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WarJay77 (Troper Knight)
2023-09-14 00:08:26

"This title is a pun on Doorstep Baby, and is not to be confused using a baby as a doorstop. For that, you're looking for Hilariously Abusive Childhood or Human Doorstop."

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
sohibil Since: Dec, 2020
2023-09-14 00:11:38

In that case it fails its effect, at least for me. Having a pun for the sake of pun isn't always a good thing.

Edited by sohibil
Excessive-Menace (Fifth Year at Tropey's)
2023-09-14 09:21:55

I interpreted the title as the baby is left in front of the door of a house like a doorstop. Anyway, I believe changing a trope's name requires evidence that it's being misused a lot, which I'm unsure that Doorstop Baby fits.

SING TO ME, LEND ME THE SONG OF BLASPHEMY
Larkmarn Since: Nov, 2010
2023-09-14 09:37:08

To be honest, I'm so used to seeing this I never noticed the "pun". Putting that in quotes because... it's not a pun. It's just using a different word.

But yeah, a change can only be made if there's evidence of misuse and there really isn't.

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WarJay77 (Troper Knight)
2023-09-14 09:43:51

I mean, yeah I don't have strong feelings one way or another but my point was simply that it's not a typo; it's how the trope name is meant to be spelled. Whether that's good or not is a different question.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
MissConduct (Septatroper)
2023-09-14 09:59:08

I always interpreted it as, since the recipient likely wasn't looking out for the baby they didn't know was there, that they might accidentally hit the baby, almost as a variant of Crash-Into Hello.

DoktorvonEurotrash (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
2023-09-14 12:03:01

I suspect it was created during the days when it seemed like people went for punny trope names as a default, even if there was perfectly good pre-existing term. (For example, I'm not entirely sure why the "New York in fiction" trope is called Big Applesauce rather than just The Big Apple.)

But yeah. Pun (whether a good one or not), not typo.

Tremmor19 (Y2: Electric Boogaloo)
2023-09-14 14:18:23

i literally had never even noticed it was not using the standard name. And DoorstEp Baby is a redirect anyway... though apperently other people were confused about it?

i dont seea need to rename tho if we did, it would be the easier rename ever, no realphabetizing, even

Edited by Tremmor19
nrjxll Since: Nov, 2010
2023-09-14 15:28:52

Yeah, I literally never even realized it wasn't Doorstep Baby.

TBH, I'm not sure I understand the pun. Changing the spelling isn't funny in and of itself.

BeerBaron Since: Mar, 2012
2023-09-14 17:14:13

^ same, no idea what the pun even is. Should have just been Doorstep Baby but, alas. Old tropes, what can you do.

Tabs MOD Since: Jan, 2001
2023-09-14 17:35:31

I'm not seeing a pun here. If using "Doorstop" in place of "Doorstep" is just straight up wrong, that's an argument to be made for changing the title. E.g. "Reprisal" was incorrectly used for "reprise" and was fixed in TRS.

WarJay77 (Troper Knight)
2023-09-14 18:14:25

^ The issue is that this spelling is intentional, not a typo.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
BeerBaron Since: Mar, 2012
2023-09-14 18:15:40

But what is the pun?

Excessive-Menace (Fifth Year at Tropey's)
2023-09-14 18:19:06

^ It's "Doorstep Baby" (baby left on doorstep), but with "doorstop" (object used to prevent door from closing) replacing "doorstep" and both words sound kinda similar and are one character off from each other. I do think the pun isn't necessary (Doorstep Baby would work just fine).

Edited by Excessive-Menace SING TO ME, LEND ME THE SONG OF BLASPHEMY
BeerBaron Since: Mar, 2012
2023-09-14 18:33:48

Oof. And then they felt the need to clarify the name in the description, which tells you it isn't a terribly good pun.

Like some others have said, while...bluntly...a dumb name, it's probably not worth the effort to change.

mightymewtron Since: Oct, 2012
2023-09-15 00:35:15

I've been reading it as Doorstep Baby for ages. It has 91 wicks under that name as well. I guess some people just think "doorstop" means "doorstep" (cuz it's where you'd stop by the door, I guess). If we do want to fix the name for clarity, at least it'd be a very easy wick change.

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Amonimus (Sergeant)
2023-09-15 01:31:56

This probably should be at Trope Talk or even TRS if something should be done about the name.

TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup
sohibil Since: Dec, 2020
2023-09-15 01:56:27

As far as I remember, this wiki's trope name policy is Clear, Concise, Witty in descending importance. In this case the attempted (and quite botched) wittiness overrides the clarity.

Taking it to this Trope Talk thread.

Edited by sohibil
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