"Don't the doors in this bloody place lock!?"
— Daphne Moon, Frasier
This is a device to get somebody out of a room or bring somebody into a room.
Specific variants:
- And Here He Comes Now: That absent person they're talking about is just about to enter.
- Deus ex 'Scuse Me: A plot device calls a character out of a scene.
- Escort Distraction: One person takes an unwanted third party elsewhere.
- Get a Room!: Stock phrase for telling a couple to find somewhere else to flirt.
- Get Out!: Telling someone to leave the room.
- "Getting My Own Room" Plot: Wanting their very own room.
- Going to the Store: Going to the local convenience store is a stock excuse for going out after hours.
- Hide and No Seek: Using a game as an excuse to get someone (usually kids) to leave.
- I Need to Go Iron My Dog: A character excuses himself for some random reason.
- Inadvertent Entrance Cue: Circumstances conspire to describe an absent character, who then fortuitously appears.
- Leave the Two Lovebirds Alone: Characters leave a couple alone so they can have their romantic moment.
- Never Give the Captain a Straight Answer: Giving the captain a reason to leave the bridge, but not enough info to spoil the surprise waiting for him.
- No Time to Explain: Two or more characters need to leave immediately without explaining why.
- Not Even Bothering with an Excuse: A character forgoes making up an excuse altogether and just leaves.
- Request for Privacy: A character asks everyone but a small number of other characters to leave the room so they can have a private conversation.
- Privacy by Distraction: Making up something (usually a fool's errand) for an unwanted third party to go somewhere else.
- Stepping Out for a Quick Cup of Coffee: A character makes an excuse to leave in order to distance himself from another character's actions.
- Take Five: A character needs to speak to another privately, but instead asks the others to leave.
- Taking the Fight Outside: Relocating the imminent fight scene to somewhere a little more socially appropriate.
- Talk About That Thing: A character needs to speak to another privately, so she makes up a reason why they both need to leave.
