Line #41 Main/SassySecretary


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5	[[quoteright:230:[[ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/carol_1.png]]]]
6
7	->'''Mr. Farquhar''': Afternoon, Miss Dobbs. Lovely day for it.
8	->'''Miss Dobbs''': That's what they all say, Mr. Farquhar, but it won't get you anywhere.
9	-->-- ''Film/CarryOnAbroad''.
10
11	Cracking gum and cracking wise. Often with a ''very'' nasal voice, usually with a New York City accent.
12
13	Dates back to the 1930s at least, with Sam Spade's secretary and Creator/JoanBlondell in any number of movies, making this OlderThanTelevision.
14
15	May also be a SexySecretary or a PluckyOfficeGirl. May be contrasted with a HighPoweredCareerWoman. Due to the interpersonal nature of the role, they may be TheFace of their group. See also and related to SarcasticDevotee.
16
17	----
18	!!Examples:
19
20	[[foldercontrol]]
21
22	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
23	* ''Anime/{{Aggretsuko}}'' has Washimi, the [=CEO=]'s secretary, who is so fearless and elegant that he (and everyone else in the company) is intimidated by her.
24	* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' Riza Hawkeye is technically a Sassy Adjutant, as Roy Mustang's administrative assistant Riza is a ServileSnarker on top of her bodyguarding role. Without her around, the paperwork tends to pile up in the office.
25	[[/folder]]
26
27	[[folder:Comic Books]]
28	* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]]: Lila Brown has only so much patience for her boss ComicBook/SteveTrevor, and even less for his boss' secretary Diana Prince who seems to care far more about formalities than Lila ever has. In return she gives them both as much sass as possible, though this eventually backfires when she ignores Diana telling her not to pick up a pen that ends up being the disguised explosive device which kills her.
29	[[/folder]]
30
31	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
32	* Carol, the PointyHairedBoss's secretary from ''ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}}'', takes "sass" straight into misanthropy and narcissism. For a while she also had a crossbow.
33	[[/folder]]
34
35	[[folder:Fan Works]]
36	* Golden Quill, the secretary of Piercing Gaze in the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fanfic ''Fanfic/ALongNightAtTheHippodrome''. She's smart, streetwise, indispensable to her boss, and knows it.
37	[[/folder]]
38
39	[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]
40	* The aforementioned Creator/JoanBlondell, especially in ''Film/FootlightParade''.
41	* Moneypenny from the ''Film/JamesBond'' films (the Creator/LoisMaxwell, Creator/SamanthaBond and Creator/NaomieHarris incarnations mostly, Creator/CarolineBliss didn't have enough screentime to develop much sass). She only fits the "cracking wise" personality though.
42	* ''Film/GrossePointeBlank'' might be considered a subversion, as while John Cusack's character has such a secretary (played by his sister, Joan), he is an amoral assassin. Moreover she herself is an effective operative, rattling off info from dossiers, dressing down people over the phone, and nonchalantly dousing the office in gasoline when it's time to move on.
43	* Janine Melnitz of ''Film/{{Ghostbusters 1984}}''. TropeCodifier and snark queen extraordinaire. She can throw it back at Venkman as hard as he can dish it out, saying she'd quit better jobs. Then again, being the babysitter to three MadScientist types would test anyone's patience.
44	* Janet, Russ' long-suffering secretary in ''[[Film/TheKid2000 Disney's The Kid]]''. She deals with Russ's frequently unreasonable demands with healthy doses of snark and sarcasm.
45	* Pamela Finkelstein from ''Film/{{UHF}}'' certainly qualifies. Her short fuse and annoyance are {{Justified}} because she really signed onto the station to be a news reporter and got shunted into clerical work instead. George being [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} George]] decided "why not" when letting her cover news. HilarityEnsues.
46	* [[NoNameGiven The receptionist]] from the Irish short ''Film/NaFiorghael'' goes way beyond "sassy" into "wildly unprofessional." She's seen insulting the clients ([[BilingualDialogue in Irish]]) in her phone conversations, and despite not understanding her, she doesn't make much a secret with the furtive glances and the laughter. The clients take it upon themselves to learn enough Irish to rat her out and kick her out onto the street. Justified, though, because the kicker of the short is that [[spoiler:it's all an act: she's not really a secretary.]]
47	* ''Film/OneTouchOfVenus'' is set in a department store, and the president of the company Whitfield Savory has a wisecracking secretary/assistant called Molly. As she's played by quintessential DeadpanSnarker Creator/EveArden, most of the resulting plot involving the apparent theft of a statue of Venus (which actually came to life) has her snarking at the incompetent policemen.
48	* In ''Film/LadyOnATrain'', Miss Fletcher is Wayne Morgan's secretary. She does not think very much of his writing and is not afraid to tell him so in a DeadpanSnarker fashion. When he tells her to take the latest chapters and type them up, she replies "Did you say 'tear them up'?"
49	[[/folder]]
50
51	[[folder:Literature]]
52	* Connie in the ''Literature/StephaniePlum'' series of novels. She has Mob connections, an impressive collection of weapons in her desk (on at least one occasion, she threatens to use one on lecherous boss Vinnie), and a "take no crap" attitude that serves her very well dealing with her colleagues.
53	* [[BeleagueredBureaucrat Sir John's]] clerk Mrs. Pound from ''Literature/DarknessVisible'' is sassy enough to deliberately wind up Lewis when she has information he needs to prevent the end of the world. Of course, she's going to give it to him, but not until he realises how damned hard it was to get...
54	* ''Literature/SecretSanta2004'': Executive Assistant Marcy isn't afraid to call Erik out when he's acting outrageously. [[spoiler:She's also the SecretSanta making his life miserable.]]
55	[[/folder]]
56
57	[[folder:Live-Action TV ]]
58	* Cordelia appointed herself as secretary for Angel Enterprises in ''{{Series/Angel}}''. She wasn't qualified to do the monster hunting ([[TookALevelInBadass at first anyway]]) but was more than able to sit behind the desk and dish out wisecracks.
59	* ''Series/ColdCase'': In "The Last Drive-In," Nancy describes her job as covering for slacker loan officers and making empty promises on their behalf. She pointedly says she and her friend Felicity were executive assistants rather than secretaries, [[DistinctionWithoutADifference before saying it's a nicer way of saying the same thing.]] When an angry customer harassing a frightened Felicity wants Nancy to put her on the phone, Nancy replies that ''she'' wants a better car and a boyfriend who looks like Robert Redford.
60	* Vicki Lewis ("Beth") on ''Series/NewsRadio'' reportedly feuded with Kathy Griffin because of her similar redheaded character on ''Series/SuddenlySusan''. It is worth noting that Griffin's character, while a complete ripoff of Lewis's from the standpoint of personality, is not actually a secretary.
61	-->'''Beth:''' Mention that there's a spunky redhead in this office.\
62	'''Joe:''' I don't know how to tell you this, but there's a spunky redhead in ''every'' office.\
63	'''Beth:''' Tell me about it.
64	* Whenever Picard adopts the persona of [[HardBoiledDetective Dixon Hill]] in the holodeck on ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', he gets his own Sassy Secretary to complete the genre trope.
65	* A rare male example: Dennis Finch (David Spade) on ''Series/JustShootMe'' (though he denies being a secretary, at least at first).
66	-->'''Finch:''' ''(answering phone)'' Blush magazine, underpaid phone monkey speaking.
67	* Oddly enough, Russell Dunbar (also Spade) has his own rare male example, Timmy, on ''Series/RulesOfEngagement''.
68	* Mrs. Landingham and Debbie Fiderer on ''Series/TheWestWing''. Most of the other secretaries get in on the snarking action occasionally, but the President's secretaries are the most consistent.
69	* Elaine on ''Series/DocMartin'', to the point that Martin actually fires her in annoyance during the first episode (the rest of the town forces him to hire her back). Mostly averted with Pauline, though she really ''wants'' to be one.
70	* Veronica in ''Series/{{Dads}}''. She takes a fair amount of abuse from her bosses but gives back just as much.
71	* Legal secretary Carrie Heffernan in ''Series/TheKingOfQueens'' who is frustrated as hell at her lowly position in the firm, strives for advancement, studies by night, but is always overlooked.
72	* Donna to Harvey in ''Series/{{Suits}}''. She's the best secretary in the firm and knows Harvey more than anyone ([[spoiler:it's revealed in a later flashback that they slept together once before either of them joined the firm]]). She's not afraid to call Harvey out on his bullshit and frequently listens in to the conversations in his office.
73	* ''Series/ThirdRockFromTheSun'' has Dick and Mary's secretary, [[SassyBlackWoman Nina.]] Very prone to sassy remarks towards Dick, [[InnocentlyInsensitive often with]] [[InsufferableGenius good reasons,]] but even though she has a better relationship with Mary, it's not like ''anyone'' is really safe from her cutting remarks.
74	[[/folder]]
75
76	[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
77	* Given that she already has a thick Jersey accent and snarky personality, Yolanda the Rat naturally assumes this role in ''Series/TheMuppets2015''.
78	[[/folder]]
79
80	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
81	* Lolth has one. No, seriously, the dreaded Demon Queen of Spiders of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' has a Sassy Secretary, and PlayerCharacters have to deal with her in the epic adventure ''Vault of the Drow'' (from ''way'' back in 1980). [[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer Seriously.]] When the players reach the room with the sole access to Lolth's throne room, they find a Type V demon (called a marilith in later editions, a very powerful six-armed female fiend with a snaky lower body) at a messy desk who insists they sign in before they confront Lolth, and then wait while she finds the ledger. (Craziest part? If the [=PCs=] comply, she ''lets them in'' with no argument! If they don't wait, they'll have a much harder time getting in, not just from fighting her, but triggering an alarm and increasing the probability of random encounters. Doing what the secretary says lets them conserve their power for [[FinalBoss Lolth herself]], who is no pushover.) No explanation is given for this and if the players ask, the demon just says "Lolth told me to". (Maybe this demon is just being punished for some slight by being given a job that chaotic fiends would likely hate, but that's just conjecture.)
82	** The demon secretary appears in a ''ComicStrip/{{Nodwick}}'' strip much later that parodies the adventure, resembling a more traditional type, a coffee addict using a laptop. She's sassier and ruder than the one in the source, and not all-too-good at her job, more occupied with playing solitaire on the computer than dealing with the heroes, who eventually sneak past by leaving dummies in the waiting room.
83	[[/folder]]
84
85	[[folder:Video Games]]
86	* The Viscount of Kirkwall in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' (and the ''Trespasser'' DLC of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'') has Seneschal Bran, who is a male version of this trope. He functions as a secretary and personal assistant, and although he more or less reins in the sass when dealing with his boss, he delivers it in spades to everyone else, including the player characters.
87	* Mallory from ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'' is a good example; often taking the wind out of Roman's sails when he tries to boast or scheme.
88	* Eva from ''VideoGame/GrimFandango''.
89	-->'''Manny Calavera:''' It's my boss's secretary, Eva.\
90	'''Eva:''' It's my boss's whipping boy, Manny.\
91	--\
92	'''Manuel Calavera:''' Any messages for me?\
93	'''Eva:''' No, calls stopped coming for you the day you left. They're STILL sending you that lingerie catalog, though.\
94	--\
95	'''Manuel Calavera:''' Busy as ever, I see.\
96	'''Eva:''' I'd have more work to do if you had more clients.
97	* ''VideoGame/HiFiRush'' has the [=LU-C1LLE=] model robots, which were produced before current CEO Kale Vandelay came in charge and tend to be quite grumpy. A conversation that Chai can have at one while infiltrating the Research & Development division has her state that a brief acknowledgement of his existence is the closest he's going to get to a proper greeting from her, and she replies to Chai's sarcastic "thanks for nothing" with an equally-sarcastic "you're welcome".
98	* Miss Jakowski in ''VideoGame/NancyDrew: The Secret of the Old Clock'' is a phone switchboard operator rather than a secretary, but otherwise fits the trope: snarky to her clients, well-informed about everyone, and an unashamed eavesdropper.
99	* ''VideoGame/NeonWhite'' has Gabby, the angelic secretary at Heaven Central Authority. She has a thick Minnesotan accent, and is sharp-tongued, sarcastic, and fond of playing pranks.
100	* In the first dream world of ''VideoGame/{{Obsidian}}'', the first [[TvHeadRobot Vidbot]] you meet is this, exaggerated to the point that she's as much of an ObstructiveBureaucrat as every other employee. [[spoiler:When you start breaking the Bureau's rules at the end of the level, you get to literally walk over her in the process.]]
101	* ''VideoGame/{{Ripper}}'' has Viv, the [=MetaCog=] hospital's receptionist. The first thing she even says to you is, "Can I [[FreudianSlip help you off]] or something?"
102	* Barbara Stiles in ''VideoGame/{{Scratches}}'' is your secretary, who plays around with you a bit when you first call her. She also has a knack for studying languages.
103	* In ''VideoGame/TheSpaceBar'', the main character has a PDA with a "female" AI called Zelda that emulates one of these. She snarks at him whenever he does something stupid (like trying to operate his fingerprinter without opening it), and sometimes makes sarcastic quips to him about the information he reads or the people he's interrogating.
104	* She's a travel agent rather than a secretary, but [[PunnyName Shirley Eugest]] from the deluxe edition of ''VideoGame/WhereInTheWorldIsCarmenSandiego'' fills the same role as she can often be seen gossiping with a friend on the phone and cracking jokes as she books your next flight.
105	[[/folder]]
106
107	[[folder:Web Comics]]
108	* ''Webcomic/IngressAdventuringCompany'': Jessica is Toivo's deadpan secretary, and [[https://www.ingress-comic.com/comic/chapter-2-14/ seems more devoted to keeping people out of Toivo's business than letting people see him.]]
109	[[/folder]]
110
111	[[folder:Western Animation]]
112	* Laura from ''WesternAnimation/DrKatzProfessionalTherapist'' qualifies, but she's extremely rude and useless as a secretary. She doesn't take messages and refuses to bring Dr. Katz coffee.
113	* In the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' episode "Hearth's Warming Eve", Chancellor Puddinghead's secretary Smart Cookie is portrayed as quite the snarker.
114	* In ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters'', Janine started out just as sassy as her movie incarnation and even sported a bright red punk-style hairdo, but her incarnation in ''WesternAnimation/ExtremeGhostbusters'' wasn't nearly as much so.
115	* ''WesternAnimation/TheBearWhoSleptThroughChristmas'': Patti Bear is a secretary at the Organic Honey Works, the workplace of protagonist Ted E. Bear. In addition to snidely remarking on Ted's astrological sign, she berates him a number of times about his belief in Christmas and how he should forget about it.
116	[[/folder]]

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