Deposit'', Newman and Kramer try to return bottles in Michigan for the higher deposit. Michigan prohibits out of state bottle returns, and limits returns to $25 a piece, though this is probably justified since Kramer and Newman weren't thinking beyond getting the bottles there.
** Also in "The Bottle Deposit", Jerry's insurance company refuses to acknowledge his car was stolen on the basis that he willingly surrendered the keys, meaning he has no financial recourse if his car is not recovered. The police investigating it certainly think it's a theft. Then again, insurance companies are infamous for making up the most ridiculous reasons to avoid paying out a claim.
** In "The Bris", after a suicidal mental patient jumps off the roof and lands on George's car, the Hospital Administrator refuses to pay for repairs and even chastises him for trying to "profit from a tragedy". The hospital is entirely at fault for the accident (roof access should be restricted just like razor blades should be confiscated), and George is well within his rights to demand they pay, even filing a lawsuit. In fact, he could provide testimony in court for the patient's family should they file a lawsuit.
* AsHimself:
** Happens a few times, most notably when Keith Hernandez shows up and his friendship with Jerry becomes the basis of an episode.
** Jon Voight, DavidLetterman, Jay Leno, George Wenht, Corbin Bernstien, Roudolph Guliani, Brian Gumble, Regis Philbin, Kathy Lee Gifford, Mel Torme
** Jerry himself is an example.
** Much of the New York Yankees appeared as themselves while George worked there.
* AskAStupidQuestion: George wondering how lesbians decide who will be the bride and groom at their weddings, and also how they decide who leads when they dance.
** In "The Keys", George and Jerry are looking for Jerry's spare keys in Elaine's apartment. George asks what the keys look like, to which Jerry replies in annoyance, "They look like ''keys'', George. They look exactly like ''keys''."
** In "The Old Man", Sid Fields mistakes Jerry's incredulous reactions to the fact that he's throwing away his valuable records as stupid questions:
--> '''Jerry''': What's all this stuff?\\
'''Sid''': Trash. Garbage.\\
'''Jerry''': You're throwin' this out??\\
'''Sid''': I believe that's what you do with garbage, you ''idiot''.\\
'''Jerry''': You don't want any of this?\\
'''Sid''': Well if I ''wanted'' it, I wouldn't be throwing it away, ''would'' I, Ein-stein?!
* AssShove: In "The Fusilli Jerry," Kramer discusses this trope... and Frank demonstrates it.
* AssholeVictim: The foursome. {{Deconstructed}} in the final episode. According to WordOfGod, Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer had gotten away with being jerks so long it was time they paid the price.
* AsTheGoodBookSays: A subversion. In "The Slicer", Kramer is convinced that Dr. Sitarides gave Jerry hives, and quotes a verse which isn't actually in the Bible: "Jerry, as The Bible says: "Thou who cureth can maketh ill.""
* AudienceSurrogate: The main cast and the supporting characters are intended, to a large extent, to represent normal everyday people. To underline this, the main cast are essentially fictionalised versions of Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David, Kenny Kramer and several women dated by Seinfeld and David.
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: Estelle and Frank Costanza.
* BackToFront: "The Betrayal."
* BadBadActing:
** Kramer on ''Murphy Brown'' in "The Keys".
** Jerry's girlfriend Isabel in "The Nose Job".
** Perfected by Kramer again in "The Stand In" in such a job on ''All My Children''.
** Kramer auditioning to play himself on ''[[ShowWithinAShow Jerry]]''. He was reading words that he himself said verbatim in another episode, and still sucked.
* BadDreams: Kramer, in "The Millennium". The dream is never shown, but based on the words he says, it's obvious the dream is about competing with Newman on who gets to host a millennium party.
--> '''Kramer''': Jerry... Newman... it's 2000... (wakes up) NEWMANIUM!
** Speaking of bad dreams, Elaine had a nightmare that she had a foursome with Jerry, George, and Kramer in "The Slicer". This bit is usually cut for time in syndication.
** In "The Bookstore", Jerry had a bad dream about Uncle Leo in prison, now buff from so many pull-ups and menacingly saying "Jerry... HELLO! Jerry... HELLO! Jerry... (phone rings) ANSWER THE DAMN PHONE!!!"
* BadLiar: George has a really bad poker face, which is why Gary Fogel never confided in George that he supposedly had cancer. When Gary confides in George that he never actually had cancer, Jerry can tell that George is keeping something from him later:
--> '''Jerry''': Hey. How'd it go with Gary?\\
'''George''': (evasive) Fine, fine.\\
'''Jerry''': Really?\\
'''George''': Yeah.\\
'''Jerry''': You look like something's on your mind.\\
'''George''': No. Nothing. Fine.\\
'''Jerry''': So, that's your poker face.\\
'''George''': My regular face.\\
'''Jerry''': No it isn't. I've seen your regular face. That is not it.\\
'''George''': What are you saying?\\
'''Jerry''': All right George, c'mon, what d'you got?\\
'''George''': I got nothing.\\
'''Jerry''': What you got, a pair of bullets?\\
'''George''': What you talking about?\\
'''Jerry''': Two pair? Three of a kind?\\
'''George''': Will you stop it?\\
'''Jerry''': Oh my God, you got a flush! You're holding a flush!\\
'''George''': I don't have a flush.\\
'''Jerry''': A full house? You got a full house? Turn 'em over George, I wanna see 'em. Come on, I'm calling! (pounds table) Whaddya got!\\
'''George''': (snaps) GARY FOGEL NEVER HAD CANCER!!! (Jerry smiles in victory)
** George is accused of being a bad liar in "The Jimmy", though in this instance, he's actually being truthful. It's just that he is sweating profusely from eating Kung Pao Chicken when grilled about stolen sporting equipment by Mr. Wilhelm.
** Elaine could fall into this too, like in "The Betrayal" when George asked her why Jerry was acting so strangely when he mentioned Nina (explanation: Jerry had slept with Nina a day earlier, despite that she started going out with George):
--> '''Elaine''': Nina? Nina? No. Psshhh.. Not weird. No. Nina.\\
'''George''': (suspicious) Why do you keep saying "Nina"?\\
'''Elaine''': (nervous) I don't know. Nina. ''Nina!''
* BannedEpisode: One of the last episodes of the series, "The Puerto Rican Day", was initially pulled after its original broadcast, mainly because Creator/{{NBC}} felt the episode was too offensive with its depictions of Puerto Ricans, as well as a scene involving Kramer (accidentally) burning a Puerto Rico flag, causing an angry mob of Puerto Ricans trashing the streets, and vandalizing Jerry's car (to which, Kramer remarks, "It's like this every day in Puerto Rico."). As of 2010, certain local markets across the country had placed the episode back into their packages; but as of 2012, the episode is now back permanently in the syndication package (Kramer's line, "It's like this every day in Puerto Rico" is absent, though it could be a case of being EditedForSyndication).
* BatDeduction: Demonstrated by Kramer in "The Secret Code" when George refuses to tell anyone his secret ATM code. (for the record, it's "bosco")
--> '''Kramer''': I'll bet I can guess it.\\
'''George''': Pfft, yeah right.\\
'''Kramer''': Oh, alright. Yeah. Uh, let's see. Um, well, we can throw out birthdays immediately. That's too obvious. And no numbers for you, you're a word man. Alright, let's go deeper. Uh, what kind of man are you? Well, you're weak, spineless, a man of temptations, but what tempts you?\\
'''George''': Huh?\\
'''Kramer''': You're a portly fellow, a bit long in the waistband. So what's your pleasure? Is it the salty snacks you crave? No no no no no, yours is a sweet tooth.\\
'''George''': (nervous) Get out of here.\\
'''Kramer''': Oh you may stray, but you'll always return to your ''dark master''... the cocoa bean.\\
'''George''': I'm leaving.\\
'''Kramer''': No, and only the purest syrup nectar can satisfy you!\\
'''George''': I gotta go.\\
'''Kramer''': If you could you'd guzzle it by the gallon! Ovaltine! Hershey's! Nestle Quik!\\
'''George''': Shut up!
* BathOfPoverty In the episode "The Shower Head", low flow shower heads are installed to save money on water, driving Jerry and Kramer crazy.
* BattleDiscretionShot: In "The Summer of George", Elaine and Raquel Welch's street fight isn't seen; we only get the reaction shots of the two cops, leering at the "cat fight".
* BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind: Jerry's mind vs. his penis in a chess game in "The Nose Job".
* BavarianFireDrill: Numerous examples.
** Kramer pretending to be a detective to get into an apartment in "The Statue". He has also pretended to be a proctologist and wealthy investor, among other things.
** Both Kramer and George have pretended to work at companies for which they were never actually hired.
** Jerry and George impersonate two men called "O'Brien" and "Murphy" to ride in a limousine (they quickly regret it when they realize the people they were mistaken for are actually neo-Nazis, of course).
* {{Beat}}: The reason Jerry never slept with Nina in "The Betrayal" is because their conversations were so engrossing that they never had any awkward pauses. However, one night they ''do'' have an awkward pause, and the two instantly have sex.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: In "The Blood", Elaine gets to do her babysitting gig after all, and then comes to regret it.
* BeastlyBloodsports: One episode involves Kramer realizing that he has improbably come into custody of a fighting cock. When the fight comes, Kramer leaps in to save the cock.
* BeautyEqualsGoodness: In "The Couch", Elaine is convinced her new boyfriend is pro-choice (and, in her opinion, morally correct) because "he's just so good-looking". This trope is eventually subverted when a disappointed Elaine realizes he's pro-life.
* BeefBandage: The trope image.
* BecomingTheMask: In "The Hot Tub," George pretends to look annoyed to give the impression that he was busy with work. But his plan worked too well, and his fuse just got shorter.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: In "The Visa", Ping informs Elaine that Cheryl is this:
--> '''Elaine''': Thank you so much for dropping the lawsuit against me.\\
'''Ping''': Not anymore.\\
'''Elaine''': What?\\
'''Ping''': Cheryl called me last night; lawsuit back on.\\
'''Elaine''': Why?\\
'''Ping''': She called you and your friends "big liars". You think she nice girl? Wait 'till you see her in court. She's a shark! They call her "The Terminator". She never lose a case. Now ''you'' make her mad. She double the damages. [[ShoutOut Hasta la vista, baby.]]
* BeyondTheImpossible: Parodied as part of Jerry's ridicule of Kramer's claim that Keith Herandez spat on him. He traces the imaginary path of the spittle which involves changing directions and pausing in mid air. "''that'' is one magic lugee." The point being to illustrate how impossible it was for the event to happen in real life.
* BiTheWay: Apparently runs in the Ross family. Susan's father apparently once had a torrid love affair with author John Cheever and late in season 4 Susan is seen dating another woman, although in her case it's implied that it's a result of dating George, since at the end of the episode she starts dating the woman George dated after her.
* BigShutUp: Both Jerry and Elaine do this repeatedly to the dog in "The Dog".
** Elaine (hoarsely) screams at the alley dog to shut up in "The Engagement".
** In "The Cafe", after Babu re-tools the restaurant to serve Pakistani food (and still not making much profit), he shouts "QUIET!" and "YOU SHUT UP!" to Jerry when Jerry says the shrimp is a little stringy.
** Elaine is twice told to shut up by [[HairTriggerTemper Arnie]] in "The Yada Yada". This reaction affects Arnie and Beth's eligibility to adopt a child.
* BigWordShout: See SkywardScream for more examples.
** '''SEVEN!'''
** '''SUUUUUUUUZE!'''
* BitterWeddingSpeech: George's curse toast in "The Opera".
* BizarroUniverse: Elaine's new friend, Kevin. His friends include the charitable and well-dressed Gene; quiet and considerate next-door neighbor, Feldman; and a [=FedEx=] employee known only as "Fargus," whom Kevin is very jovial with. His apartment is a mirror-opposite of Jerry's, complete with a unicycle hanging on the wall, and a PC in place of Jerry's Mac.
** When Jerry and Kramer have to switch apartments, Kramer become more sarcastic and reserved, while Jerry becomes more spastic and eccentric, even using Kramer's CatchPhrase "Giddy up!".
* BlackComedy: Zig-zagged by George in "The Comeback" when his "jerk store" retort to Reilly fails.
--> '''George''': ...Oh yeah? Well, I had sex with your wife!
--> '''Man''': [[DudeNotFunny His wife is in a coma.]]
** George is contrite at first, but on the drive home [[ComebackTomorrow he happens to think of the perfect coma joke...]]
** The way [[spoiler: George's fiancee, Susan]] is written out of the show, [[spoiler: by licking poisonous envelopes for their wedding invitations]].
* BlahBlahBlah: "The Yada Yada."
* BlindWithoutEm: George. Although he can apparently squint down to 20/20 vision without glasses.
** A subversion occurs with Jerry, who doesn't wear glasses; in "The Gum", he wears glasses to fool Lloyd Braun (long story) and stumbles around because the prescription makes things extremely blurry.
* BluffTheEavesdropper: While in the diner waiting for a reporter who's going to do a story on Jerry, he and George notice a young woman eavesdropping on their conversation, so to mess with her they pretend to be gay for each other. It turns out that she's the reporter Jerry was waiting for, who then outs them in her school newspaper as gay. They try desparately to convince her that they're not gay -- NotThatTheresAnythingWrongWithThat.
* BookEnds: The real tragedy of the end of the series is that they've run out of things to talk about, and have started looping back on themselves.
** Scenes of George and Jerry considering settling down with the women currently in their lives bookend Season 7.
** The final lines of the show are about the top button on George's shirt. That was the first Seinfeldian discussion on the show.
* BoomerangBigot: In one episode George's mother rejects the advice of Jerry's girlfriend Donna Chang because she finds out (having previously talked to the woman only on the phone) that Donna is not Chinese. "I don't want to take the advice of some girl from Long Island!" she shouts.
* BorrowedCatchphrase: In "The Fire", Jerry is twice accused of stealing "Baby!" from George.
--> '''Jerry''': There's no precedent, baby!\\
'''George''': ...What, are you usin' my "babies" now?
** In "The Chicken Roaster", Jerry acts like Kramer after spending a few nights in his apartment, and also uses one of his catchphrases ("Giddyup!").
* BottleEpisode: "The Chinese Restaurant", "The Parking Garage", etc.
* BreadEggsMilkSquick:
** As they were befriending elderly people through an agency in "The Old Man":
-->'''Jerry''': They really should mention that in the breakdown: height, weight, goiter.
** When George gets hired by the Yankees in "The Opposite":
-->'''Jerry''': Ruth, Gehrig, [=DiMaggio=], Mantle, Costanza?
* BreakingTheFourthWall: Towards the beginning of "The Understudy," as Jerry is leaving his apartment with George, the two are talking about how hard it is to tell bad actors that they stink. Jerry then directly talks to the camera: "Just once I would like to tell someone they stink. You know what? I didn't like the show. I didn't like you. It just really stunk. The whole thing, real bad. Stinkaroo. Thanks for the tickets though."
** Jerry winks at the camera at the end of "The Race," in homage to George Reeves as Superman.
* BreakoutCharacter: Cosmo Kramer
** George Costanza seems to have become this in the years after the series' end having nearly made the top 5 of various "Greatest Sitcom Characters" lists all by himself.
* BrickJoke: The majority of episodes' subplots are arranged to have one of these in some way or another:
** In "The Puffy Shirt," George mentions that he won "a contest" to see who can go the longest without ADateWithRosiePalms. In "The Finale", it's revealed that he cheated.
** Halfway through season four, Jerry's father finds his wallet missing after going to a doctor, and accuses him of stealing it, which is left unresolved. In the season finale, Jerry discovers it simply fell out of his pocket and between the couch cushions.
** The closing credits of Season 9 tend towards this, including some soundbite from earlier in the episode in lieu of the Castlerock fanfare. As an example, in "The Dealership," an elderly character remarks that he could buy a candy bar for a nickel back in the day - later repeating "A ''nickel''!" out of the blue. This example is actually a DoubleSubversion - it ends with the usual fanfare, but it fades out, and... "''[[RuleOfThree A nickel!]]''"
** Towards the beginning of "The Sponge", Jerry is obsessed with whether the homeless get sick of eating soup all the time, and bugs his girlfriend Lena about it. Towards the end of the episode, Lena finally answers one of his soup questions: "Oh, by the way, I checked at the soup kitchen: They ''do'' have cream soups." But by that point, Jerry doesn't care: "Hey, that's dynamite."
** In the Season Seven premiere, Jerry decides to toast George's engagement to Susan, but realizes that he has no champagne. In the Season Seven finale, Jerry gets engaged, and toasts both his and George's future wives, and points out he has champagne.
** "The Alternate Side" opens with Jerry's car having just been stolen. He calls the car phone and speaks to the thief, and Kramer takes the phone and asks the thief to drop off a pair of gloves that he left in the car. During the credits, Kramer comes into the coffee shop to talk about how he was fired from the Woody Allen movie he got a part in. He then pulls out a pair of gloves, which Jerry recognizes as the ones that were in his car.
* BriefAccentImitation
-->'''Elaine''': Maybe the dingo et yer baby.
** Also discussed by Jerry and Kramer with their (very bad) attempts at a Cockney accent.
-->'''Kramer''': Not bloody likely!
-->'''Jerry''': That's the worst Cockney accent I've ever heard in my life.
* BrosBeforeHoes: Inverted in "The Stranded". Jerry allows George to take a woman home from a party, leaving himself and Elaine stranded there for hours until Kramer can come pick them up. When Elaine questions him, he says "There's nothing I could do. It's part of the Code." It then cuts to Jerry doing stand-up explaining this further.
--> '''Jerry:''' All plans between men are tentative. If one man should suddenly have an opportunity to pursue a woman, it's like these two guys never met each other ever in life. This is the Male Code. And it doesn't matter how important the arrangements are, I mean, most of the time when they scrub a space shuttle mission it's because one of the astronauts met someone on his way to the launch pad. They hold that countdown. He's leaning against the rocket talking to her, "So listen, when I get back what do you say we get together for some Tang?"
* BullyingADragon: George taunts a handcuffed criminal about to be taken on a plane by police over getting the last copy of ''Time Magazine''. Later in the episode, George is waiting to use the bathroom on a plane. The door opens, and guess who is inside, and with no police around? He pulls George in and presumably beats the crap out of him.
* BurningTheFlag: In one controversial episode, while walking through the Puerto Rican Day Parade, Kramer accidentally sets the Puerto Rican flag on fire with a sparkler and immediately tries to stomp it out. HilarityEnsues when several Puerto Ricans see him stomping on the still- burning flag...
* ButWeUsedACondom: In "The Fix-Up", there's a brief concern that George got Cynthia pregnant when she misses her period:
--> '''Elaine''': But he used a condom, right?
--> '''Cynthia''': I know, but these things aren't always foolproof!
* ButtMonkey: Elaine and especially George going into ChewToy territory.
* ByTheBookCop: Marcelino in "The Little Jerry". When he refuses to take Jerry's bounced check down, even after Jerry pays him back:
--> '''Marcelino''': Sorry, no. It's store policy.\\
'''Jerry''': But it's your bodega.\\
'''Marcelino''': Even ''I'' am not above the policy.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:C-D]]
* CaliforniaDoubling: For the most part unnoticable [[note]] For example, there are people who still think the second season premiere was filmed in New York, and not NBC's LA studio[[/note]], but [[http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_310663-Chevrolet-Caprice-1993.html some parts]] it seems as though TheyJustDidntCare [[note]]If you can't tell, that's a California license plate on a New York taxi[[/note]]
** Jerry's apartment is actually an LA building, with very noticeable earthquake retrofitting (the diamonds on the side).
** The highway Kramer chases Jerry's mechanic on in ''The Bottle Deposit'' - said to be the Ohio SR 135 - is the Passadena Freeway.
* CallBack: During the season 7 premiere, "The Engagement", George goes to the beach pier to re-evaluate his life. He starts thinking of Susan and how he'd like to give her another shot. He starts running and a flock of pigeons disperses as he runs towards them. This type of scene is used two more times, only with Jerry in George's place (the season 7 finale, "The Invitations", has Jerry contemplating whether he should marry Jeannie, while season 9's "The Voice" has Jerry contemplating whether he wants to keep seeing his latest girlfriend or dump her so he can do a silly voice).
** George asking Jerry what kind of professions he would be best suited for first appears in "The Revenge" after he quits his job. This same type of conversation is revisited much later in the series (using the same staging and everything) in "The Slicer" when George is concerned that he'll get fired for the photo on Kruger's desk.
** In "The Finale", George gripes about how dinky the plane is, how Ted Danson gets a better plane. George's jealousy of Ted Danson was first revealed in some early season 4 episodes when Jerry and George were pitching the pilot to NBC.
** Also in "The Finale", the closing moments of the series have Jerry talking about the buttons on George's shirt, which is the same conversation the two had in the first episode. Lampshaded by George asking, "Have we had this conversation before?"
* CantGetAwayWithNuthin: Likely more examples than can be reasonably counted - the "who owns a pony" line comes to mind.
* TheCaper: Often overlapping with ZanyScheme.
** Lampshaded in "The Café":
-->'''Jerry''': Hey, I love a good caper.
-->'''Elaine''': Yeah, that's what this is. A caper.
* CaptainObvious: In "The Chinese Restaurant":
--> '''George''': She called. He yelled Cartwright. I missed her.\\
'''Jerry''': Who's "Cartwright"?\\
'''George''': ''I'm'' Cartwright.\\
'''Jerry''': You're not Cartwright.\\
'''George''': OF COURSE I'M NOT CARTWRIGHT!!!
** In "The Secretary", Kenny Bania states the obvious and Jerry calls him out on it:
--> '''Bania''': You know Jerry, I was thinking. For our next meal, do you think we should come here ... or should we go someplace else? You know it has it's pros and cons. On the one hand, here, you're guaranteed a great meal. On the other hand-\\
'''Jerry''': (annoyed) Yeah, yeah I know. This would be good, but it would be the same. But if we go some place else, it would be different, but it might not be as good. It's a gamble. I GET IT.
** In "The Abstinence":
--> '''Katie''': Oh. Jerry, great news. I got you an assembly.\\
'''Jerry''': An assembly?\\
'''Katie''': Two hours in front of the entire junior high, grades six through eight. That's six grade, seventh grade--\\
'''Jerry''': I understand.
* CarryingACake
* TheCasanova: Over the course of the show, 73 women were shown or said to be dating and/or sleeping with Jerry, though that has more to do with his tendency to drop a girl at the slightest provocation than any of his supposed seduction skills.
** Him being able to get a ''new'' woman each time he dumped another one, though, can be chalked up to either this trope or his "Even Steven" powers.
** Kramer is said to have an inexplicable ability to land beautiful women.
** George also has a quite impressive number of girlfriends over the show's run, despite how much he bemoans his difficulty with getting one.
* CatapultNightmare: Kramer, in "The Millennium".
* CatchPhrase: Elaine's "'''Get out'''," Jerry's "That's a shame," and Kramer's "Giddy up!"
** "Helloooooo, Newman..." And alternatively, "NEWMAN!"
** (After George excitedly blurts out something he needs Jerry to do after Jerry answers the phone) "Who is this.........?"
*** Even Jerry's mother says hi to Newman that way.
** David Puddy: "Yeah that's right."
** "That's gold, Jerry, gold!", "Evidently...", "NO SOUP FOR YOU" etc. There's a lot.
* CaughtOnTape: Kramer's video recording of an armed robbery (including the MainCharacters' mockery of the victim) gets used against them in court during the finale.
* CaughtOnTheJumbotron: In one episode, George eats very sloppily on the Jumbotron, and the commentators mock him for not using a napkin.
* CaughtWithYourPantsDown: The setup for "The Contest."
* CavemenVsAstronautsDebate: Elaine's breakup with Jake Jarmel over an exclamation point.
** Additionally, Jerry breaking up with his latest girlfriend because he didn't like a Cotton Dockers jeans ad and she did.
** Elaine is treated as almost subhuman because she doesn't like ''Film/TheEnglishPatient''. She gets dumped by her boyfriend, she loses her friends, and Peterman even fires her from her job (although reconsiders when she agrees to go to Tunisia where they filmed the movie).
* CelebrityResemblance: Kramer thinks that Jerry looks like Lena Horne.
* ChalkOutline: In his standup in "The Beard" Jerry pokes fun at the thought that the police employ people solely for this.
* CharacterDevelopment: Completely averted, by design. "No hugging, no learning".
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Puddy is almost a completely different character in his first two appearances - in his first episode, he's a very competent, fair, and honest mechanic, who can speak coherently; in his second appearance, he's an overzealous hockey fan who ends up scaring a Spanish priest nearly to death with his Devils face painting. After that, he becomes the dimwitted, mumbling doofus he's best known for.
** Really, this happens with all of the main cast too, with the possible exception of Kramer. Jerry, George and Elaine are all far saner and empathetic in the earlier years and grow progressively sociopathic and self-centered.
*** Speaking of that: In the earliest episodes, Jason Alexander patterned George after Creator/WoodyAllen. During season 2, however, he began to find his groove with the character.
* CharacterTitle: ''Seinfeld'', named after its titular character.
** In-universe, ''Jerry''.
** The in-universe movie ''Death Blow'' is apparently named after the character of the same name in the movie, since Kramer shouts at the screen, "Go get 'em, Death Blow!"
*** Unless it's like when people call Bruce Willis' character "Die Hard".
* ChekhovsGun:
** Season 5's "The Marine Biologist". Jerry makes a high school friend believe George is a marine biologist. Kramer goes to the beach and hits golf balls into the ocean, never brought up again. Until the end, when [[spoiler: George must rescue a whale from dying, and he finds an obstruction in its blowhole. It turns out to be one of the golf balls from earlier, and Kramer recognizes it when George regales the whale of a tale [[RhymesonaDime (sorry)]] to his friends.]]
** In season 3's "The Keys" Jerry's girlfriend tells him "you were so fast with those keys" as they enter his apartment, pretending to be escaping a murderer. Seconds later Jerry demands Kramer hand in his spare key to Jerry's apartment.
* ChekhovsGunman: In season 3's "The Subway" Kramer meets a blind guy on the subway. Later he gets a hot tip on a horse race, bets on it, and wins a large sum of C-notes which a thug hunts him down for. It turns out [[spoiler: the blind beggar from earlier was an undercover cop, who Kramer gave money to, and arrests the thug.]]
* ChewOutFakeOut: Reversed. Henry Atkins, the postmaster general in "The Junk Mail" (played by Wilford Brimley) starts out very friendly to Kramer, only to tear into him mid-speech.
--> '''Kramer''': Can I get out of here?\\
'''Henry''': (amiable) Oh, oh. Sit a bit. Sit a bit. I mean, after all, I drove all the way up here from D.C. just to talk to you. I even had to cancel a round of golf with the secretary of state. Do you like golf, Mr. Kramer?\\
'''Kramer''': Yeah.\\
'''Henry''': Kramer, I've been, uh, reading some of your material here. I gotta be honest with you: you make a pretty strong case. I mean, just imagine: An army of men in wool pants running through the neighborhood handing out pottery catalogs, door to door. (Kramer laughs; Henry gets serious) Well it's my job, and I'm pretty damn serious about it. In addition to being a postmaster, I'm a general. And we both know, it's the job of a general to, by God, get things done. So maybe you can understand why I get a little irritated when someone calls me away from my golf.\\
'''Kramer''': I'm very, very sorry.\\
'''Henry''': Sure, you're sorry. I think we got a stack of mail out at the desk that belongs to you. Now, you want that mail, don't you Mr. Kramer?\\
'''Kramer''': Sure do.\\
'''Henry''': Now, that's better.
* TheChewToy: George Costanza. A trope named after him was eventually merged with this one.
* ChristmasEpisode: "The Pick", "The Strike".
* CigarChomper: Elaine becomes one as temporary boss of J. Peterman's company in "The Foundation".
* CircularReasoning: Attempted by Elaine in "The Maid":
--> '''Elaine''': 646? What is this?
--> '''Phone guy''': That's your new area code.
--> '''Elaine''': I thought 646 was just for new numbers.
--> '''Phone guy''': This ''is'' a new number.
--> '''Elaine''': No, no, no, no. It's not a new number. It's, it's, it's just a ''changed'' number. See? It's not different. It's the same, just... changed.
--> '''Phone guy''': Look, I work for the phone company. I've had a lot of experience with semantics, so don't try to lure me into some maze of circular logic.
** In "The Smelly Car":
--> '''Maître'd''': What do you mean, "stunk up"?\\
'''Jerry''': I mean, the car stinks! George, does the car stink?\\
'''George''': Stinks.\\
'''Jerry''': Stinks!\\
'''Maître'd''': Well perhaps ''you're'' the one who has the odor.\\
'''Jerry''': Hey, I've never smelled in my life, buddy!\\
'''Maître'd''': (skeptical) Really. Well I smell you ''now''.\\
'''Jerry''': That's from the car!\\
'''Maître'd''': Well maybe ''you're'' the one who stunk up the car, rather than the car stinking up you!!\\
'''George''': [[LampshadeHanging It's the chicken and the egg.]]
* ClingyCostume: Kramer's jeans in "The Wait Out".
* ClingyMacGuffin: George uses the bathroom at a bookstore and takes a book in with him to read, and the store makes him buy it. His attempts to return it all meet with failure because the book has been "flagged". At the end of the episode he tries to drop it off at Goodwill, only to have the lady working there recognize that the book is flagged and reveal she used to work at one of the stores in the chain. She's disgusted with George that he would try to subject the less fortunate to a book that he took into the bathroom.
* ClipShow: Two of them: One in season 6, the other in season 9.
** And the finale... sort of.
* CloserToEarth: Subverted in the case of Elaine: she really only ''thinks'' she's closer to earth, when in reality, she is as bad as the other three. Exemplified best in "The Bizarro Jerry," where she dumps Jerry, George, and Kramer for well-adjusted, sophisticated doppelgangers, only to be dumped by the doppelgängers for being too [[strike: eccentric]] violent.
** This can also apply to Jerry, who is quite sane if he puts his mind to it, but usually doesn't care enough to clean his act up.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Kramer.
** Elaine has had a number of these moments as well.
** Also, Peterman.
** And Steinbrenner.
*** And Steinbrenner's {{Exp|y}}ies Fidel Castro and the President of Tyler Chicken.
** Pretty much the entire cast actually, especially since there are no "[[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Frank]] [[AudienceSurrogate Grimes]]"-type characters with which to contrast them.
* ColdOpening: Started replacing the stand-up routines in season 7; Larry David left the show around that time, so Jerry took on more responsibilities and no longer had time to write new material.
* ComebackTomorrow: The whole premise of George's subplot in "The Comeback"; he's told by co-worker Reilly, "The ocean called. They're running out of shrimp." He can't think of a comeback until later: "Oh yeah? Well the jerk store called; they're running out of ''you''." George wants to re-enact the same scenario so he can deliver the comeback, but unfortunately for George, Reilly has transferred to a sister office in Akron, Ohio. George decides to fly there just to deliver the comeback. But when he does, Reilly retorts with "What does it matter? You're their all time best-seller!" George, unable to think of a witty comeback, blurts out: "Oh yeah? Well I had sex with your wife!" After being informed that Reilly's wife is in a coma, George feels guilty. However, on the car ride home, he thinks of a comeback for ''that'' line. [[HereWeGoAgain And he turns the car around.]]
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Often occurs with Kramer. An example from "The English Patient":
--> '''Jerry''': (on the phone with Kramer) They're real Cubans?! They're human beings, from Cuba?!
--> '''Kramer''': I said Cubans; what did you think I meant?
--> '''Jerry''': CIGARS?!
--> '''Kramer''': Jerry, Cuban cigars are ''illegal'' in this country!
** A subversion occurred in "The Van Buren Boys", when Kramer accuses Elaine of missing the point of his story, despite that Kramer's story made no sense in the first place:
--> '''Kramer''': Well, I'm on the phone with Bob, and I realize right then and there that I need to return this pair of pants. So, I'm off to the store. (...) ...I slipped, and fell in the mud. Ruining the very pants I was about to return.\\
'''Elaine''': I don't understand.. you were wearing the pants you were returning?\\
'''Kramer''': I guess I ''was''.\\
'''Elaine''': What were you gonna wear on the way back?\\
'''Kramer''': Elaine, are you listening?! I didn't even ''get'' there!
* ComicalOverreacting: A trademark of George. One example, in "The Seven" after Susan rejects George's idea to name their child "Seven":
--> '''George''': (shouting out the car window) ALL RIGHT, LET'S JUST STAY CALM HERE!!! DON'T GET ALL CRAZY ON ME!!!
* CompetitionCouponMadness: Invoked several times with the show's focus on the characters' daily lives.
** Elaine's quest to become a ''submarine captain'' [[note]](free sub)[[/note]] at ''Atomic Sub'' in "The Strike".
** Kramer buys absurdly high amounts of food at the Price Club in "The Rye".
** In "The Van Buren Boys" Peterman's surprisingly mundane private life includes collecting coupons.
* TheComplainerIsAlwaysWrong: Elaine is the only one who doesn't like ''Film/TheEnglishPatient'', and that opinion causes her to lose her boyfriend, her friends, [[GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity and her job (temporarily)]].
* CompressedAbstinence: In the episode "The Contest", the characters try to "[[UnusualEuphemism be the master of their domain]]" by spending the longest without... [[ADateWithRosiePalms mastering their domain]]. It doesn't last long. It was called back to, however, even in the series finale.
* CompressedVice: George takes his shirt off in the bathroom and doesn't put it on properly again only in "The Gymnast".
* {{Confessional}}: Jerry visits one in "The Yada Yada", although it's not so much to repent of sins, but to complain to the priest that Tim Whatley's making Jewish jokes.
* TheConfidant: In "The Hot Tub", Judy, a friend of Elaine's, confided in her that her baby was born out of wedlock. Elaine doesn't tell anybody except Jerry, but later in the episode Jean-Paul says hi and calls her baby a "cute little bastard" (a word he learned from George, who was using curse words to fit in with some Texas ball team managers). An offended Judy jumped to conclusions that Elaine told Jean-Paul her secret.
* ConspiracyTheorist: Kramer could fall into this at times; in one episode, he claimed the alternative media is where you hear the truth. And in "The Bris", Kramer claimed that the government has been experimenting with creating a race of pigmen since the '50s ("Jerry wake up to reality. It's a military thing. They're probably creating a whole army of pig warriors!").
** In "The Limo", Kramer was convinced that Jerry was working for the CIA, and thought Jerry probably knew who killed [[JohnFKennedy Kennedy.]]
** Jerry fell into this once too: In "The Non-Fat Yogurt", Jerry wondered if the non-fat yogurt thing was a conspiracy, and didn't know how deep it went.
* ContinuityCavalcade: The entire finale; nine seasons worth of wronged bystanders show up as character witnesses. There's the Virgin and the Soup Nazi and Puddy and Judge whose name is 'Art Vandaly.'
* ContinuityNod: Tons of them, rewarding loyal viewers with all sorts of in-jokes and references to previous events. It's yet another aspect of SeinfeldIsUnfunny, because nowadays this is common in sitcoms, but back then was relatively rare.
* ContrivedCoincidence: Almost every episode with an [[TwoLinesNoWaiting A plot and B plot]] will have them collide at the end, no matter how unlikely.
* ControlFreak: After George's therapist doesn't think the "Jerry" pilot script is funny, George accuses Jerry of being a control freak, having taken out all his good lines.
* TheCouch
* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: "YOU HAD TO HOP ON THE PLANE!!!"
** In "The Wizard", when Susan's parents keep calling George's bluff on going to his non-existent house in the Hamptons, George finally tells the truth when the three get to the Hamptons:
--> '''George''': There's no house! It's a lie! There's no solarium. There's no Prickly Pete. There's no ''other'' solarium.\\
'''Mr. Ross''': We know.\\
'''George''': Then, why? ''Why'' did you make me drive all the way out here? Why didn't you say something? Why? Why? Why?!\\
'''Mrs. Ross''': We don't like you, George.\\
'''Mr. Ross''': And we always blamed you for what happened to Susan.\\
'''George''': Oh.
* CountingToThree: In "The Revenge", Glenda is blocking George's seat, which he needs to slip a mickey into his former boss's drink. So he says:
--> '''George''': I'm gonna count to three. If you don't give up the chair, the wig is coming off.\\
'''Glenda''': I don't wear a wig!\\
'''George''': ...One... (Glenda hustles out of the seat)
* CourtroomEpisode: Several, including the finale.
* CovertPervert: Many of the women Jerry dates, including one who had ''[[CrazyPrepared an entire closet]]'' full of contraceptive sponges. Justified they had been discontinued, and women in the Seinfeld-verse are [[UndyingLoyalty unflinchingly loyal]] to their preferred methods of birth control.
* CrackOhMyBack: The [[SitcomArchNemesis hyper-competitive]] Izzy Mandelbaum throws out his back in "The English Patient" trying to show up Morty Seinfeld in the exercise room. Later, he tries to jump out of bed ... and he does it again. [[GenerationXerox And so does his son. And his father.]]
* CrazyCulturalComparison: "Festivus," George's dad's alternative to Christmas.
* CreepyDoll: It looks ''exactly'' like George's mother.
** When Jerry and Kramer switched apartments, one of the things that disturbed him to most was a ventriloquist dummy Kramer referred to as "Mr. Marbles."
-->'''Jerry:''' You gotta get rid of this thing! [[DemonicDummy I keep thinking it's gonna come to life at night and kill me!]]
* CringeComedy
* TheCrocIsTicking: Elaine uses this technique by giving a container of Tic-Tacs to an employee who sneaks up on her in inconvenient situations.
* {{Cult}}: The Sunshine Carpet Cleaners. They get to Wilhelm.
--> '''Wilhelm''': Most of the world is carpeted. And one day, we will do the cleaning.
* CurseCutShort: In "The Fire":
--> '''Elaine''': Sure, the pinky toe is cute! But, I mean, what is it? It's useless! It does nothing. It's got that little nail that is just impossible to cut. What do we need it for?
--> '''Jerry''': Because Elaine, that's the one that goes 'wee-wee-wee all the way home.'
--> '''Elaine''': ...Why don't you just shut the f- (Kramer interrupts)
** In "The Shoes":
--> '''George''': Elaine, this pilot... it doesn't matter to me, it's not me I'm concerned about... it's my mother. I've been over to the hospital to see her...\\
'''Elaine''': Oh yeah, because she caught you [[ADateWithRosiePalms jer-]]\\
'''George''': NEVER MIND.
** In "The Pool Guy":
--> '''Jerry''': Y'know, George isn't too happy, uh, about your new friendship.\\
'''Elaine''': Yeah? Well I don't really give a sh- (shuts bathroom door)
** In "The Package", Elaine addresses her medical chart, where it claims she was difficult at an earlier appointment:
--> '''Elaine''': I'm not difficult; I'm easy.\\
'''Jerry''': Why? Because you dress casual and sleep with a lot of guys?\\
'''Elaine''': ...Listen to me, you little sh-\\
'''Kramer''': Smile!\\
(Jerry and Elaine fake a smile for Kramer's camera)
** In "The Finale":
--> '''Jerry''': Well, it's only a year. That's not so bad. We'll be out in a year, and then we'll be back.\\
'''Kramer''': Could be fun. Don't have to worry about your meals, or what you're going to do Saturday night. And they do shows. Yeah, we could put on a show, maybe ''Theatre/ByeByeBirdie'' or ''Theatre/MyFairLady''. Elaine, you could be Liza Doolittle.\\
'''Elaine''': ...Why don't you just blow it out your a-\\
'''Kramer''': (stammers to interrupt her)
* CynicismCatalyst: In "The Statue", after George fails to get back the statue that he suspects Ray stole:
--> '''George''': There's just no justice. This experience has changed me. It's made me more cynical, more bitter, more jaded.\\
'''Jerry''': Really?\\
'''George''': Sure, why not.
** In "The Postponement", Elaine seemed to display traits of this, not caring at all that she got in trouble with the law:
--> '''Kramer''': Do you realize this is gonna be on our permanent records? Are you aware of this?\\
'''Elaine''': (sarcastic) Oh, dear.\\
'''Kramer''': It can never be erased. It'll follow us wherever we go for the rest of our lives. I'll never be able to get a job. I mean, doesn't that concern you? Everything I've worked for, down the drain, because of one stupid mistake. I mean, aren't we entitled to make one mistake in our lives, Jerry?\\
'''Jerry''': We're gonna change the system.\\
'''Kramer''': Yes!\\
'''Elaine''': Well, I could care less. I hope it ''is'' on our record. I'm just sorry they didn't ''lock'' me up.
* TheDanza: Jerry Seinfeld's character is named... "Jerry Seinfeld."
** George's mother Estelle is named after her actress. But they couldn't name his father the same way because [[OneSteveLimit they already had a Jerry]].
** But, George's dad was originally played by John Randolph.
** In "The Kiss Hello", Wendie Malick as Wendie the delicate genius.
* DarkReprise: In the second half of "The Finale", a minor-key version of the show's theme is played on the oboe while the four are waiting to be sentenced.
* ADateWithRosiePalms: The whole premise of "The Contest" was to see who could go the longest without, um, doing this. George wins. [[labelnote:*]]Except not really, he cheated. Jerry is the real winner.[[/labelnote]]
* DayInTheLife
* DeadpanSnarker: Jerry.
* DeathGlare: In "The Strike", Jerry gives one to Kramer when he says "Another Festivus miracle!" after Gwen arrives to tell off Jerry.
* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment:
-->'''Kramer''': Jerry, this relationship is killing me. The distance, the longing, the distance...
** In "The Pool Guy" when George calls out to Jerry, Elaine, and Susan in the theater:
--> '''George''': I know you're there, laughing at me! Laughing and lying and laughing!
** In "The Susie":
--> '''Elaine''': We don't have to name names, or, point fingers, or... name names!
* DescendedCreator: As the show went on, Larry David had more and more {{Creator Cameo}}s usually seen only from behind or voicing unseen characters like George Steinbrenner, a part David continued to voice for some time after he had already left the series as a writer.
* DescriptionCut: In "The Gum", Kramer wants to wear a jester outfit to promote a movie at the vintage theater, but is told by the preservationist that only a short, stocky man of generous girth could fit into it. Cut to George wearing the outfit.
* DidntThinkThisThrough: In "The Secretary", this definitely applies to Kramer.
--> '''Jerry''': ...Where are your clothes??\\
'''Kramer''': I told you: I sold them to Bania.\\
'''Jerry''': You mean, what you were ''wearing''?!\\
'''Kramer''': Yeah.\\
'''Jerry''': How did you expect to get out of here??\\
'''Kramer''': Well I didn't think ahead!
* DidYouJustHaveSex: Jerry deduces that Elaine and Puddy are "backsliding" by her hair and the clothes she's wearing (the same as yesterday's). Later, she's shown with messy hair handing Jerry money, presumably because she lost their bet that she wouldn't do it again.
* DigitalDestruction: [[http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k290/snowthbo/seinfeldcrops_zpsfeb90765.jpg TV networks show no mercy]]
* DirectedByCastMember: Jason Alexander directed season 3's "The Good Samaritan".
* DisabledLoveInterest: Lola, who was denied "The Handicap Spot".
* DiscriminateAndSwitch: In "The Pledge Drive", a guy who looks like a street thug is actually very helpful to Jerry's nana.
--> '''Man''': You lookin' for something, lady?\\
'''Nana''': Isn't the Chemical Bank on this block?\\
'''Man''': The bank? It burned. It's ''GONE''!\\
'''Nana''': Oh dear.\\
'''Man''': Now what you wanna do is go down to 49th Street, that's the main customer service branch. Ask for Mr. Fleming. He'll help you. (walks away)
* DisproportionateRetribution: The entire show is full of this. In "The Soup Nazi," the eponymous character refuses to serve Elaine because she annoys him. In the course of the episode, she ends up finding the Soup Nazi's recipes. What does she do? She uses the recipes to ''drive him out of business and force him to move to Argentina''.
** How about physically attacking someone over double dipping a chip?
** In "The Dealership", George wanted the surly mechanic to be fired merely for getting a free Twix that was supposed to be George's had it not gotten stuck in the machine. This involves buying several more Twix as part of a set-up to prove that the mechanic had indeed "stolen" the original Twix. He could have just eaten one of those, but instead he is dead-set on revenge, and in the end doesn't even get a chance to pull off his scam because his other Twix were discovered and eaten by the staff, mechanic included.
* {{Dissimile}}: In "The Nose Job":
--> '''Jerry''': I'll tell you, the sex... I mean, I was like an animal. I mean it was just completely uninhibited.
--> '''George''': It's like going to the bathroom in front of a lot of people, and not caring.
--> '''Jerry''': ...It's not like that at ''all''.
** In "The Friar's Club", George keeps comparing their foursome (he and Susan; Jerry and Hallie) to the [[Literature/TheGreatGatsby Gatsbys]]. Jerry is thoroughly confused both times he says it.
--> '''George''': We could be like the Gatsbys. Didn't they always like, you know, a bunch of people around, and they were all best friends?\\
'''Jerry''': That doesn't sound right.\\
'''George''': (agreeing) No...
** Later:
--> '''George''': I want it to get back to when we were the Gatsbys!\\
'''Jerry''': I still don't know what that means.\\
'''George''': Yeah, well...
* DistaffCounterpart: In one episode, Jerry falls in love with a woman (Creator/JaneaneGarofalo) who is exactly like him in every way. He even proposes to her, before realizing that he can't marry someone exactly like him ... because he hates himself. They then have the perfect mutual break-up.
* DistantPrologue: If you watch "The Betrayal" in sequential order, the episode begins years ago when Jerry first moved across the hall from Kramer.
* DistractedByTheSexy: Elaine does this to George's boss in "The Revenge".
-->'''Elaine''': So, I'm going to a nudist colony next week...
** She does it again in "The Shoes", by putting her cleavage in Russell Dalrymple's face.
** And again (this time, unknowingly) in "The Gum" when her shirt is unbuttoned, displaying her cleavage to Lloyd Braun.
** "The Caddy": Sue Ellen Mischkie accidentally causes a car accident by walking around in a bra with no shirt, starting a trend.
* DoesNotUnderstandSarcasm: Kramer.
-->'''Kramer:''' Do you have a leaf blower?
-->'''Jerry:''' [[SarcasmMode Yeah, it's in my tool shed, next to my ride-on lawnmower]].
-->''[minutes later]''
-->'''Kramer:''' Now, where's that tool shed of yours?
** When Kramer is losing sleep due to the neon sign outside his window.
-->'''Kramer:''' I'm just gonna have to move in here with you.
-->'''Jerry:''' [[SarcasmMode Or I can just go live in the park!]] Yeah, you can knock down these walls, get an eight-room suite!
-->'''Kramer:''' [[ComicallyMissingThePoint Jerry, these are]] ''[[ComicallyMissingThePoint load-bearing]]'' [[ComicallyMissingThePoint walls!]] They're not gonna come down!
** After Poppy pees on Jerry's couch.
-->'''Kramer:''' Ah, you're making too much of it.
-->'''Jerry:''' [[SarcasmMode Yeah, you're right.]] It's just a natural human function... happens to be on my sofa, instead of in the toilet, where it would normally be!
-->'''Kramer:''' Right!
** In "The Slicer":
-->'''Kramer''': Oh, and Jerry, we're gonna need a case of Kaiser rolls.\\
'''Jerry''': I think we might have one left in the stock room.\\
(later...)\\
'''Kramer''': Hey, and I couldn't find that stock room.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: In the same episode where Elaine laments that the guy she really likes is pro-life instead of pro-choice like her, Kramer and Poppy have an argument about pizza toppings reminiscent of a pro-life vs. pro-choice debate.
-->'''Poppy:''' No no no, you can't-a put-a cucumbers on a pizza.\\
'''Kramer:''' Well, why not? I like cucumbers.\\
'''Poppy:''' That's-a not a pizza. It'll taste-a terrible.\\
'''Kramer:''' Yeah, but that's the idea. You make your own pie.\\
'''Poppy:''' Yes, but we cannot-a give-a the people the right to choose ''any topping they want!'' Now, on this issue there can-a be ''no debate!''\\
'''Kramer:''' What gives you the right to tell me how I would make my pie?!\\
'''Poppy:''' Because it's a ''pizza!''\\
'''Kramer:''' It's not a pizza until it comes out of the oven!\\
'''Poppy:''' It's a pizza the moment you put-a you' fists in the dough!\\
'''Kramer:''' No, it isn't!\\
'''Poppy:''' Yes it is!
* DontExplainTheJoke:
-->'''Kramer''': Well, I signed up for a food delivery service, Now We're Cookin'. That's a play on words.
** In the same episode:
--> '''Maxwell''': My name is Maxwell. I'm from Maid To Order. It's a pun.
** In "The Checks", after Jerry and George show the ''Jerry'' pilot to some Japanese execs:
--> '''Executive''': We're bit confused. Why was this man Jerry's butler?\\
'''George''': Ah. You see, the man who was the butler, uh, had gotten into a car accident with Jerry, and because he didn't have any insurance, the judge decreed that the man become Jerry's butler.\\
'''Executive''': Is this customary in your legal system?\\
'''Jerry''': (congenial) No. That's what makes it such a humorous situation.
* DoorFocus: Happens when Kramer yells at Jerry about him wanting to reclaim a phone number of a woman he was trying to stop seeing. Kramer storms out and slams the door and a beat later he comes back in to grab the cereal and milk he was borrowing off of Jerry's counter. Then he leaves again.
* DoppelgangerDating: In "The Cartoon" and "The Invitations".
* DoubleStandard: As proven in "The Sniffing Accountant", it's okay for women to touch men's material, but do it in reverse, and you're accused of being a pervert and are fired from a job you haven't even started yet.
** Then again, the whole thing was started by a man doing it to Elaine and getting a date with her because of it. Maybe it's just not okay if you're [[BeautyEqualsGoodness unattractive]] (eg. George and Newman), or it's ''only'' okay if you do it to [[OneOfTheBoys Elaine]].
* DownerEnding: The series finale. Not that it actually bothered any of the protagonists.
* DrivingADesk: Happens rather frequently, but in particular, "The Bris". George's car is clearly in Park during the driving scenes.
* DrivesLikeCrazy: Elaine, as seen in "The Wait Out."
* DropInCharacter: Kramer.
* DroppedAfterThePilot: Claire, the waitress at Pete's Luncheonette, was intended to be a regular but she was [[SecondEpisodeSubstitute replaced]] by the character [[Creator/JuliaLouisDreyfus Elaine]] after the pilot episode. Pete's Luncheonette was also replaced with Monk's Cafe, explaining why Claire is never seen again.
* DuelingShows: ''EverybodyLovesRaymond''
* DumpThemAll: In the backwards episode, one woman chooses this solution.
* DyingDeclarationOfLove: It's debatable that Elaine almost told Jerry she loved him in "The Finale Part 1" because she thought their plane would crash. But the plane straightens out before she can finish her sentence. Also debatable that Russel Dalrymple did this in "The Pilot 2" when he is seen drifting away and a fellow Greenpeace member is shouting "I'll remember her name! Elaine Benes! I'll write to her. I'll tell her all about you and what you did out here!"
* DynamicEntry: Kramer, every time he comes through the door.
** Episode-specific example: In "The Susie", George and Kramer, acting like a bickering couple, are at a ball. During a scuffle, George accidentally rips the back of Kramer's tux, causing Kramer to twirl towards some spectators. Wilhelm: "Wow! What an entrance!"
[[/folder]]
[[folder: E-F]]
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The pilot features a different theme song; Jerry is living in a studio apartment with a grey leather couch and a skylight; Kramer (actually, "Kessler") knocks on the door, owns a dog, and is agoraphobic; the hangout is a place called Pete's Luncheonette rather than Monk's; and Elaine is absent (it appears that a deadpan waitress at Pete's was meant to be the major female character).
** The earlier seasons also had a lot more of a lax tone, and episodes were slower-paced (especially ones that took place in one location, such as "The Chinese Restaurant" or "The Parking Garage"); most likely because of the "show about nothing" premise. For that matter, the early episodes even seemed to be shot on cheaper stock.
** An early episode known as "Male Unbonding" did not conform to the "The Something" title formula, and had a sequence in which Jerry and George have a conversation on the elevator ride to Jerry's apartment. In later episodes, characters would ring the buzzer and almost immediately be at the door. Most importantly, the premise was about Jerry not wanting to spend time with a friend he'd known since he was a kid who was petty and constantly complaining: traits inherent in George.
** Season 3's first episode had some vocal scatting dubbed over the theme. While not intended to be literal words, many remarked that it sounded like the singers were saying, "easy to beat."
** In the first three-or-so seasons, Elaine was very much concerned with animal rights. Eventually, this aspect of the character was forgotten, until it was referenced in "The Reverse Peephole" when Puddy started wearing a fur coat:
--> '''Elaine''': Eh, anti-fur. I mean, who has the energy anymore? This is more about hanging off the arm of an idiot.
** Newman's first appearance off-camera appearance was a voice-over performed by Larry David, later dubbed in by Wayne Knight in syndication. That's not the weird part: the weird part is that this "Newman" (or "Nueman" in the script) threatened suicide, and was said to be unemployed. In later episodes, it's clear that Newman has been a postal worker as far back as the late '70s when he knew Sam Berkowitz.
** Both Jerry Seinfeld's and George Costanza's fathers were initially played by different actors from those who would become better-known in those roles. Each had a very different look and gave a very different performance. Again: it's not just a casting change that's weird, or even how different the better-established versions of the characters were, but that in syndication, they reshot John Randolph's scenes as Frank Costanza using Jerry Stiller, but did not do the same thing with the two versions of Jerry's father.
*** In the commentary for the one episode with Phil Bruns as Morty Seinfeld before Barney Martin played him in subsequent appearances, Seinfeld and Larry David revealed that they had considering reshooting the scenes with Martin for syndication, but realized they couldn't because the other characters had all aged five years by then (as opposed to only a few months for the George's father episode).
** George makes some rather cryptic statements in early episodes that prefigure or contradict later ones.
*** In Season 3's "The Truth," George remarks that he's driven women to lesbianism before, but says he hasn't in an episode the following season when he sees Susan with a woman.
*** George says to Jerry in the pilot to "always do the opposite of what your instincts tell you." He actually hears this advice FROM Jerry, spends the whole episode doing the opposite of what he thinks he should do, and things go well for him.
*** When George quits his job in real estate, he talks about how he'd like to join a ball club as an announcer or some such, years before joining the Yankees as Assistant to General Manager.
*** When George makes up the phoney charity he says he'd like to be in a position to give away money to worthy people. Guess he forgot he was put in charge of just such an organization after Susan's death.
** In "The Busboy", George and Jerry console Elaine after she fails at getting an unwanted houseguest to the airport on time. This kind of compassion is extremely rare for the show, and was quickly phased out.
* EarWorm: Invoked. In-universe, George can't get "Master of the House" from ''Franchise/LesMiserables'' out of his head. Jerry warns him that getting a song stuck in your head can drive you insane, like how Schumann kept humming an "A" over and over.
** In "The Chicken Roaster", George admits that he's sort of like an advertising jingle: Annoying, but you can't get it out of your head. To which he sings: "By Mennen!" Later, Jerry is mumbling that jingle to himself.
* EasilyForgiven: Jerry has this in a couple episodes.
** In "The Kiss Hello," the other apartment tenants [[FelonyMisdemeanor are very angry with him for not wanting to get kissed hello]], and in the next episode, everything's okay again. Alternatively, it might just be a case of StatusQuoIsGod.
** In "The Hamptons," his bringing over a good dinner was all he needed to get back on his girlfriend's [[OverprotectiveDad father's]] [[ThroughHisStomach good side]].
* TheEasyWayOrTheHardWay: In "The Yada Yada", Elaine goes to the adoption agent to convince him to let Beth and Arnie have a baby:
--> '''Elaine''': Look it, look it, Ryan. These people are gettin' a baby. Period. Now, we can do this the easy way, or... [[InstantSeduction we can do this... the fun way]].
* EatingLunchAlone: Elaine pretends to live in the janitor's closet of the apartment building across the street because her building isn't in the delivery zone for a certain Chinese restaurant known for their flounder. She says this is preferable to eating it alone in the restaurant "like some loser".
** George eats alone at Reggie's twice in the series: First, in "The Soup" when he can't confront the waitress that he dated, and later in "The Pool Guy" when he eats there out of protest that Susan getting chummy with his friends is making his worlds "collide".
* EditedForSyndication: Most episodes feature little dialog cuts here and there to save time for more commercials. The episode which suffers the worst in this regard is "The Yada Yada", as it originally ran ''26 minutes'' in its NBC premiere.
** Since 2010, most markets air the episodes in a cropped format (similar to a x1.2 zoom on most DVD players), and as such, all on-screen titles (opening credits, closing credits, subtitles, etc) have been changed accordingly. Some episodes also have either repositioned the show logo in the opening, or left alone, resulting in half of the 'S' in ''Seinfeld'' being cut off.
* EldritchAbomination: To Jerry anyways, the woman with the man hands.
-->'''Jerry:''' Like a creature out of GreekMythology! Part woman, part horrible beast!
** The unriddable B.O. someone leaves in a car is much the same to him. "You don't understand what I'm up against. This is a force more powerful than anything you can imagine. Even ''Superman'' would be helpless against this kind of stench!" Later, Jerry refers to the odor as "[[Literature/TheBible The Beast]]".
* EmbarrassingFirstName: Cosmo Kramer, but he eventually embraces it... especially when he gets his new license plates mixed up with a proctologist...
-->'''Kramer''': I'm Cosmo Kramer -- the Ass Man!
* EmbarrassingNickname: In "The Pick", Elaine is given the nickname "Nip" after she accidentally exposes her nipple in a Christmas card.
** In many season 3 and 4 episodes, George is nicknamed "[[Theatre/DeathOfASalesman Biff]]" by Jerry. George is always annoyed by being associated with one of the biggest losers of theatre.
** In "The Maid", George is nicknamed "Coco" because he looked like a monkey when he was going on a tirade to Watkins about stealing his nickname (T-Bone). Later in the episode, George is nicknamed "Gammy", much to his annoyance.
* EnemyMine: In "The Andrea Doria", Newman wants a transfer to Hawaii, but is put out of commission from [[BrickJoke a bite by Kramer]]. Upon hearing this, Jerry agrees to take Newman's route, with the logic being that he wants Newman out of his life just as much as Newman wants to move to Hawaii.
* EpisodeOnAPlane: "The Airport."
* EstablishingShot
* EuphemismBuster: In "The Phone Message", after a date, George's girlfriend asked him if he wanted to come up to her apartment for coffee. George replied, "I can't drink coffee late at night, it keeps me up." The date ended, and only later did George realize she was alluding to sex.
* EvenBeggarsWontChooseIt: In one episode, Elaine sells muffin tops, and needs to dispose of the stumps (making them without stumps just isn't the same, you see). Both a homeless shelter and a garbage dump reject them.
** Jerry finally rids himself of the unkillable B.O. in his car by just abandoning the car on the street and handing the keys over to some bum. The episode ends with a freeze frame of his expression after getting in the car, which indicates he didn't bother keeping it.
** Jerry finds himself suddenly repulsed by his GirlOfTheWeek and unable to kiss her after discovering that she not only went out with Newman, but that Newman was the one who ended the relationship. The thought of dating a woman who is below the standards of a man he doesn't think should even ''have'' standards in the first place is just too much for him to bear.
---> '''Jerry:''' All I could think of when I was looking at her face... was that '''''Newman''''' found this '''''unacceptable'''''!
** George takes a book from the shelf at a bookstore into the bathroom with him and is forced to purchase it. He can't return it at any of the locations in the chain because it's been "flagged" as having been in the bathroom. He tries to give it to Goodwill, only for the woman at the counter to immediately recognize that the book is flagged because she used to work at one of the chain locations. She calls George a sick and evil man for trying to give the flagged book to the less fortunate.
* EverythingIsRacist: Uncle Leo seems to think so.
-->''He's an anti-Semite!''
* EverytownAmerica: Kramer turns his apartment facade into "Anytown, USA", which is waterlogged with Type-I {{Eagleland}} and all the tropes accompanying it. This was during the "Serenity Now" episode.
* EvilDetectingDog: In "The Wink", Elaine is barked at by James's dogs. Apparently they knew Elaine hated dogs from her experience in "The Engagement".
* EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor: In "The Little Kicks", Jerry jokes that Brody the movie bootlegger is working on quite a foodbag.
--> '''Brody''': (serious) It's for ''all'' of us. Is there a problem?\\
'''Kramer''': Brody, come on, he's just kidding. He's a joke maker, tell 'im, Jerry.\\
'''Jerry''': (nervously) I'm a joke maker.
* ExactWords: George often asks people what someone's exact words were, to the point where Jerry can see it coming.
--> '''George''': So she doesn't like me?
--> '''Jerry''': No.
--> '''George''': She said that?
--> '''Jerry''': Yes.
--> '''George''': She told you she doesn't like me!
--> '''Jerry''': Yes.
--> '''George''': What were her exact-
--> '''Jerry''': "I don't like him."
** Jerry puts a damper on Newman's new millennium party by telling him that by booking the venue for "the millennium New Year" he actually booked it one year too late, since the new millennium doesn't officially start until 2001.
* FailureIsTheOnlyOption
* FanDisservice: Used in-universe in one episode when Jerry and his girlfriend walk around the apartment naked. He sees her as a vixen, she sees him as a gorilla.
* FanService: Notice throughout the final seasons, the [[GirlOfTheWeek Girls of the Week]] were wearing shorter and shorter skirts.
* FantasticRacism: Played for laughs in "The Yada Yada" when Jerry is annoyed that his dentist Tim Whatley (who recently converted to Judaism) is making so many Jewish jokes. However, Jerry is chided by Tim for telling a dentist joke, proclaiming Jerry has no idea what his people (that is, the dentists) have been through.
--> '''Kramer''': You think that dentists are so different from me and you? They came to this country just like everybody else, in search of a dream!
--> '''Jerry''': Kramer, he's just a dentist.
--> '''Kramer''': Yeah, and ''you're'' an anti-dentite.
--> '''Jerry''': I am ''not'' an anti-dentite!
--> '''Kramer''': You're a ''rabid'' anti-dentite! Oh, it starts with a few jokes and some slurs. "Hey! Denty!" Next thing, you're saying they should ''have their own schools''!
--> '''Jerry''': They ''do'' have their own schools!
--> '''Kramer''': Aaahhh!!!
** Later, as Jerry meets with a priest...
--> '''Priest''': And this offends you as a Jewish person?
--> '''Jerry''': No, it offends me as a comedian!
* FatBestFriend: Kramer's buddy and Jerry's antagonist Newman.
** George is pretty much a more subtle example of this; he's nowhere near as ''huge'' as Newman is, however, his own, "Generous proportions" are brought up on occasion.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Newman, complete with EvilLaugh. Though he seems to think it's [[AffablyEvil the other way around]].
-->'''Elaine:''' Perhaps there's more to Newman than meets the eye?
-->'''Jerry:''' No, there's less. I've looked into his eyes. He's pure evil.
* FauxInterracialRelationship:
** In one episode, Elaine thinks the guy she's going out with is black, but she's not quite sure, and spends the episode trying to find out without directly asking. It turns out he had been thinking Elaine was Hispanic.
** In another episode, Jerry falls for a woman named Chang over the phone, believing that she's Chinese - but it turns out she's Jewish. The family name was originally "Changstein."
* FawltyTowersPlot: Many examples, the best being "The Wizard," where George drives to the far eastern tip of Long Island before "blinking" first.
* FeeFiFauxPas: Perhaps the earliest instance was in "The Pony Remark" when Jerry and Elaine started making fun of ponies, and Jerry said he hated anybody who had a pony growing up.
--> '''Manya''': ''I'' had a pony!
** In "The Comeback", Elaine doesn't know what to rent from the video store now that Vincent stopped making picks:
--> '''Gene''': Well, we have a wide variety of Gene picks.\\
'''Elaine''': Gene's trash.\\
'''Gene''': (hurt) ''I'm'' Gene.\\
'''Elaine''': (embarrassed, smiles nervously) Hi.
** In "The Strongbox", Jerry confronts a neighbor with whom he's already on thin ice with:
--> '''Jerry''': (congenial) Phil... hi. I-I know we kind of got off to a bad start. But your bird, which is lovely, by the way, made a mess on my door.\\
'''Phil''': And?\\
'''Jerry''': I thought maybe you'd clean it up, or your maid, there.\\
'''Phil''': That's my ''wife''.\\
({{Beat}})\\
'''Jerry''': All right, I think we're done here.
* FingerLickingPoison: Susan drops dead from licking toxic envelopes in "The Invitations."
* FinishingEachOthersSentences: One of Jerry's girlfriends did this; the trope is subverted in that how she finishes Jerry's sentence is not what he was going to say at all.
--> '''Jerry''': I'll tell you Lisi, I never expected that movie to-
--> '''Lisi''': ...End underwater?
--> '''Jerry''': ...Be that long.
* FirstNameUltimatum: "Newman." [[NoNameGiven Probably his last name]], but still.
* {{Flanderization}}: Everyone goes through some level of this, except arguably Jerry.
** His neat-freak tendencies grew, somewhat.
*** They deliberately had to flanderize George's idiocy; because he wore glasses, people insisted on seeing him as TheSmartGuy, to the point where the writers had to have him openly proclaim himself "Lord of the Idiots."
**** In another episode George calls out these people by mentioning that a lot of people think he is smart when he really isn't.
**** Then, in season 9's "The Dealership" episode in which George flips out over not getting his candy bar from the vending machine. On the commentary track on the DVD, Jason Alexander proclaims, "I am in an animated cartoon here, folks."
* FlashbackCut: In "The Library", there's a brief cutaway to Jerry and George in high school during the '70s, when Jerry lends George "Tropic of Cancer" after gym class.
** In "The Nose Job", Jerry tells George about a woman he met on the elevator, and clips from said scene are shown.
** In "The Fire", we get a quick glimpse of old home movies of George's birthday party:
--> '''Frank''': Blow out the candles! Blow out the candles, I said! Blow out the damn candles!\\
'''Estelle''': [[ComicalOverreacting Stop it, Frank! You're killing him!]]
* FlashForward: Occurs in "The Invitations": Jerry realizes that if George and Elaine both get married and move to another burrough, it'll just be him and Kramer. Cue a daydream of a slightly older-looking Jerry and Kramer:
--> '''Kramer''': (slides in) Hey!! Buddy. I thought of a great invention for driving. A periscope in a car, so you can see the traffic.\\
'''Jerry''': (aggravated) How you gonna drive when looking through a periscope?! Besides, it's not a submarine and there's no room for a periscope in a car!\\
'''Kramer''': Huh! You make a higher roof.\\
'''Jerry''': They're not making higher roofs.\\
'''Kramer''': Why can't you make a higher roof?\\
'''Jerry''': (simmering) Because it's a ''stupid'' idea. No one's gonna go for it. Don't you understand?! It's stupid, stupid...
* FlippingTheBird: Implied in "The Dealership" when Kramer shouts to two women on the street: "Can I interest you in a little supplemental restraint?", and is disturbed by their off-screen reaction.
** A plot point in "The Pledge Drive": George thinks a drive who cut him off gave him the finger, but it was merely a guy with a cast on his hand, with his middle finger stuck up for some reason.
* FollowTheLeader: You can't deny how influential the show was. To this day the majority of sitcoms, whether they're about single people or families, focus on immature, petty characters who rarely ever learn from their mistakes by the end of the episode. Also, in the '90s there were many, many sitcoms (especially those about single people) that loved to borrow two very specific concepts made famous by "Seinfeld". One was the BottleEpisode structure of episodes such as "The Chinese Restaurant" and the other was having main characters obsess over the odd quirks of their Boy or GirlOfTheWeek.
* TheFoodPoisoningIncident: In "The Voice", George heads to the bathroom and weakly shouts, "I think Play Now is putting something in my food!"
** In "The Betrayal", George eats a Clams Casino and remarks, "Hmm, tastes a little funky." Jerry assures him: "I'm sure it's fine." [[DescriptionCut In the next scene, George says something's not sitting right.]]
* ForTheEvulz: George Steinbrenner once threatened to move the Yankees to New Jersey "...just to upset people!"
** Plus the woman who robbed George in the episode "The Subway." [[TropesAreTools On the other hand]], it was worth it to hear George say "[[ComicallyMissingThePoint Will I see you again?]]"
* {{Foreshadowing}}: In the episode "The Rye", Elaine tells Jerry "You know, one of these days, something terrible is going to happen to you. It ''has'' to!" Come the series finale, and not only does something terrible happen to Jerry ([[AngstWhatAngst not that it bothers him]]), it happens to Elaine too. [[TemptingFate Woops]].
** Similarly, in "The Soul Mate", there's an opening scene (usually cut in syndication) where George remarks how fascinating prison is, and Jerry agrees. George wistfully pines, "Maybe someday..." [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor Oh George...]]
* ForInconveniencePressOne: In "The Pool Guy" Kramer enjoys playing an Interactive Voice Responder to callers who misdialed Moviefone's number. Made all the funnier when the ''actual'' responder goes to Kramer's apartment because Kramer had been taking all his business, and talks exactly like the hotline.
* FourthDateMarriage: Kramer's friend Mickey marries one of the two girls he and Kramer are double-dating after only a few dates. Made funnier in that she confesses to having wanted Kramer all along, while the girl who Kramer was dating wanted Mickey.
* FragileFlower: For two grown people, both George and Elaine will cry about something at the drop of a hat.
* FreakOut: Jerry loses it in "The Diplomat's Club" after getting bugged about every little detail by his assistant.
* FriendsRentControl: Despite being able to live in a decent one-bedroom Manhattan apartment, Kramer holds down nothing resembling a steady job. He gets by by mooching most of his food off of Jerry and playing with various odd jobs (department store Santa, film extra, babysitter, illness actor for medical interns, the list goes on) and money-making schemes. Some of these are actually quite successful, like when he wins $18,000 dollars at the horse track in an early episode, and later gets his coffee table book about coffee tables published and eventually optioned as a movie (allegedly making him enough money to "retire" to Florida briefly). Subverted in that it's never handwaved as being rent control, but also vaguely plausible at times. The real Kramer managed to live comfortably off royalties from a piece of electronic disco jewellery he invented in the seventies.
** An early episode, back when George was in real estate, implies that the building is pretty cheap. An entire episode revolves around trying to move Jerry into a better building as he can afford much better. Another episode, in which his upstairs neighbour passes away, reveals the rent of that apartment was $400.
** Averted with George moving in with his parents in season 5, and moving out when he gets a job with the Yankees.
* TheFriendsWhoNeverHang: In the "The Dog" from Season 3, for one of the first times George and Elaine have to interact without Jerry as a buffer, and they realize that they have nothing in common. They manage to overcome their awkwardness only by gossiping about Jerry, but that quickly grows old. (In later seasons George and Elaine have a number of storylines featuring just the two of them.)
* FriendsWithBenefits: Jerry and Elaine try to do this in "The Deal". Lampshaded with George telling Jerry AnAesop about how it can't be done. Turns out George was right.
** The season 5 premiere, "The Mango", features a CallBack to this premise after Jerry discovers Elaine faked orgasms with him when they were dating, which put him in a foul mood.
--> '''Elaine''': We have to have sex to save the friendship!
--> '''Jerry''': Sex... to ''save'' the friendship?
* FromMyOwnPersonalGarden: Parodied.
* FullNameBasis: The woman who always introduced herself as Donna Chang (which she changed from Changstein), which Jerry believes she does because she likes people thinking she's Chinese.
** Crazy Joe Davola is always referred to as Crazy Joe Davola.
* TheFunInFuneral: "The Susie".
* FunnyAnsweringMachine / SongParody: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zlm98dJiLE0 George's classic message]], sung to the tune of the theme from ''TheGreatestAmericanHero''.
* FunnyBackgroundEvent: Watch Puddy while Jerry is on the phone with Elaine in "The Dealership": He's just blankly staring into space.
* FunnyForeigner: Babu Bhatt.
** Testikov from "The Marine Biologist".
** The doctor who treats Elaine after she is bitten by a dog in "The Glasses".
--->'''Elaine:''' That's it? I don't need a shot?\\
'''Doctor:''' No shot. Dog bite.\\
'''Elaine:''' I know I ''wasn't'' shot. Do I ''need'' a shot?\\
'''Doctor:''' (slower) No shot. Dog bite. "Woof woof", not "bang bang". (walks away, clearly thinking Elaine is a complete idiot)
* FunWithForeignLanguages
[[/folder]]
[[folder:G-H]]
* TheGamblingAddict: Kramer.
* GangOfBullies: The Van Buren Boys.
* GaveUpTooSoon: The episode with the Chinese restaurant.
* GayMoment: George, unsure of his sexuality in "The Outing", gets flustered when [[CallBack a male patient behind the curtain gets a sponge bath from the male nurse.]]
* {{Gayngster}}: Cedric and Bob, the Puerto Rican thugs who steal Elaine's armoire, harass Kramer for not wearing an AIDS ribbon and then chase him for accidentally burning a Puerto Rican flag.
* GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity: In "The Pilot", Russell Dalrymple (who is despondent after Elaine breaks up with him) fires a stagehand merely for bumping into him.
--> '''Russell''': All right. All right. What's your name?\\
'''David''': David.\\
'''Russell''': Get out! You're fired!\\
'''David''': But Mr. Dalrymple-\\
'''Russell''': Don't talk back to me. Didn't you hear what I say? Get out! You want me to call the cops? I make and break little worms like you ''every day''. Do you know how much money I make? Do you have ANY IDEA?! Do you know where I live? I can have any woman in this city that I want. ''Any one.'' Now, GET OUT!
** In "The Calzone":
--> '''George Steinberenner''': (on the phone) That's right, do you want me to say it again? I'll say it again! I haven't had a pimple since I was eighteen, and I don't care if you believe me or not! And how's this: You're fired! ({{Beat}}) Okay, you're not, I'm just a little hungry.
* GetOut: Mrs. Sweedler threw George out of her office in "The Bris" when he requested to be compensated for the mental patient committing suicide by falling onto his car.
** In "The Mango", Karen threw George out after he accused her of faking her orgasm.
** In "The Fatigues", Frank throws Kramer out after he tries to get Frank to cook again.
** In "The Serenity Now", Jerry tries to fake anger and fails miserably:
--> '''Jerry''': Kramer, I am so sick of you comin' in here and eatin' all my food. Now shut that door and get the ''hell'' outta here!!\\
({{Beat}})\\
'''Kramer''': (laughs) What is that, a new bit?
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: "The Contest." Several advertisers pulled out at the very ''mention'' that there'd be an episode entirely dedicated to masturbation, but judicious use of UnusualEuphemism, visual gags and [[RuleOfFunny simply being very funny]] saved it.
** Done more overtly in an earlier episode, "The Pez Dispenser", when George is dumped by Noel, a concert pianist, after he tries to gain an advantage, or upper hand, in their relationship.
--> '''George''': But I have hand!
-->'''Noel''': [[ADateWithRosiePalms And you're gonna need it.]]
* TheGhost: Kramer's various friends, such as Bob Saccamano and Lomez.
-->'''Jerry''': You sure have a lot of friends. [[LampshadeHanging How come I never see any of these people?]]
-->'''Kramer''': They want to know why they never see you.
* GilliganCut: Seen in "The Voice" when Elaine keeps sleeping with David Puddy, and then the scene cuts to Elaine forking over lost bet money to Jerry because of it.
* GirlOfTheWeek: Lampshaded.
-->'''Elaine:''' Jerry, you break up with a girl every week.
** But despite this, the characters are also...
*** HollywoodDateless
* GirlOnGirlIsHot: Discussed.
-->'''Elaine''': What is so appealing to men about a CatFight?
-->'''Jerry''': Because men think if women are grabbing and clawing at each other, there's a chance they might somehow... ''kiss''.
* GoldenMoment: Averted at all costs.
* GoneHorriblyRight: After the building super installs crappy low-flow shower heads in all the apartments, Kramer and Newman track down a black market shower head dealer so they can have strong water pressure again. They insist on buying the Commando 450, despite the dealer's insistence that it's only for use on circus elephants, not humans. During the credits we see Kramer trying out the Commando 450 in his shower, and is nearly BlownAcrossTheRoom.
* GoodCounterpart: In "The Bizarro Jerry," Elaine realizes that Kevin is largely this to Jerry. He even lives in an apartment which is a mirror-reflection of Jerry's apartment, keeps a model of [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Bizarro]], he has friends who are also all good counterparts to George, Kramer, and Newman, and he and his friends eat at Reggie's instead of Monk's.
* GoodIsDumb: Kramer seems to be Larry David's AuthorTract on how being unselfish and caring for people makes you an idiot.
* GoodNewsBadNews: Frank, to Lloyd Braun in "The Serenity Now":
--> '''Frank''': I have good news and bad news, and they're both the same: You're fired.
* GossipEvolution: In "The Maid", Jerry, George, Kramer, and Elaine were sitting at a counter in Monk's. Elaine was on one end of the line, and Kramer was at the other end. Elaine told Jerry that she got a new phone number because an old lady in the building died. Kramer, not fully hearing Elaine, heard "Newman died" instead.
* GoToAlias:
** George had Art Vandelay, who was an architect. Usually he used this alias when he didn't need to.
** Kramer would often pretend to be H.E. Pennypacker or Dr. Van Nostrand.
* GratuitousSpanish: A specialty of Kramer's.
-->'''Tony''': Hey Kramer, what are you doing ''mañana''?
-->'''Kramer''': ''Mañana''? I'm doing ''nada''.
** In "The Millennium", Kramer (posing as H.E. Pennypacker) tastes some chips & salsa and says, "Mmm, Machu Picchu!"
* TheGreys: According to George in "The Raincoats", if there was an alien invasion, they would relate first to bald humans.
* GroinAttack: In one of the outtakes for "The Trip Part 2", George is accidentally hit in the keys by, um, Kramer's keys.
* GrumpyOldMan: Sid Fields in "The Old Man". George's father Frank could also qualify.
* HairTodayGoneTomorrow: George in the flashback from "The Library".
* HairTriggerTemper: Michael in "The Good Samaritan", who snaps at George because he told his wife "God bless you" after a sneeze. Later in the episode, after he pieces together that George and his wife had sex, he tells Elaine:
--> '''Michael''': He's finished! I'm going to sew his ass to his face! I'm going to twist his neck so hard his lips will be his eyebrows! I'm going to break his joints, and reattach them!
** Elaine herself has bouts of this in "The Glasses". Justified in that she thought she had rabies.
** In "The Voice", when Darrin the intern arranged a lunch with himself, Jerry, and Kramer, but Elaine joined in after the appointment was already made:
--> '''Jerry''': Hey, Elaine is going to come with us, alright?\\
'''Kramer''': What? When did this happen?\\
'''Jerry''': Well, j-\\
'''Kramer''': DARRIN!!!
* HalfHumanHybrid: In "The Bris", Kramer is convinced he saw a half man, half pig in the hospital, which he dubs "Pigman".
* HalfwayPlotSwitch: Jerry's idea to perform "The Switch" doesn't come up until halfway into the episode, when he meets his girlfriend's roommate and Kramer's first name has been revealed.
* HandshakeRefusal: Elaine's boss has a cold. Having left his handkerchief in Elaine's office, he sneezes into his hand and is unable to shake the hand of a Japanese businessman when he sneezes, explaining that he can't because of the germs. The Japanese men assume he is implying that they might be diseased and cancel their business dealings.
* HardDrinkingPartyGirl: Susan Ross's mother.
* HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday: In "The Cartoon", when Jerry and George discuss how Jerry's latest girlfriend, Janet, looks a lot like Jerry:
--> '''George''': 'Cause you don't think Janet?...
--> '''Jerry''': No.
--> '''George''': Why would I...
--> '''Jerry''': It's ludicrous.
--> '''George''': Yes.
--> '''Jerry''': For either one of us.
--> '''George''': No...
--> '''Jerry''': So...
--> '''George''': Exactly.
--> '''Jerry''': ''I'm'' not gay.
--> '''George''': ...Neither am ''I''... (after a pause, they yell for Kramer to get in there to break the awkward silence)
* TheHeckler: Jerry got frustrated when Kramer brought his girlfriend to the show who was too excitable over his humor (it distracts both the comic and the audience and the person hasn't really said anything). Jerry gets even by going to her job and heckling her.
** In "The Red Dot", a drunk Dick interrupts Jerry's stand-up.
--> '''Jerry''': I like the hand blower, I have to say. It takes a little bit longer, but I feel when you're in a room with a revolting stench, you want to spend as much time as you can.\\
'''Dick''': The only stench is coming from ''you''.
* TheHedonist: Dr. Tim Whatley (Bryan Cranston)
-->'''Jerry:''' Is this guy a dentist or Caligula??
** George acts like one in "The Blood" when he includes food (and later television) in lovemaking.
--> '''Jerry''': Oh no, I'll tell you what you did, [[EmperorCaligula Caligula]]... you combined food and sex into one disgusting, uncontrollable urge!
* {{Hellistics}}: Many of the events one character caused ended up biting another character in the ass...
* HerBoyfriendsJacket: In "The Little Kicks" episode, Anna returns to work at the J. Peterman Catalog at one point, wearing George's Yankees jacket, after Elaine warned her to stay away from him on the grounds that he's "a bad seed".
* HereWeGoAgain: The series finale ends with Jerry and George having thesame conversation they did in the pilot.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: Jerry and George. George more-or-less admits to himself that the one thing he wants more than anything is a female version of Jerry that he can sleep with. Eventually he gets it, and freaks out because Kramer mentions it.
* HiddenInPlainSight: George's glasses, in the episode of the same name, are revealed to be on the top of his locker at the gym.
* HighSchoolSweethearts: In "The English Patient", Jerry is confused that Izzy Mandlebaum Jr. is only a slightly younger old man than Izzy. He explains:
--> '''Izzy''': I got married in high school.
* HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood: George.
--> Frank Costanza: "Blow out the candles! Blow out the damn candles!"
** Also...
---> George: "I need my glasses..."
---> Frank: "You don't need glasses, you're just weak! You're weak!!"
* HilariousOuttakes: Some season 9 episodes have audio bits from the episode in the credits.
* HintDropping: In "The Burning", Jerry keeps trying to get his latest girlfriend to tell him "The Tractor Story" by dropping not-so-subtle verbal hints about farms.
--> '''Jerry''': (playing a board game) They should update these pieces. Nobody rides horses anymore. Maybe they should change it to a ''tractor''.
--> '''Sophie''': Jerry, are you embarrassed that you're losing?
--> '''Jerry''': Losing? You know, yesterday I lost control of my car. I almost ''bought the farm''.
--> '''Sophie''': "Bought the farm"?
--> '''Jerry''': ''TRACTOR''!
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: The series finale, [[LaserGuidedKarma where the characters finally get punished for all the people they've screwed over]].
* HollywoodDateless: George.
* HomoeroticSubtext : Jerry and George, which was lampshaded in "The Outing." Between Jerry and Mets first baseman Keith Hernandez in "The Boyfriend."
** Pfft, those are nothing compared to Kramer/Jerry. Case in point: "The Kiss Hello." After a rant about how Jerry hates kissing, ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-iV2q-W9BE Kramer passionately kissed him.]]''
*** Best part? It was never mentioned again.
*** No, the best part is that George walks in on it, stares, and then slowly backs out of the room and closes the door behind him.
** Susan's father is revealed to have had a passionate affair with gay author John Cheever in his first appearance, though it's never mentioned again.
* HypeBacklash: An in-universe example. Elaine hates ''Film/TheEnglishPatient'', and everyone she talks to loves it, including her boyfriend (who leaves her because of it), the waitress at Monk's (who refuses to serve her after finding out she hates it), and her boss (who fires her but reconsiders when she agrees to travel to Tunisia where they filmed the movie).
* HypocrisyNod: In "The Burning", George is flabergasted that Kruger is eating in Monk's when he's supposed to be helping George out with a big project. After asking Kruger to get back to work, George remarks to Jerry:
--> '''George''': Have you ''ever'' seen anything like this?!
--> '''Jerry''': [[SarcasmMode Never.]]
** In "The Pick", after Jerry and George rationalized that nose picking wasn't a big deal:
--> '''Jerry''': Let me ask you something. If you were going out with somebody and if she did that, what would you do? Would you continue going out with her?\\
'''George''': No. That's disgusting!
[[/folder]]
