Snub By Omission
A character is describing, talking about or listing the members of a group but then pointedly avoids saying out one of the members's name in order to snub them.
Sometimes the snub will be called attention to by having the left out character call out their name in protest.
Supertrope of Aren't You Forgetting Someone?.
See also My Friends and Zoidberg, And the Rest.
Anime and Manga
- Simoun: When Chor Tempest gets asked to show a Plumbum priestess around their ship, they naturally start off with introductions, with the priestess repeating each name as she's told it...except Aer's.
- Recently in One Piece, the Fishmen are still doubting whether humans even care about their kind, but fortune-teller Madame Shirley says that the Straw Hat Pirates that are currently protecting Fishman Island right now are all made of humans...but then someone points to Brook.
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Shirley: Look with your own eyes. Right now, in the plaza, over the skies! Those who are fighting with the Pirates of the Fishman District are humans! |
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Comic Books
- The original Monster Society of Evil included the Axis Powers, the Crocodile Men of Planet Punkus, and all of Captain Marvel's rogues' gallery. The leader, Mister Mind, had three trusted lieutenants, representatives of the most evil sub-groups: the first, Herr Phoul, was an evil Nazi genius; the second, Doctor Smashi, a Japanese Mad Scientist; and the third was... Jorrk, the Crocodile Man.
Fan Works
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King Bumi: Good try, but if you want to save the girl - |
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Film
- In Ghostbusters, Peter will often omit Egon's title when introducing the team.
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Peter: Hello I'm Dr. Venkman, this is Dr. Stanz, Egon. |
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- And Egon is his first name, even more disrespectful. If he weren't being Dr. Venkman, he'd introduce his colleague as "Dr. Spengler". But he finds it amusing to leave out the honorifics for the smartest guy in the group (who also happens to be the second best snarker after himself).
- Similarly, in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, when McMurphy sneaks some of the patients out of the ward to have some fun, he introduces the group to the charter boat harbor manager as follows:
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"We're from the State Mental Institution. This is Dr. Cheswick, Dr. Taber, Dr. Frederickson, Dr. Scanlon, the famous Dr. Scanlon, Mr. Harding, Dr. Bibbit, Dr. Martini, and Dr. Sefelt...oh, and I'm Dr. McMurphy. |
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- Eddie does this to Frank in Eddie and the Cruisers when the band performs at Frank's alma mater. When called out on it by a friend of Frank's in the audience, Eddie snidely calls him "Toby Tyler" (in reference to the story about a boy who ran away to the circus).
Literature
- In the Dragonriders of Pern novels, a group of Lords and Craftmasters use this to trick Lord Meron of Nabol to name the successor they wanted him to. By forgetting to mention their favored candidate half the time while they listed his potential heirs in their efforts to name somebody as his heir, they convinced him that the frequently omitted heir was the one they wanted least, and he named that one as his heir in an attempt to spite them.
Live Action Television
- The IT Crowd has an Overly Long Gag during a company meeting where the Boss goes around thanking all the departments, such as the lawyers and the accountants and even the janitors, but not our titular heroes. Upon each announcement, he describes something that could potentially describe IT, only for it to be another department.
- In How I Met Your Mother after an argument with Ted, Robin gives an acceptance speech where she lists her friends; Lilly, Marshall, Barney, and... that's it. That's all my friends.
- Monk: An astronaut is saying that anyone could have done what he did, could be a hero. "You, and you, and you and you", skipping over Monk pointedly.
- Power Rangers RPM At one point, Doctor K takes a moment to complemint each of the Ranger Series Operators... except Ziggy. Who lampshades it. "What about me?" "It's Ziggy. Z-I-G-G-Y." Of course, Doctor K had her reasons.
Web Comic
- In Order of the Stick, Durkon tells Hilgya that the rest of the Order are "a fine group, for humans. And an elf." Hilgya points out there's also a halfling, but Durkon left him out on purpose.
Western Animation
- In A Pup Named Scooby-Doo after the villains are revealed, they will say the traditional, "And I would've gotten away with it too if it wasn't for you meddling kids." Many times, Scooby would have to remind them to finish by saying, "Oh, and that puppy."
- The Simpsons have done this to Homer twice, with the Employee of the Week awards (which he loses to an inanimate carbon rod), as well as the (I think) Town Pride Awards (which everyone gets but him).
- A more extreme version when Sideshow Bob drives around the neighbourhood with a list of people who will "not be killed by me" everyone's on the list except Bart. Homer celebrates, in front of Bart, about how he is on the list.
- Disturbingly, we did not hear him mention Rod or Todd. Or the Powers family.
- A more extreme version when Sideshow Bob drives around the neighbourhood with a list of people who will "not be killed by me" everyone's on the list except Bart. Homer celebrates, in front of Bart, about how he is on the list.
- Last-moment subversion in the Justice League episode "Flash and Substance":
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Trickster: Captain Boomerang, you old son of a wallaby! |
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- Done twice on Kick Buttowski during Snowapocalypse episode when Kick mentions that he has to save everyone in the school bus...
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Kick: "We gotta save the driver, Jackie, Milo, Mouth, Dimitri, Janelle, Mitch and Dave!" |
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- Then once more right in front of her as he, Gunther and Wade saves everyone, helping them onto the sleigh only for Kick to stop Gunther before he helps Kendall into it.
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Kick: "That's everyone, Gunther." |
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