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Like Parrot Exposition, but the expositor can't even finish the word. Even if it is easy to remember. Also used when someone says a big word, like Palaeo-whatsit. Sometimes used out of spite, and sometimes used out of disbelief. Often used in Advertising. Sister Trope to Gesundheit, where the speaker finds the word so unpronounceable he thinks it must have been a sneeze.
Advertising[]
- Snuggimals!
- Snuggi-what?
- Snuggimals!
- Snuggi-what?
- Benda-what? Benda-who?
- Bendaroos!
- A certain E*Trade commercial that a certain actress claims is violating her rights.
Lindsay: Milk-a-whaaat?! |
- Used in a commercial for Maximum Testosterol, apparently by picking which syllable to 'miss' out of a hat. A character asks incredulously, when first told the name, "Maximum whatstosterol?"
Fan Works[]
- When Dan receives his Shikigami in Thawing Permafrost, he can't get the name right. Upon first hearing it, his reaction is "Shiki-whatnow?".
Film[]
- In the live-action How the Grinch Stole Christmas movie: "Holiday Whobeewhatee?"
- In Nine, when told by 1 to "subjugate [9 and 5]", 8 responds with "subje - what?"
- Madagascar:
King Julien: Welcome to Madagascar! |
- Counts as a Brick Joke thanks to the first exchange between Marty and the penguins:
Skipper: We're fleeing this place for Antarctica! |
Mouse Doctor: Bring me the Epidermal Tissue Disruptor! |
- Ace Ventura From the sequel:
Princess: That was the dart of the Wachutu shaman! |
- In The Rocketeer, when Cliff reveals his secret identity to his girlfriend Jenny:
Cliff: Jenny, prepare yourself for a shock. I'm the Rocketeer. |
Radar technician: I'm having trouble with the radar, sir. |
- This bit in The Court Jester
Fergus, the ostler: "Im Fergus, the ostler!" |
- This bit in Mary Poppins:
Jane: Mary Poppins taught us the most wonderful word! |
Live Action TV[]
Anya: Buffy's got some kind of job there helping junior deviants, Spike's insane in the basement, Xander's there doing construction on the new gym-— |
- When Buffy's friends confront her about her having sex with Spike (the one they saw was actually a robot), she responds, "The who whatting how with huh?"
- Buffy does this a lot. From "Lie To Me":
Ford: [walks up behind Buffy, who has just slain a vamp] What's going on? |
- It's not for nothing that this show is the Trope Namer for Buffy-Speak.
- Red Dwarf:
Extrapo-what-ilated? |
- This is infixation.
- Infixa-what?
- This is infixation.
- Firefly, "Shindig":
"Any of these gentlemen can lend you use of a sword." |
- From the Mystery Science Theater 3000 Episode "Prince of Space."
Observer: Don't touch that, that's a wormhole! |
Video Games[]
- In episode one of Strong Bads Cool Game for Attractive People, Strong Bad's attempt to find one of the pages for the Snake Boxer 5 manual takes him through a chain of people that leads to Bubs.
Strong Bad: Please tell me you've got my Snake Boxer 5 manual... |
King Bee: I didn't even get to tell you about the big-breasted babe... |
Web Original[]
- In Dragon Ball Abridged, anytime Goku calls out that he's using the Kaio-Ken technique, it's invariably followed by the receiving party uttering "Kaio-what?"
- In the Yu-Gi-Oh the Abridged Series version of Bonds Beyond Time, Yami has this response when Yusei synchro summons a monster. Of course, Yami's doing it on purpose because he's a Jerkass.
Yusei: I synchro-summon Junk Gardna, in defense mode. |
- Homestar Runner, "Hremail 7" is a faux-flashback episode which features Homestar trying to introduce Strong Bad to the concept of e-mails and the Internet:
Strong Bad: A what-mail on the Inter-what? |
Western Animation[]
- The Simpsons:
- "Team Homer":
Burns: Listen here...I want to join your team. |
- And from "Who Shot Mr Burns, Part 2"
Jasper: You shot who in the what now? |
- From "Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo", on the Japanese game show:
Wink: Now, our game shows a little different from yours. You reward knowledge. We punish ignorance. |
- Spoofed on Futurama, in the episode "I, Roommate":
Fry: Where's your bathroom? |
Gigglepies: Yugo-po-what-i-whats? |
Jack: It's the Ecto-Exodus Alarm! |
Stu:: Presenting the Bonkomatic Baby Bumper! |
- My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic, "Stare Master":
Fluttershy: There's a cockatrice on the loose! |
- In "The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000", Pinkie Pie's reaction to the Flim-Flam brothers introducing themselves as "traveling sales-ponies nonpareil" is "Nonpa-what?"
- In one episode of Sheep in The Big City, a plot twist (both Sheep and General Specific lose the mayoral election to a talking ham sandwich) leads to a long chain of characters going "Hubba-whah?"
- King of the Hill:
Student: We're learning about transubstantiation. |