Basic Trope: Someone loses their Character Catchphrase.
- Straight: In the show Alice and Co., Alice used to have a habit of saying "Holy moly!" but ever since Season 3, she has stopped saying it.
- Exaggerated: Alice used to say several "Holy moly!"s per episode back in season 1 but now she never says it.
- Downplayed: She still says "Holy moly!", just not as often.
- Justified:
- As of late, there's been nothing to say "Holy moly!" about.
- She just doesn't feel like saying it anymore.
- Alice's family is taken hostage by Emperor Evulz, and one of his demands to set them free is that she must never say "Holy moly" ever again.
- Inverted:
- Alice used to not say "Holy moly!" but now it's her catchphrase.
- Alice changes her name to Holy Moly and now refuses to say anything but her catchphrase.
- Subverted: She finally says "Holy moly!" again.
- Double Subverted:
- That was an impostor.
- She is interrupted on the "Holy".
- She changes her mind and says "Holy cow!".
- Parodied:
- The only thing that Alice could say is "Holy moly!" until she abruptly stopped saying it.
- The reason Alice stopped saying "Holy moly!" is because an angel named Moly descended from the sky to berate Alice for using her name in vain.
- Zig-Zagged: Some seasons, Alice says "Holy moly!", other seasons she doesn't.
- Averted:
- Alice never loses her catchphrase.
- Or she never had one in the first place.
- Enforced: The audience and/or the writer was starting to get tired of shoehorning Alice's catchphrase in everywhere, so they stop writing it in to keep the audience content.
- Lampshaded: "Didn't Alice use to say "Holy moly!" a lot?"
- Invoked: Alice says "Holy moly!" for the first time in a while. Bob tells Alice not to say "Holy moly!" again, claiming that it sounds weird after not hearing it for a long time.
- Exploited: Alice no longer says "Holy moly!" and Emperor Evulz, who shapeshifts but could never match her voice, takes advantage of her recent silent demeanour to imitate her.
- Defied: Although Emperor Evulz tries to threaten her into not saying her catchphrase anymore, Alice decides she'll keep saying "Holy moly!", no matter what.
- Discussed: "What if I lose my voice or something?" "Oh, no! You won't be able to say 'Holy moly', anymore."
- Conversed: "This character hasn't said their catchphrase in a while. Hope they're not losing it."
- Implied: Alice hasn't been onscreen in a few seasons, but somebody onscreen mentions how quiet she is these days.
- Deconstructed: The loss of Alice's catchphrase is explored in a way that highlights the significance it had in her character and the impact its absence has on her. The deconstruction may delve into the reasons behind her inability or reluctance to say "Holy moly!" anymore, revealing deeper emotional or psychological struggles. It could showcase the effects of losing a defining trait and how it alters her interactions with others or her own self-perception.
- Reconstructed: After the deconstruction, the trope is reconstructed by reintroducing Alice's catchphrase in a meaningful way. It could be a pivotal moment of character growth or a triumphant return, where she rediscovers the importance of "Holy moly!" and embraces it once again. The reconstruction emphasizes the significance of the catchphrase and its connection to Alice's identity, potentially leading to a resolution of the conflicts or issues that caused her to lose it in the first place.
- Played for Laughs: A literal mole shows up and is revealed to be a religious icon. Everybody looks over at Alice, expecting her to say her catchphrase in a literal sense for once, but she instead refers to it as a "religious rodent icon".
- Played for Drama:
- Alice's ceasing to say "Holy moly!" is a result of Emperor Evulz doing something seriously wrong to her brain.
- Alice used to constantly say "Holy moly!" as an In-Joke after a show she and her best friend Claire watched as children until Claire suddenly passed away of a rare disease. In her mind, the phrase is so deeply linked to Claire that now it simply makes her feel depressed.
- Played for Horror: It turns out that "Holy moly!" is actually a chant that summons an Eldritch Abomination. Every time Alice said it, the abomination came closer to entering Alice's world, and if it succeeds, it will devour the world. This is why Alice stopped saying it.
Back to Abandoned Catchphrase
