Name One

Alice cites a statistic of some sort. Bob, however, believes this is untrue and asks Alice to give one example of this statistic. And Alice gives an example.

Occasionally, she will give more than one. Bob may say "Alright, enough already!" or "I said one!" Sometimes Bob will move the goalposts and ask for more than one afterward.

Alternatively, Alice says "Um... there must be a million!" in a desperate effort to cover up the fact that she can't actually think of any.

Examples:

Film

• In Undercover Brother, they're discussing what party a prominent black general might run for President under. One character suggests he might go Republican:

Conspiracy Brother: Name one thing the Republican party has ever done for us! Smart Brother: They're the party of Lincoln. He freed the slaves. Conspiracy Brother: Okay, name two things lately!

• "Apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the freshwater system and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?"
  • Brought peace.
    • Oh, peace? Shut up!
• Major League (in the commercial but not the movie) and its sequel (in the actual movie):

Jake: That ball wouldn't have been out in a lot of parks. Ricky: Name one. Jake: Yellowstone.

Live Action TV

• Acapulco H.E.A.T. episode "Code Name: Frame-Up"

Mike Savage: Who'd want to work with you? Ashley: I can think of lots of people. Mike: Name one. Ashley: Mike Savage. Mike: You got me there, didn't you.

• Beverly Hills, 90210 episode "Beach Blanket Brandon"

Scott Scanlon: Name one thing fun about Oklahoma. David Silver: I'll betcha not one girl there has ever met a California stud before.

• Bewitched episode "A Change of Face"

Samantha: He's got very good features. Endora: Name one. Samantha: Well, he has a nice firm jaw.

• Boy Meets World

Gloria: Name one thing you got me that ever made me feel special. Harley: Tires. Steel belted.

• Cheers episode "Someday My Prince Will Come"

Sam Malone: There was only one reason why you ever went out with me and that was because of my looks. Diane Chambers: Not entirely. Sam: Yes entirely. Name one other reason why anyone would go out with me? Come on, name one. You can't, can you? Diane: [mockingly] No Sam, I can't.

• In the Corner Gas episode "Lacey Borrows":

Oscar Leroy: Horror movies are stupid. Name one good horror movie you've seen. Brent Leroy: I can't. Oscar: See? They're all stupid. Brent: No. I just haven't seen one.

• • Also:

Oscar: Give me one good reason why I can't build my own coffin. Emma: Okay. (Montage of shoddy woodworking projects Oscar has done) Oscar: I said one.

• Extras episode "Orlando Bloom"

Keith Chegwin: Black people aren't funny. Andy Millman: Black people are funny, Keith. Keith: Name one black person that's funny. Andy: I can name you loads of black people that are funny... Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy. Keith: British. Andy: Don't change the rules halfway through.

• Firefly episode "War Stories"

Mal: [about Zoe] There's plenty orders a'mine that she didn't obey. Wash: Name one! Mal: She married you!

• Friends

Phoebe: You name one woman that you broke up with for a real reason. Chandler: Maureen Rosilla. Ross: "'Cause she doesn't hate Yanni" is not a real reason.

• • When Phoebe becomes a surrogate mother of triplets, he wants to name one of the babies Joey or Chandler:

Joey: You gotta pick Joey! I mean, name one famous person named Chandler. Chandler: Raymond Chandler. Joey: Someone you didn’t make up!

• Homicide: Life On the Street

Det. John Munch: Name one miracle that's happened in your lifetime. Det. Stan Bolander: How 'bout the fact that I haven't killed you yet?

• Holly Oaks

Declan: Name me one band with two singers. Steph Dean: The Beatles. Declan: Apart from The Beatles. Steph: Oasis. Oh, and Abba! Declan: Do we look like Abba?

• NCIS

Caitlin Todd: Hmm. Well, I hate to break it to you, Tony, but Gibbs can be wrong sometimes. Anthony DiNozzo: Name one. Caitlin: The man's been married, like, four times.

• News Radio episode "Movie Star"

Dave Nelson: I'll have you know that a lot of intellectual people watch television. Lisa Miller: Oh, really? Name one. Dave: Dave Nelson.

• Press Gang

Kenny: There are lots of people I don't like. [snip] Lynda: Name one. [snip] Kenny: Oh, I don't like Mr. Cavendish the maths teacher. Lynda: Well, nobody likes him, he's a half-dead, senile, old psychopath! Kenny: Oh Lynda, he's not that bad.

• Stargate SG-1:

Gen. Hammond: Are you saying Colonel O'Neill has, somehow, regressed more than 30 years overnight? Dr. Jackson: Stranger things have happened. Teal'c: Name but one. Dr. Jackson: Well, there was the time he got really old, the time he became a caveman, the time we all swapped bodies...

• Invoked in Yes Prime Minister:

Hacker: If he does say that lots of people want to know the answer to that question, say, "Name six." That'll fix him. He'll never be able to remember more than two.

• Roseanne:

Roseanne: I got plenty of reasons to dump you. Dan: Name one. Roseanne: You're a compulsive list-maker. Dan: Name two. Roseanne: Shut up.

• The Big Bang Theory:

Leonard: (to Sheldon, when he's freaking out about Penny's unsanitary chair) You do this all the time. You fixate on some crazy idea and then blow it way out of proportion. Sheldon: Name one time I've ever done that. Leonard: (gives him a disbelieving look, as do Raj and Howard) How about when you put GPS trackers in your garbage because you were convinced North Korean spies were stealing your doodles? The chicken nuggets that you were sure were human nuggets? The strangely-shaped cloud that was following you around town? The time you put my shirt on by mistake and were sure you started growing again! Sheldon: (Beat) I said name one. You really need to work on your listening skills.

• From Drake and Josh:

Josh: There are more important things then kissing girls. Drake: Name two. Josh: (sadly) I can't!

• An early Supernatural episode:

Dean: I love kids! Sam: Name three children that you even know. (Dean scratches his head, Sam walks off) Dean: I'm thinking!

Stand-Up Comedy

• George Carlin, after wondering why when it's a human it's an abortion, and when it's a chicken it's an omelette, posits that "chickens are decent people", then challenges the audience:

Name six ways we're better than chickens! (Beat) See, nobody can do it! Y'know why? 'Cuz chickens are decent people!

Web Original

• Variation: in Red vs. Blue: Reconstruction, Washington asks the Red and Blue teams to name just one thing that ever happened to them that wasn't preceded by a call to command, or getting a new team member or piece of equipment. The difference here is that no one says anything, because nothing ever did happen.
• In JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Abridged, Jotaro notes that the reason Dio's so mean is because he doesn't have any friends.

Dio: I got friends... I got lots of friends. Jotaro: Oh, yeah? Dio: Yeah! Jotaro: Oh, really? Dio: Yeah! Yeah, that's right!! Jotaro: Okay, name one. Dio: I can name seven!! There's... there's Stan... and... and Gavin... Muhammad... another Muhammad... Bro Josh... RoboCop... Jotaro: (interrupts) You're not friends with Robocop. Dio: (angry) Yes I am! It says so on Facebook!! Jotaro: Facebook doesn't count! Dio: Yes it does!!

Web Animation

• A variation on the phrase from Spiderman 3: How It Should Have Ended

Spider-Man: This is my third movie ... You think they're gonna kill me off? No! Look, do you know of any movies where they kill the title character off at the end? Eddie Brock: Donnie Darko. Old Yeller. Romeo and Juliet. Spider-Man: Yeah, I didn't think so!

Web Comics

• One Exterminatus Now strip subverts it. Lothar asks Virus and Harry to give them five reasons they should help them out. They start to answer, then after a beat ask why five. Lothar says because it's less likely they can come up with that many reasons.

Western Animation

• Family Guy

Brian: Wow, a song named after a girl. There aren't a million of those already. Stewie: Name twenty. Brian: Rosanna, Roxanne, Michelle, Alison, Sarah, Angie, Brandy, Mandy, Gloria, Cecilia, Maggie May, Jessica, Nancy, Barbara Ann, Billie Jean, Layla, Lola, Polly, Helena, Jenny from the Block Stewie: Name six more. Brian: Sherry, Laura, Wendy, Maria, Peggy Sue, Minnie the Moocher. Stewie: Name five more. Brian: Tracy, Jean, Jane, Mary Ann, Eleanor Rigby. Stewie: Go [bleep] yourself.

• The Simpsons

Homer: Marge, name one successful person in life who ever lived without air conditioning. Marge: Balzac! Homer: No need for potty mouth just because you can't think of one.

• • Also from Bart the Lover:

Homer: Can you believe it!? Pretty soon, I'll be able to quit my job and live off the boy! Marge: What? Name me one person who's gotten rich by doing yo-yo tricks! Homer's Brain: Donald Trump? ... No. Arnold Palmer? ... No. Bill Cosby! ... No. Homer: D'oh!

• • From "I Don't Wanna Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"

Marge: You miss way too many precious moments in the children's lives. Homer: What?! Name 12. Bart: Well, just this week, there's been field day, picking me up from the airport... Lisa: And the Father/Daughter Dance...

• Daria:

Upchuck: You'll be back. They all come back. Jane: Name two. Upchuck: ....I could!

• From the Futurama Superhero Episode:

Leela: Are you crazy? We have to keep our secret identities secret. Fry: From everybody? Leela: Especially from everybody. Fry: Give several reasons why. Leela: For one, superheroes cause a lot of collateral damage, and we don't wanna get our butts sued. Fry: Or do we? No, I guess not. Leela: Also, if our identities get out, every crook in the city will be after us. Or, God forbid, our loved ones. Bender: Superking has no need for loved ones. *kicks an orphan who asks him for an autograph*

• Pixar's Cars has this between Doc Hodson and Lightning Mc Queen.
• In The Magic School Bus episode on recycling:

Phoebe: But Wanda, think about all the good things that recycling does. Wanda: Okay Phoebe, name three. Phoebe: Well, um, I just know there's lots!