Basic Trope: A character finds the worst possible time to sneeze.
- Straight: Alice, hiding from Bob, sneezes and blows her cover.
- Exaggerated: Alice sneezes several times until Bob finds her.
- Downplayed: Bob finds Alice by hearing her about to sneeze.
- Justified:
- Alice has a cold.
- Alice has a Plot Allergy.
- Inverted: Bob sneezes while looking for Alice, allowing her to escape.
- Subverted: Alice sneezes just after Bob leaves the room.
- Double Subverted: ...but Bob comes back having heard the sneeze and finds her anyway.
- Parodied:
- Alice, knowing Bob will eventually find her, says a sneeze out loud.
- Ellen, who is also hiding with Alice, scolds Alice for sneezing after Bob finds them. Bob points out that he didn't hear a sneeze and that it was Ellen's screaming.
- Zig Zagged: Alice thinks she's about to sneeze but stops herself from doing so several times.
- Averted:
- Alice does not sneeze and remains in her hiding spot until Bob leaves.
- Bob finds Alice without the aid of her sneezing.
- Enforced: The plot cannot advance unless Alice and Bob are together. Alice must sneeze so they can be reunited.
- Lampshaded: "Oh, no! My nose blew my cover."
- Invoked: Bob grabs a dust mop and uses it to start swirling dust into the air until Alice sneezes.
- Exploited: Bob is aware that Alice has allergies and knows she will eventually give herself away by sneezing.
- Defied:
- Alice uses an Anti-Sneeze Finger.
- Alice plugs her nose while hiding, afraid that she will reveal herself with a sneeze.
- Discussed: "Better not sneeze, Alice, if you know what's good for you!"
- Conversed: "She shouldn't have hid if she knew she was going to sneeze."
- Implied: While on the run, Alice finds a hiding spot covered with dust and questions how safe it is.
- Deconstructed: Bob thinks Alice is sick upon hearing her sneeze. Not wanting to catch her cold, he gives up the chase.
- Reconstructed: Bob couldn't care less if Alice is sick and rushes to her when she sneezes.
- Played For Laughs: Alice reveals herself by sneezing. When Bob finds her, she sneezes in his face.
- Played For Drama: By the time Bob finds Alice, she is in the middle of a severe allergic reaction.
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