We Are Not Alone / Tropes E to L

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E

• Eagleland: Stereotypes of Americans
• Eagleland Osmosis: Americanization
• Earworm: [1]*
• Easter Bunny: [2]*
• Easter Egg: [3]*
• Eastern Zodiac: Chinese zodiac
• Eating Contest: Competitive eating
• Eco-Terrorist: Eco-terrorism
• Education Mama: Kyōiku mama
• Eek, a Mouse!!: Fear of mice
• Egging: [4]*
• Ejection Seat: [5]*
• Elder Abuse: [6]*
• Elderly Blue-Haired Lady: Blue rinse
• Elective Monarchy: [7]*
• Electric Torture: Electrical injury#Torture
• Electronic Eyes: Visual prosthesis
• Elephant in the Living Room: Elephant in the room
• Elephant Graveyard: [8]*
• Eleventy Zillion: Indefinite and fictitious numbers
• Elmuh Fudd Syndwome: Rhotacism (speech impediment)
• Elopement: [9]*
• Elvis Impersonator: [10] *
• Emancipated Child: Emancipation of minors
• Embarrassing Damp Sheets: Nocturnal enuresis
• Emergency Services: [11]*
• Emoticon: [12]*
• EMP: Electromagnetic pulse
• Emperor Scientist: Technocracy
• Empty Nest: Empty nest syndrome
• Endangered Species: [13]*
• The End of the World as We Know It: Global catastrophic risk
• Enemy Mine: The enemy of my enemy is my friend
• Energy Weapon: Directed-energy weapon
• English Rose: English rose (epithet)
• Enlightened Self-Interest: [14]*
• Ensemble Cast: [15] *
• Environmental Narrative Game: Walking simulators
• Ephebophile: [16]*
• Epic Flail: Flail (weapon)
• Epigraph: [17]*
• Escapism: [18]*
• "Eureka!" Moment: Eureka effect
• The Everyman: [19]*
• Everything Except Most Things: Overwhelming exception
• Everything Is Online: Internet of things
• Evil, Inc.: Evil corporation
• Evil Laugh: Evil laughter
• Evil Lawyer Joke: Lawyer joke
• Evil Overlord: Dark Lord (fiction)
• Evil Twin: [20]*
• Exact Words: Quibble (plot device)
• Exactly What It Says on the Tin: Does exactly what it says on the tin
• Excalibur: [21]*
• Exergaming: [22]*
• Exhausted Eye Bags: Periorbital puffiness
• Existential Horror: Existential crisis
• Expanded Universe: [23]*
• Expansion Pack: [24]*
• Experience Points: [25]*
• External Combustion: Car bomb
• Extra Digits: Polydactyly
• Extremophile Lifeforms: Extremophile

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F

• Face: [26]*
• Facecam: SnorriCam
• Face Framed in Shadow: Rembrandt lighting
• Face–Heel Turn, Heel–Face Turn: Defection
• Facepalm: [27]*
• Facial Recognition Software: Facial recognition system
• Fading into the Next Song: Segue
• Fainting: Syncope (medicine)
• The Fair Folk: Fairy
• Fairy Devilmother: Wicked fairy godmother
• Fairy Godmother: [28]*
• Fake Memories: False memory
• Fake Shemp: [29]*
• Faking the Dead: Faked death
• Fallen Angel: [30]*
• False Confession: [31]*
• False Dichotomy: False dilemma
• False Flag Operation: False flag
• False Prophet: False prophet
• False Rape Accusation: False accusation of rape
• Familiar: Familiar spirit
• Family Business: [32]*
• Family Honor: [33]*
• Famous for Being Famous: [34]*
• Fan Convention: [35]*
• Fan Edit: [36]*
• Fanfare: [37]*
• Fanservice: [38]*
• Fan Community Nicknames: List of fandom nicknamesinvoked
• Fandom VIP: [39]invoked
• Fan Translation: [40] *invoked
• Farce: [41]*
• The Farmer and the Viper [42]*
• Farts on Fire: Fart lighting
• Fashion Show: [43]*
• Faster-Than-Light Travel: Faster-than-light
• Fat Camp: Weight loss camp
• Fat Suit: [44]*
• Fatal Method Acting: List of entertainers who died during a performance and [45]invoked
• Fauns and Satyrs: Faun and Satyr
• FBI Agent: Federal Bureau of Investigation
• Fear of Thunder: Astraphobia
• Fearsome Critters of American Folklore: [46]
• Feathered Serpent: [47]*
• Feed the Mole: Canary trap
• Feel No Pain: Congenital insensitivity to pain
• Feghoot: [48]*
• Fell Off the Back of a Truck: Possession of stolen goods or Handling stolen goods (focusing on what the buyers of those goods do) and Fence (criminal) (focusing on what the sellers do).
• Female Misogynist: Internalized sexism
• Fembot: [49]*
• Femme Fatale [50]*
• Fictional Colour: Impossible color, List of fictional colors
• Fictional Political Party: List of fictional political parties
• Field Promotion: Brevet (military) and Battlefield promotion
• Fiery Redhead: Red hair#Beliefs about temperament
• Fiery Salamander: Salamanders in folklore and legend
• Fighting with Chucks: Nunchaku
• Le Film Artistique: Art film (though most of our examples are in-universe parodies)
• Finagle's Law: [51]*
• Final Death Mode: Permadeath*
• Final Girl: [52]*
• Financial Abuse: Economic abuse
• Finger Gun: [53]*
• Fire-Breathing Weapon: Flamethrower
• Firing in the Air a Lot: Celebratory gunfire
• First Contact: First contact (science fiction) and Potential cultural impact of extraterrestrial contact
• First World Problems: [54]*
• Fisher King: Wasteland (mythology)
• Fish-Eye Lens: [55]*
• Fish Eyes: Exotropia, see also Strabismus
• Fist Pump: [56]*
• Five-Finger Fillet: Knife game
• Five Stages of Grief: Kübler-Ross model
• Flanderization: [57]*
• The Flapper: [58]*
• Flare Gun: [59]*
• Flashback: [60]*
• Flatline: Asystole
• Flat World: Flat Earth
• The Flatwoods Monster: [61]*
• Flaying Alive: Flaying
• Fleur de Lis: Fleur-de-lis
• Flipping the Bird: The finger
• Floating Continent: Floating island (fiction)
• Florence Nightingale Effect: [62]*
• Flying Car: [63]*
• Flying Dutchman: [64]* and Wandering Jew
• Flying Saucer: [65]* and Unidentified flying object
• Foil: [66]
• Folk Hero: [67]*
• Folk Punk: [68]*
• Follow the Bouncing Ball: Bouncing ball (music)
• Food Coma: [69]
• Food Fight: [70]*
• Food Porn: [71]*
• A Fool and His New Money Are Soon Parted: Sudden wealth syndrome
• The Fool: Fool_(stock_character)
• Football Hooligans: Football hooliganism
• Forced Out of the Closet: Outing
• Forced Perspective: [72]*
• Force Feeding: [73]*
• Forensic Accounting: [74]*
• Foreshadowing: [75]*
• Forgiveness: [76]*
• Fortune Teller: Fortune-telling
• For Want of a Nail: Butterfly effect
• Found Footage Films: Found footage (film technique)
• Four Is Death: Tetraphobia
• Four-Leaf Clover: [77]*
• Four-Temperament Ensemble: Four temperaments
• Four Terms Fallacy: Fallacy of four terms
• Fourth Wall: [78]*
• Fox-Chicken-Grain Puzzle: Fox, goose and bag of beans puzzle
• Frameup: [79]*
• Framing Device: Frame story
• The Freakshow: [80]*
• "Freaky Friday" Flip: Body swap
• Freemium: [81]*
• Free Prize at the Bottom: Cereal box prize
• Freeware Games: List of freeware video games
• French Maid: [82]*
• Freudian Slip: [83]*
• Freudian Trio: Id,_ego_and_super-ego
• Friday Night Death Slot: [84]*invoked
• Frivolous Lawsuit: Frivolous litigation
• Full-Frontal Assault: Nudity in combat
• Functional Magic: Magic (paranormal)
• The Fundamentalist: Fundamentalism
• Fundoshi: [85]*
• Funny Animal: [86]*
• Fun with Acronyms: Backronym
• The Future: [87]*
• Futuristic Jet Injector: Hypospray

G

• The Gadfly: Social gadfly
• Gallows Humor: [88]*
• The Gambling Addict: Problem gambling
• Game Master: [89]*
• Game Mod: Mod (video gaming)
• Game Over: [90]*
• Gameplay and Story Segregation: Ludonarrative (specifically the concept of "ludonarrative dissonance")
• Gangbangers: Gang
• Gangland Drive-By: Drive-by shooting
• Gangsta Style: Side grip
• Garage Sale: [91]*
• Gas Chamber: [92]*
• Gashadokuro: [93]*
• Gaslamp Fantasy: [94]*
• Gaslighting: [95]*
• Gatling Good: Rotary cannon (see also Gatling gun)
• Gayborhood: Gay Village
• Gay Conservative: LGBT conservatism
• Gaydar: [96]*
• Gayngst-Induced Suicide: LGBT-related suicides and Suicide among LGBT youth
• Geas: [97]*
• Geek: [98]*
• Geisha: [99]*
• Gendercide: [100]*
• Generation Ships: [101]*
• Genetic Memory: [102]*
• Genre-Busting: [103]*
• Gentleman Detective: [104]*
• Gentleman Thief: [105]*
• Germans Love David Hasselhoff: Big in Japan (phrase)invoked
• Get-Rich-Quick Scheme: [106]*
• The Ghost: Unseen character
• Ghostapo: Nazism and occultism
• Ghost in the Machine: [107]*
• Ghost Leg Lottery: Ghost leg*
• Ghost Ship: [108]*
• Ghost Town: [109]* (also see List of ghost towns by country)
• Giant Squid: [110]*
• Gimmick: [111]*
• Gingerbread House: [112]*
• Girl Group: [113]*
• Girl Next Door: [114]*
• Girls Have Cooties: Cooties
• Girls with Moustaches: Bearded lady (see also Hirsutism)
• Girly Girl: [115]*
• Gladiator Games: Gladiator
• Glasgow Grin: Glasgow smile
• Glass Eye: Ocular prosthesis
• Global Currency: World currency
• Goal-Oriented Evolution: Orthogenesis
• God: [116]*
• A God Am I: Grandiose delusions, God complex, Apotheosis
• God is Dead: [117]*
• God of Thunder: Weather god
• Godwin's Law: [118]*
• Going Commando: [119]*
• Going Down with the Ship: The captain goes down with the ship
• Going Postal: [120]*
• Gold Digger: Gold digging
• Golden Mean Fallacy: Argument to moderation
• Gold Tooth: Gold teeth
• Golem: [121]*
• Good Angel, Bad Angel: Shoulder angel
• Good Cop/Bad Cop: [122]*
• Good Luck Charm: [123]*
• A Good, Old-Fashioned Paint Watching: Watching paint dry
• Gorn: Graphic violence
• Gosh Dang It to Heck!: Minced oath
• Goth: Goth subculture
• Government in Exile: [124]*
• Grade Skipper: Grade skipping
• Grandfather Clause: [125]*
• Grandfather Paradox: [126]*
• Grave Robbing: Body snatching
• Gravity Is Only a Theory: Intelligent falling
• Greaser Delinquents: Greaser (subculture)
• Greasy Spoon: [127]*
• Greed: [128]*
• Greek Chorus: [129]*
• Greek Fire: [130]*
• Green-Eyed Monster: Jealousy and Envy
• Grenade Launcher: [131]*
• Grey Goo [132]*
• The Greys: Grey alien
• Griefer: [133]*
• The Grim Reaper: Death (personification)
• Groin Attack: [134]*
• "Groundhog Day" Loop: Time loop
• Groupie: [135]*
• Growling Gut: Stomach rumble
• Guardian Angel: [136]*
• Guilty Pleasures: [137]*
• Gunboat Diplomacy: [138]*
• The Gunslinger: Gunfighter
• Gutted Like a Fish: Disembowelment
• Gyaru Girl: Gyaru

H

• Hair-Trigger Temper: Intermittent explosive disorder
• Half-Truth: [139]*
• Hallucinations: [140]*
• Hammerspace: [141]*
• Handguns: [142]*
• The Hand Is God: Hand of God (art)
• Hand of Glory: [143]*
• Hand-Waving: [144]*
• Hanging Judge: [145]*
• Happy Ending: [146]*
• Harem Genre: Harem (genre)
• The Hard Hat: [147]*
• Harsh Vocals: Death growl (but the intro lists harsh vocals as a variant)
• The Hashshashin: Assassins
• Hash House Lingo: Diner lingo
• Has Two Mommies: LGBT parenting
• Hates Being Touched: Haphephobia
• Hatsuyume: [148]*
• Haunted House: [149]*
• Have a Nice Cup of Tea and Sit Down: A nice cup of tea and a sit down
• Hazmat Suit: [150]*
• Headless Horseman: [151]*
• Heads or Tails?: Coin flipping
• Heads-Up Display: Head-up display
• Healing Factor: [152]*
• Heart Symbol: Heart (symbol)
• Heat Wave: [153]*
• Heaven: [154]*
• Heävy Mëtal Ümlaut: Metal umlaut
• The Hecate Sisters: Triple Goddess (Neopaganism)
• The Heckler: [155]*
• Hedge Maze: [156]*
• Heel: [157]*
• Held Back in School: Grade retention
• Helicopter Pack: Backpack helicopter
• Hell: [158]*
• Hellhound: [159]*
• He-Man Woman Hater: Misogyny
• Henohenomoheji: [160]*
• Hentai: [161]*
• Here There Be Dragons: Here be dragons
• Hermaphrodite: [162]*
• Hermetic Magic: Hermeticism
• The Hermit: [163]*
• The Hero: [164]*
• Heroic Mime: Silent protagonist
• The Hero's Journey: [165]*
• Hidden Track: [166]*
• Hideous Hangover Cure: Hangover food
• High-Voltage Death: Electrocution
• The Highwayman: [167]*
• Hikikomori: [168]*
• Hillbilly Horrors: Hixploitation
• Hime Cut: [169]*
• Hipster: [170]*
• History Repeats: Historic recurrence
• Hitler Ate Sugar: Reductio ad Hitlerum
• Hitodama Light: Hitodoma
• Hive Mind: Group mind (science fiction)
• Hobbits: [171]*
• Holding Hands: [172]*
• Hollow World: Hollow Earth
• Hologram: Holography
• Holy City: [173]*
• Holy Halo: Halo (religious iconography)
• Holy Water: [174]*
• Homage: [175]*
• Home Field Advantage: Home advantage
• Homophobic Hate Crime: Violence against LGBT people
• Honest Axe: The Honest Woodman
• Honor-Related Abuse: Honor killing
• Honey Trap: Honeypots in espionage fiction
• Hooker with a Heart of Gold: [176]*
• Horny Devils: Succubus and Incubus
• Horror Comedy: Comedy horror
• Horse Archer: Mounted archery
• Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
• The Horseshoe Effect: Horseshoe theory
• Host Club: Host and hostess clubs
• Hotline: [177]*
• Hot Potato: [178]*
• House Husband: Stay-at-home-dad
• House Pseudonym: Collective names
• House Wife: [179]*
• Hoverboard: [180]*
• Human Cannonball: [181]*
• Human Disguise: Human guise
• Human-Interest Story: [182]*
• Humanity's Wake: Human extinction
• Human Popsicle: Cryonics
• Human Sacrifice: [183]*
• Human Shield: [184]*
• Human Traffickers: Human trafficking
• Hunting the Most Dangerous Game: Human hunting (Appearances in fiction)
• Hybrid Power: Heterosis
• Hypochondria: Hypochondriasis
• Hypocrite: Hypocrisy

I

• I Am Very British: Received Pronunciation
• I Love the Dead: Necrophilia
• An Ice Person: Ice power
• Iconic Logo: Logo
• Idiot Plot: [185]*invoked
• Idiot Savant: Savant syndrome
• Idle Animation: [186]*
• Idol Singer: Japanese idol
• Ignorant of Their Own Ignorance: Illusory superiority and Dunning-Kruger effect
• I Have No Son!: Disownment
• The Illegal: Alien (law)
• I'll Kill You!: Death threat
• The Illuminati: [187]* [188]
• Image Macro: [189]*
• Imaginary Friend: [190]*
• I'm a Humanitarian: Cannibalism in popular culture
• Immortality: [191]*
• Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Impalement
• Impersonating an Officer: [192]*
• Imprinting: [193]*
• In-Camera Effects: [194]*
• Indentured Servitude: Indentured servant
• Indian Summer: [195]*
• Indie Game: [196]*
• Inferiority Superiority Complex: Inferiority complex and Superiority complex
• Infinite Canvas: [197]*
• The Informant: [198]*
• The Ingenue: [199]*
• Inherently Funny Words: [200]*
• Inkblot Cartoon Style: Rubber hose animation
• Inkblot Test: Rorschach test
• In Medias Res: [201]*
• Insanity Defense: [202]*
• Inside Job: [203]*
• The Insomniac: Insomnia
• Inspirationally Disadvantaged: Inspiration porn
• Insult Comic: Insult comedy
• Insurance Fraud: [204]*
• Interactive Movie: Interactive film
• Internal Affairs: [205]*
• International Coproduction: [206] *invoked
• Interspecies Adoption: Interspecies family
• Interspecies Friendship: [207]*
• In the Future, Humans Will Be One Race: Race of the future
• In Touch with His Feminine Side: Effeminacy and Sissy
• In Vino Veritas: [208]*
• Invisibility: [209]* in fiction
• Invisibility Cloak: Cloaking device
• Invisible Wall: [210]*
• I Reject Your Reality: Denialism
• The Irish Mob: [211]*
• Ironic Name: Aptronym#Inaptronyms
• Iron Maiden: [212]*
• Irony: [213]*
• Isometric Projection: [214]*
• Itasha: [215]*
• It Amused Me: Amusement
• It Can't Be Helped: Shikata ga nai
• It's All About Me: Egoism, Egotism, Selfishness
• It's a Small Net After All: Closed platform
• It Was a Dark and Stormy Night [216]*
• "I Want" Song: [217]*

J

• J'accuse!: [218] * (Article itself is about the letter described in the trope intro, but features a lengthy section on latter use in culture)
• Jack the Ripoff: Copycat crime
• Jerkass: Rudeness
• The Jersey Devil: [219]*
• Jesus: The Early Years: Lost years of Jesus
• Jet Pack: [220]*
• Jewish Mother: Jewish mother stereotype
• Jitter Cam: Shaky camera
• Job-Stealing Robot: Technological unemployment
• Jobber: Job (professional wrestling)
• Josei: Josei manga
• Juggalo: [221]*
• Jumping the Shark: [222]*
• Jump Scare: [223]*
• Jungle Princess: Jungle Girl (stock character)
• Jury Duty: [224]*
• Just Following Orders: Superior orders

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K

• Kaiju: [225]*
• Kamaitachi: [226]*
• Kangaroo Court: [227]*
• Kansas City Shuffle: [228]*
• Kappa: [229]*
• Karakasa: Kasa-obake
• Karaoke Box: [230]*
• Kayfabe: [231]*
• Keigo: Honorific speech in Japanese
• Kensington Gore: Theatrical blood
• Kiai: [232]*
• Kick the Dog: Kick the cat
• Kigo: [233]*
• Killer App: Killer applicationinvoked
• Kill the God: Deicide
• King in the Mountain: [234]*
• The Kingslayer: Regicide
• Kirby Dots: Kirby krackle
• Kirin: Qilin
• Kishotenketsu: [235]*
• Kitsune: [236]*
• Klaatu Barada Nikto: [237]*
• The Klan: Ku Klux Klan
• Klotski: [238]*
• Knight Errant: [239]*
• Knighting: Accolade
• Knights and Knaves: [240]*
• Knockout Gas: Sleeping gas
• Knowledge Broker: [241]*
• Knuckle Cracking: Cracking joints
• Koan: [242]*
• Kodomomuke: Kodomo anime and manga
• Konami Code: [243]*
• Kosher Nostra: Jewish-American organized crime, Israeli mafia
• Kraken and Leviathan: Kraken and Leviathan
• The Krampus: [244]*
• Kyu and Dan Ranks: Kyū and Dan (rank)

L

• Labcoat of Science and Medicine: White coat
• Land of Faerie: Fairyland
• Language Barrier: [245]*
• Lantern Jaw of Justice: Prognathism
• Laser Blade: Energy sword
• Laser-Guided Amnesia: Amnesia
• Laser-Guided Karma: Karma and Poetic justice
• Last Stand: [246]*
• Late Pregnancy Realization: Cryptic pregnancy
• Laugh Track: [247]*
• Layman's Terms: Plain English
• The Leader: Leadership
• Leatherman: Leather subculture
• Leeroy Jenkins: [248]*
• L33t L1ng0: Leet
• Legacy Character: Legacy hero
• Legally Dead: Declared death in absentia
• Leitmotif: [249]*
• Lens Flare: Lens flare: Deliberate use
• Leonine Contract: Unconscionability
• Leprechaun: [250]*
• Lesbian Vampire: [251]*
• Lesser of Two Evils: Lesser of two evils principle
• Letterbox: Letterboxing (filming)
• Level Grinding: Grinding (video gaming)
• Ley Line: [252]*
• Life Imitates Art: Life imitating artinvoked
• Life Imitates Art (Black Mirror: Nosedive): Nosedive: Comparisons to Social Credit System
• Lima Syndrome: Stockholm syndrome#Lima syndrome
• Lighthouse Point: Lighthouse
• Limey Goes to Hollywood: Hollywood and the United Kingdominvoked
• Liminal Being: [253]*
• Liminal Time: Liminality
• Limited Animation: [254]*
• Lipstick Lesbian: [255]*
• Lite Crème: Sensational spelling
• Literary Allusion Title: Book titles taken from literature and from Shakespeare
• Little Green Men: [256]*
• Live but Delayed: Broadcast delay
• Living Dinosaurs [257]*
• Living Legend: [258]*
• Living Ship: Bioship
• Lizard Folk: [259]
• Locked Room Mystery: [260]*
• Loading Screen: [261]*
• Loan Shark: [262]*
• Lobotomy: [263]*
• Locard's Theory: Locard's exchange principle
• Logic Bomb: Does not compute
• Logical Fallacies: Formal fallacy
• Loincloth: [264]*
• The Loins Sleep Tonight: Erectile dysfunction. Also see the Distaff Counterpart Vaginismus.
• London Gangster: British firms (organised crime), Gangs in the United Kingdom
• Longevity Treatment: Life extension
• Loony Fan: Stan (fan)
• Loophole Abuse: Gaming the system
• Loose Lips: Loose lips sink ships and Wikipedia is in the real world
• Loot Boxes: [265]*
• Lost Tribe: Uncontacted peoples
• Loudness War: [266]*
• Lounge Lizard: [267]*
• Lovable Rogue: [268]*
• Love at First Sight: [269]*
• Love Hotels: [270] *
• Love Triangle: [271]*
• Lovecraft Country [272]*
• Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: Shield
• Lucky Rabbit's Foot: Rabbit's foot
• Ludicrous Gibs: Gib (video_gaming)
• The Ludovico Technique [273]*
• Lumper vs. Splitter: Lumpers and splitters
• Lust: [274]*

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