TVTropes Now available in the app store!
Open

Follow TV Tropes

Following

DoorstOp Baby or DoorstEp Baby

Go To

sohibil Since: Dec, 2020 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#1: Sep 15th 2023 at 2:04:24 AM

I'm taking this discussion here from this ATT query.

Basically the trope is named Doorstop Baby for the sake of pun (at least several tropers think so) but the trope is actually about leaving a baby on a doorstEp instead of using them as a doorstOp.

Even the trope's decription felt a need to clarify the title, which makes the "witty" spelling kind of redundant.

Should this trope be renamed with the correct spelling? It has over 800 wicks but also a redirect which is spelled correctly. The redirect has about 90 wicks.

MorganWick (Elder Troper)
#2: Sep 15th 2023 at 3:49:00 AM

It's such a pointless pun (unless it's a reference to something I don't get) that I would have thought it was the result of different terminology used in different countries, but the pun does seem to have been the point of the name.

Coachpill Taxidermy (he/him) from Gen Z Since: Aug, 2022 Relationship Status: Baby don't hurt me!
Taxidermy (he/him)
#3: Sep 15th 2023 at 6:26:12 AM

TBQH the "pun" has about the same level of meaningfulness as the pun in Kick The Son Of A Bitch. A rename sounds like a good idea.

Edited by Coachpill on Sep 15th 2023 at 2:59:39 PM

Your goateed philistine is sashaying towards us. | 🧱
Larkmarn Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Hello, I love you
#4: Sep 15th 2023 at 8:38:11 AM

I don't think it can even count as a pun if it has no second meaning, it's just using another word. If you look at the YKTTW history you can see that it was intended to be one. It's just... incredibly stupid.

That said, while I think the choice to use it is nonsensical, if it's not causing any problems (and from that ATT thread, the situations where people considered it could be confusing were about as outlandish as the possible "explanations" for the "pun") so if it's not misused, I don't know if there's anything to be done.

The redirect having over 10% of the wicks is interesting, but I don't know if it's grounds to bother changing.

Edited by Larkmarn on Sep 15th 2023 at 11:39:33 AM

Found a Youtube Channel with political stances you want to share? Hop on over to this page and add them.
WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000)
#5: Sep 15th 2023 at 9:57:18 AM

I mean, yeah. The name is dumb and Doorstep Baby makes sense, however because "Doorstop" is intentional and because it's not causing misuse (as far as we currently know), I also don't think it's that necessary to change.

Like if it gets to TRS I'll be cool with changing it because really it's a one letter difference and it makes more sense, however at the moment while I find the title irritating I also don't think it's a major issue.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
nrjxll Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Not war
#6: Sep 15th 2023 at 10:05:42 AM

This frankly strikes me as another demonstration of why requiring TRS for any substantial change isn't a great idea, honestly. The name isn't enough of an issue to be worth taking up a limited slot when there's many other tropes with more substantial problems, but OTOH I definitely would like to change it.

MsOranjeDiscoDancer 2much2furious from the Saja Boys' last performance! Since: Aug, 2022 Relationship Status: Will you go out with me to the End?
2much2furious
#7: Sep 15th 2023 at 10:06:19 AM

id say the pun is harmless enough and im not sure if anyone else is confused. that said, im not going to die on a hill over a minor letter change

that said (and not directed at you OP) i generally oppose replacing pun titles because a lot of arguments boiled down to "well it isn't understandable to me or ASL people I know"

i may be dead inside but at least i have Mystery :,)
RavenWilder Since: Apr, 2009
#8: Sep 15th 2023 at 10:42:50 AM

As long as Doorstep Baby is a redirect, I don't think it's a problem. Most people probably just read the "Doorstop" as "Doorstep" anyway, ala "Berenstain vs. Berenstein".

WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000)
#9: Sep 15th 2023 at 10:44:57 AM

Thing is, does this count as a useable alt spelling redirect along the lines of commonwealth spellings and plural redirects? Or is it something people aren't actually allowed to use?

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
DoktorvonEurotrash Lex et Veritas from Not a place of honour (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#10: Sep 15th 2023 at 11:21:09 AM

[up]Well, no, because "doorstop" and "doorstep" aren't synonyms in any dialect of English (that I know of).

I find the pun quite pointless, but I also don't see much reason to expend energy changing the name. It doesn't appear to be causing misuse.

Amonimus the "Retromancer" from <<|Wiki Talk|>> (Sergeant) Relationship Status: In another castle
Sid-Starkiller Since: Jan, 2021
#12: Sep 15th 2023 at 11:54:33 AM

I'd always heard it before as doorstOp, but I wouldn't be bothered by a rename.

Noaqiyeum we must dissent (it/they) from across the gulf of space (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
we must dissent (it/they)
#13: Sep 15th 2023 at 1:05:01 PM

I'm in favour of correcting the name. A 'pun' which is indistinguishable from a typo ought to be treated as a typo.

ERROR: The current state of the world is unacceptable. Save anyway? YES/NO
subtleinsanity Since: Nov, 2013
#14: Sep 15th 2023 at 2:03:41 PM

One look at the Laconic subpage is all the proof I need to be in support of fixing the main trope to "Doorstep".

VampireBuddha Calendar enthusiast from Ireland (Wise, aged troper) Relationship Status: Complex: I'm real, they are imaginary
Calendar enthusiast
#15: Sep 16th 2023 at 2:41:30 AM

I also want to swap the main and redirect titles.

Ukrainian Red Cross
Nen_desharu Nintendo Fanatic Extraordinaire from Greater Smash Bros. Universe or Toronto Since: Aug, 2020 Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Nintendo Fanatic Extraordinaire
#16: Sep 16th 2023 at 3:56:54 PM

Swap the titles

Kirby is awesome.
Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#17: Sep 18th 2023 at 10:17:53 AM

Role Reprisal is precedence for a trope getting renamed for the wrong word being used despite lacking (iirc) major misuse, but, as mentioned, TRS would need to agree to it.

Edited by Synchronicity on Sep 18th 2023 at 12:18:11 PM

WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000)
#18: Sep 18th 2023 at 10:31:13 AM

Thing is, that was a case of a genuinely misused word, while this appears to be intentional. So I'm not sure if the same argument would hold up, given that technically it's trying to be a pun.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
Tremmor19 he/him (Y2: Electric Boogaloo)
he/him
#19: Sep 20th 2023 at 9:19:34 AM

if be fine with swapping stop for step. if it's not a big deal you don't even need to change every single wick, they're basically identical

Noaqiyeum we must dissent (it/they) from across the gulf of space (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
Wyldchyld (Old as dirt)
#21: Sep 24th 2023 at 3:55:45 AM

I've never been able to tell what the pun is even supposed to be. Is the pun the idea that the person opening the door stops cold upon seeing a baby on their doorstep? That's all I can think of, but that's not even a pun, it's just stupid. So, perhaps I'm missing something. The title's always come across as completely wrong, but I'm honestly more bothered by the paragraph trying to pretend it's a pun than the trope name itself. However, if a trope description feels the need to try and explain why the title is wrong and why we should be okay with it being wrong, it probably shouldn't be a wrong title in the first place.

Edit: It was actually drafted as "Doorstep Baby" until some tropers decided it would be funny to change it to Doorstop Baby (although they don't explain why it's funny).

Edited by Wyldchyld on Sep 24th 2023 at 12:02:48 PM

If my post doesn't mention a giant flying sperm whale with oversized teeth and lionfish fins for flippers, it just isn't worth reading.
Sid-Starkiller Since: Jan, 2021
#22: Sep 24th 2023 at 9:25:16 AM

[up]In that case 100% change back to doorstEp.

WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000)
#23: Sep 24th 2023 at 9:49:19 AM

[up][up][up] It matters because the case behind Role Reprisal was that it was a genuine case of word misuse and so it got a free ride through TRS to fix that. It wasn't attempting to be a joke; it was entirely a mistake that got corrected.

In this case, such an argument wouldn't hold up — Doorstop is supposed to be how the title is spelled because it's all part of a joke, so no mistake was made and we can't rely solely on "word misusage" to get the title changed.

Essentially, one was a genuine accident someone made when creating the trope, and one is a nonsense but fully intentional joke. They're simply too different to apply the same rule to.


Anyway, I agree that the current title is dumb and not funny but I still think we'd need to prove misuse to get it to change, given that other "pun" titles don't get to go to TRS just because their pun is terrible.

Edited by WarJay77 on Sep 24th 2023 at 12:52:11 PM

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
GracieLizzy from Sunderland, UK (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#24: Sep 24th 2023 at 6:02:28 PM

[up][up][up] I think the joke is just the idea of using a child as a literal doorstop which is more "randomly odd mental image" than outright "funny" to me.

harryhenry It's either real or it's a dream Since: Jan, 2012
It's either real or it's a dream
#25: Sep 24th 2023 at 9:18:36 PM

It never read as a pun to me in the first place, I was just confused as to why it isn't DoorstEp Baby.


Total posts: 26
Top