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This one can run three ways:
- Alice starts describing the recipient of an award/her thanks/etc., and Bob thinks he's the one about to be praised, only for Alice to finish by naming someone else entirely.
- Alice and Bob have just pulled off some sort of caper or big project, and Alice is congratulating herself on a job well done. Bob, wanting to be acknowledged, asks her if she isn't forgetting someone. Alice answers, "Of course, how could I forget Chris!"
- Alice wins an award and is thanking everyone she can think of, but leaves out Bob, who deserves thanking more than the others (or at least, he thinks so).
Subtrope of Snub By Omission.
Film[]
- Subverted in Music and Lyrics when Alex and Cora are giving their concert, they don't thank Sophie for writing the lyrics (she had wanted her name taken off of it anyway because they changed the content without her approval), but then Alex dedicates his newest song (which he secretly wrote all by himself) to Sophie.
- Who Framed Roger Rabbit?. After Eddie Valiant rescues Jessica and Roger, Jessica says, "My hero!" Eddie thinks she's talking about him, but she actually goes over and hugs Roger.
Live Action TV[]
- One episode of The Burns and Allen Show ends with George Burns calling up a guest star playing a General in the episode. The guest star drops character, saying about what an honor it is to appear on the show and goes on to say how professional everyone is, naming each person one by one ... except for George.
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George Burns: Say, in next week's show we have an opening for a Lawyer, are you working? |
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- In "Kiss Me Steph", the first episode of Degrassi Junior High, Steph gives credit for her winning the school president election to Joey rather than Voula, her best friend and campaign manager who has done most of the work. This causes a rift between her and Voula that lasts throughout the series.
- The Firefly episode "Jaynestown" features an exchange where one of Inara's clients briefly mentions a folk hero who pulled off a Robin Hood style robbery of the local magistrate and then dumped the money on the local poor, and Inara assumes he means Captain Mal. She goes on at length about his good and bad qualities, and is shocked when the client is impressed that she actually knows...Jayne Cobb.
- Edmund Blackadder does this frequently in order to pointedly snub Baldrick or Percy.
- And also ends up on the wrong end of this, when he attempts to get Prince George to make him a lord. He makes Baldrick a lord instead.
- In Bob Newhart's show Bob (where he played a comic book writer/artist) he won an award, and for his acceptance speech just said "thank you" which ticked off all the people he worked with, for not acknowledging them. He explained that he did that because he didn't want to take up huge amounts of time during what was basically a preliminary award, which would make him look silly, and that if they won for Best Book he'd acknowledge them all. They won Best Book, but before he could start naming people he was played off quickly and all the other participants left the ceremony room, so nobody else got recognized.
- Variation used on NCIS: There was some dispute about jurisdiction with local forces; the local sheriff agreed to cooperate fully in return for all credit. At the end, she's on TV and mentions that there's another group she'd like to thank, then credits members of her own force.
- A long gag in The IT Crowd happens when the Boss of the company gathers everybody together to announce their new computer systems. Follows a long list of people before finally coming over to the three main characters, topping their glasses up with champagne and;
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"How can you talk about all this IT stuff without mentioning...the toliet cleaners. They said we couldn't do it!!" |
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- Subverted in an episode of Scrubs, when JD and Turk were listing some of JD's old girlfriends in front of Elliot and Carla. Carla tries to remind them that he keeps skipping over Elliot, who is nearly in tears, but it turns out that he had already mentioned her. He just referred to her as "Mole-butt," which was a nickname referring to a mole that had actually been mentioned both before and after that episode.
- Frasier: An old friend of Frasier's (from his Cheers days, although we never saw this friend in Cheers itself...) has written a book based on Frasier's first love. The credits mention everyone from the author's kindergarten teacher to the man who designed the typeface, but not Frasier.
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Author: Well, Amber, it was given to me... by God. |
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- Arrested Development: Michael thinks he's going to be named president of the company, but it turns out to be his mother instead.
- Married... with Children: Sitting on the couch with Bud/Kelly, Peg speaks of splitting a possible Lotto payout three ways. When Bud asks if she isn't forgetting someone, she apologizes and assures Buck the dog he'll get his share.
Religion And Mythology[]
- In the Bible, making this Older Than Feudalism where King Xerxes asks Haman how he should honour somebody who's done a great service to him. Being the king's (arrogant) right-hand man, Haman thinks Xerxes means him. So he goes nuts describing all the great things that should happen to this 'unnamed hero'. Then he finds out that the honour is meant for his greatest enemy, Mordecai.
Theater[]
- In My Fair Lady, after cockney flower girl Eliza has successfully passed for a lady at the ball, Pickering starts congratulating Higgins on his teaching skills. Higgins interrupts, "Now wait, now wait, give credit where it's due: part of the glory goes to you," and indicates Pickering, entirely ignoring poor Eliza.
Web Original[]
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Tea: *describing her card, Shining Friendship* It has Joey's courage, Tristan's spirit, and Yugi's heart. Late comer Bakura isn't mentioned. Amusingly enough, she really does leave Bakura out in the anime. |
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Western Animation[]
- In the recent TinkerBell movie, TinkerBell and the Lost Treasure:
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Terence: Who's your best friend who always delivers? |
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- From Strawberry Shortcake: Housewarming Surprise:
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Sour Grapes: With the world's greatest cookbook, I'll be famous! I can see it now, "Sour Grapes on the Merv Muffin Show!" Then, "Hollywood Pears..." |
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- In one episode of Sushi Pack, the eponymous Pack think that the announced statue of "Wharf City's Greatest Hero" will be one of them, but they find that it's actually Kato Platypus, who was a hero years before.
- Family Guy uses this trope and turns it, as always into an Overly Long Gag with a Rule of Three topper. Joe has just won a gold medal, with Peter as his inspiration/coach:
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Joe: Thank you. You know, no one can win a gold medal by himself. It takes friends. And I want to acknowledge a special friend in the audience today. My friend Peter... *Peter looks hopeful* Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary! Let's give him a hand, folks. But that's nothing compared to what this next man did. He challenged me to go that extra mile. That man is Mr. Griffin. *Peter looks hopeful* Comedian Eddie Griffin, get up here! Your acerbic anti-white humor was a constant inspiration. Thank you, sir. And last but not least, who could forget the fat guy? *Peter looks hopeful* Chef Paul Prudhomme! You get your Cajun ass up here! |
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- On The Simpsons, the union contract stipulates that every worker must win the Worker of the Week award at least once; Homer figures he's a shoo-in this week since everyone else already got the award. The award goes to...an inanimate carbon rod. This spurs Homer to become an astronaut; when he's in space, Homer causes a chain of problems, which he eventually solves with... an inanimate carbon rod. The rod then gets its photo on the cover of Time magazine and its own ticker tape parade.
- A plot point in Eight Crazy Nights.
- In Jimmy Neutron when a science project of Jimmy's goes haywire, Cindy gives directions to his friends to help stop the robot. When it's stopped, the science fair trophy is split between Carl, Sheen, and Libby while Cindy unfairly gets nothing. However, Jimmy tries to assure her that good leadership is its own reward, only to have an ungrateful Cindy cover his head with a sweater.
Real Life[]
- Bush says Mexico is the United States' most important neighbor. Canadians aren't too pleased.
- Hilary Swank, upon winning the Best Actress Oscar for Boys Don't Cry, copiously thanked everyone she could think of. Unfortunately, she was so flustered, someone totally slipped her mind... her husband. Apparently she made it up to him later.
- Kathy Griffin averted this trope (and caused some controversy) when receiving an Emmy for her performance on "My Life on the D-List" by mentioning how many people thank Jesus for their awards and specifically saying that 'no one had less to do with this award than Jesus."