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M
- MacGuffin: [1]
* - Madness Shared by Two: Folie à deux

- Madonna-Whore Complex: [2]
* - Mad Scientist: [3]
* - The Mafia: American Mafia
, Sicilian Mafia
, and Organized crime in Italy
- The Mafiya: Russian mafia
in popular culture
- Magic 8-Ball: [4]
* - Magical Girl: [5]
* - Magical Girlfriend: [6]
* - Magical Negro: [7]
* - Magical Seventh Son: Seventh son of a seventh son

- Magic Carpet: [8]
* - Magic Square Puzzle: Magic square

- Magnetic Weapons: [9]
* - Magnum Opus: [10]
* - Mail-Order Bride: [11]
* - Making Love in All the Wrong Places: Public sex

- Malaproper: Eggcorn

- Male Gaze: [12]
* - Malicious Slander: Defamation

- Malt Shop: Soda shop

- Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe: Non-paternity event

- Mammy: Mammy archetype in the United States

- Mana: Magic (gaming)

- Manchurian Agent: Sleeper agent

- Mandela Effect: False memory

- Man-Eating Plant: [13]
* - Maneki Neko: [14]
* - Manic Pixie Dream Girl: [15]
* - The Man in the Moon: [16]
* - Many Questions Fallacy: Loaded question

- Marriage of Convenience: [17]
* - Martial Beret: Military beret

- Martians: [18]

- Mary Sue: [19]
* - Mascot: [20]
* - Match Cut: [21]
* - Matriarchy: [22]
* - Matricide [23]
* - Matrix Raining Code: Matrix digital rain

- Mayan Doomsday: 2012 phenomenon

- The Maze: [24]
* - Meaningful Name: Aptronym
, Nominative determinism
- The Meaning of Life: [25]
* - Mecha: [26]
* - Medical Monarch: Royal touch

- Meditating Under a Waterfall: Misogi

- Medley: Medley (music)

- Medusa: [27]
* - Meet Cute: [28]
* - MegaCorp: Megacorporation

- Meganekko: [29]

- Melismatic Vocals: Melisma

- Memetic Mutation: Internet meme

- Men Are the Expendable Gender: Male expendability

- Men Are Tough: Masculinity

- The Men in Black: [30]
* - The Mentor: Wise Old Man

- Mephistopheles: Mephistopheles in the arts and popular culture

- Merchandise-Driven: Toyetic

- Mercy Kill: Euthanasia

- Mesodiplosis: Repetition (rhetorical device)

- Messianic Archetype: Christ figure

- Meta Fiction: [31]
* - Metagame: Metagaming

- Metalhead: Heavy metal subculture

- Metal Scream: Screaming (music)

- Metaplot: [32]
* - Metapuzzle: [33]
* - Metaphorically True: Half-truth
* - Metatron: [34]
* - The Metaverse: [35]
* - Meteorite of Doom: Near-Earth object
, Asteroid impact prediction
, etc. - Method Acting: [36]
* - The Metric System Is Here to Stay: Metrication

- Metroidvania: [37]
* - Mexican Standoff: [38]
* - Mickey Mousing: [39]
* - Microtransactions: [40]
* - Middle Child Syndrome: [41]
* - Middle Name Basis: [42]
* - Might Makes Right: [43]
* - Mighty Whitey: White saviour narrative in film
(not exactly the same, but very closely related) - Miko: [44]
* - Mile-High Club: [45]
* - Miles Gloriosus: Alazon

- Military Academy: [46]
* - Military Alphabet: NATO phonetic alphabet

- Military Brat: [47]
* - Military Coup: Coup d'état

- Military Salute: Salute

- Millennium Bug: Year 2000 problem

- A Million Is a Statistic: Identifiable victim effect

- Mind Over Matter: Psychokinesis

- Mind Rape: Psychological torture

- Min-Maxing: [48]
* - Miniature Effects: [49]
* - Mini-Game: [50]
* - Minimalism: [51]
* - Minnesota Nice: [52]
* - Mi'raj: Al-Mi'raj

- Miranda Rights: Miranda warning

- Mirror Chemistry: Chirality (chemistry)

- Misanthrope Supreme: Misanthropy

- Miscarriage of Justice: [53]
* - Misplaced Retribution: Displaced aggression

- Missing White Woman Syndrome: [54]
* - Mission Creep: [55]
* - The Mistress: [56]
* - Mix-and-Match Critters: Hybrid beasts in folklore
and List of hybrid creatures in folklore
- Mob War: Gang#Gang violence

- The Mockbuster: [57]
* - Model Sheet: [58]
* - Moe: [59]
* - Moe Anthropomorphism: [60]
* - The Mole: [61]
* - Molotov Cocktail: [62]
* - Money-Making Shot: Money shot

- Money to Burn: Money burning

- Monkey Morality Pose: Three wise monkeys

- Monkeys on a Typewriter: Infinite monkey theorem
, Infinite monkey theorem in popular culture
- Mono no Aware: [63]
* - Monster Clown: Evil clown

- Monster Fangirl: Hybristophilia

- Monster of the Week: Villain of the week

- Montages: [64]
* - Monty Hall Problem: [65]
* - Mooning: [66]
* - Moon-Landing Hoax: Moon landing conspiracy theories
and Moon landing conspiracy theories in popular culture
- Moon Rabbit: [67]
* - Moonwalk Dance: [68]
* - Mooks: Mob (gaming)

- Moral Event Horizon: Eternal sin

- The Morlocks: [69]
* - Morton's Fork: [70]
* - MOS: [71]
* - Most Tropers Are Young Nerds: Wikipedia:Systemic bias
, much more of a problem there than here - Mother Nature: [72]
* - The Mothman: [73]
* - Motion Blur: [74]
* - Motion Capture: [75]
* - Motion Comic: [76]
* - Mountain Man: [77]
* - Mountain Warfare: [78]
* - Mouse Trap: [79]
* - Movie Multipack: Back-to-back film production

- Moving the Goalposts: [80]
* - Mrs. Claus: [81]
* - Mrs. Robinson: Cougar (slang)

- Mr. Imagination: Fantasy prone personality

- Mister Seahorse: Male pregnancy

- MUCK: TinyMUCK

- The Multiverse: [82]
* - Mummy: Mummy (undead)

- Münchausen Syndrome: [83]
* - Munchkin: [84]
* - Murder, Inc.: Contract killing
(also see this article on the Trope Namer: Murder, Inc.
) - Murder-Suicide: [85]
* - Murphy's Law: [86]
* - Must Have Caffeine: Caffeine dependance

- Mutants: [87]
* (fictional)
- The Mutiny: [88]
* - Mutually Assured Destruction: [89]
* - My Life Flashed Before My Eyes: Life review

- My Local: Pub

- Mystery Meat: [90]
*
N
- N-Word Privileges: Reappropriation

- Nails on a Blackboard: Chalkboard scraping

- Namahage: [91]
* - Nanomachines: Nanorobotics

- The Napoleon: Napoleon complex

- Narcissist: Narcissistic personality disorder

- Narm: Bathos
, the formal academic term. - National Animal Stereotypes: List of national animals

- Nations as People: National personification

- Native American Casino: Native American gaming

- Natural End of Time: Ultimate fate of the universe

- Nature Versus Nurture: [92]
* - Naughty Tentacles: Tentacle erotica

- The Navigator: [93]
* - Nazi Gold: [94]
* - Nazi Hunter: [95]
* - Nazi Nobleman: Former German nobility in the Nazi Party

- Nazi Zombies: [96]
* - Nay-Theist: Alatrism

- Near-Death Experience: [97]
* - Necromancer: Necromancy

- The Needs of the Many: Utilitarianism

- NEET: [98]
* - Neglected Rez: Reservation poverty

- Neologism: [99]
* - Nephilim: [100]
* - Nepotism: [101]
* - Nerf: Nerfing (video gaming)

- Nested Story: Story within a story

- Net Gun: [102]
* - Network Decay: Channel drift
; see also Enshittification
for non-television examples - Neural Implanting: Brain implant

- Never Speak Ill of the Dead: De mortuis nil nisi bonum

- Never My Fault: Self-serving bias

- Never Smile at a Crocodile: Crocodile attack

- Never Tell Me the Odds!: Neglect of probability

- New Game Plus: [103]
* - Newspeak: [104]
* - Newsreel: [105]
* - New Weird: [106]
* - Nice Jewish Boy [107]
* - The Night Owl: [108]
* - Night Parade of One Hundred Demons: [109]
* - Ninja: [110]
* - Nintendo Hard: [111]
* - Nixon Mask: Richard Nixon mask

- No Backwards Compatibility in the Future: Digital obsolescence

- No Bisexuals: Bisexual erasure

- No Budget: No-budget film

- Noble Savage [112]
* - Noble Tongue: Diglossia
and Prestige (sociolinguistics)
- Nocturnal Emission: [113]
* - Nonconsensual Pornography: Revenge porn

- Non-Album Song: [114]

- Non-Governmental Organization: [115]
* - Non-Indicative Name: Misnomer

- Non-Player Character: [116]
* - Non Sequitur: [117]
* - Nose Art: [118]
* - Nose Nuggets: Nose-picking

- Nostalgia Filter: Rosy retrospection
(see also Nostalgia
) - No Such Thing as Bad Publicity: Succès de scandale

- NOT!: [119]
* - Not Available in Stores: Not sold in stores

- The Not-Love Interest: Romantic friendship

- No Transhumanism Allowed: Bioconservatism

- No True Scotsman: [120]
* - Not Safe for Work: [121]
* - Not So Extinct: Lazarus taxon

- Not Staying for Breakfast: One-night stand

- Not Used to Freedom: Institutional syndrome

- Nouveau Riche: [122]
*, see also Parvenu
- Novelization: [123]
* - Nuckelavee: [124]
* - Nuclear False Alarm: Nuclear close calls

- Nuclear Family: [125]
* - Nue: [126]
* - Number of the Beast: [127]
* - Numbers Stations: [128]
* - Nurikabe: [129]
* - Nu Speling: Spelling reform

O
- Obfuscating Insanity: Feigned madness

- Obnoxious In-Laws: Mother-in-law joke

- Occidental Otaku: Japanophile

- Occult Detective: Occult detective fiction

- Oceanic Airlines: [130]
* - Odessa Steps: The Odessa Steps sequence

- Oedipus Complex: [131]
* - Offing the Offspring: Filicide

- Off-Model: [132]
* - Off with His Head!: Decapitation

- Oktoberfest: [133]
* - Old Maid: Spinster

- Old Master: Elderly martial arts master

- Old Money: [134]
* - Omegaverse: [135]
* - On a Scale from One to Ten: Scale of one to ten

- Once Upon a Time: [136]
* - Once-Green Mars: Mars in fiction

- One-Drop Rule: [137]
* - One-Episode Wonder: List of television series canceled after one episode

- One-Hit Wonder: [138]
* - One-Man Band: [139]
* - One Nation Under Copyright: Corporatocracy

- The Oner: Long take

- One-Woman Wail: Wailing woman

- One World Order: World government

- Oni: [140]
* - Onion Johnny: [141]
* - Only in Florida: Florida Man

- Only in Miami: List of films and television shows set in Miami

- Oop North: Northern England

- Open Secret: [142]
* - Opinion Myopia: False consensus effect

- Opposite Day: [143]
* - Organ Theft: [144]
* - Orichalcum: [145]
* - Orion Drive: Nuclear pulse propulsion

- Orochi: Yamata no Orochi

- Orwellian Retcon: Memory hole

- Oscar Bait: [146]
* - Otaku: [147]
* - Otaku O'Clock: Late night anime

- The Other Darrin: Fake Shemp

- Ouija Board: Ouija

- Our Angels Are Different: Angel

- Our Archons Are Different: Archon (Gnosticism)

- Our Banshees Are Louder: Banshee

- Our Centaurs Are Different: Centaur

- Our Cryptids Are More Mysterious: List of cryptids

- Our Dark Elves Are Different: Dökkálfar and Ljósálfar
(also covers light elves) - Our Dark Matter Is Mysterious: Dark matter

- Our Demons Are Different: Demon

- Our Dragons Are Different: Dragon

- Our Dwarves Are All the Same: Dwarf (folklore)

- Our Elves Are Different: Elf

- Our Fairies Are Different: Fairy

- Our Gargoyles Rock: Gargoyle (monster)

- Our Genies Are Different: Jinn

- Our Ghosts Are Different: Ghost

- Our Ghouls Are Creepier: Ghoul

- Our Giants Are Bigger: Giant

- Our Goblins Are Different: Goblin

- Our Gods Are Different: Deity

- Our Gnomes Are Weirder: Gnome

- Our Gryphons Are Different: Griffin

- Our Homunculi Are Different: Homunculus

- Our Hippocamps Are Different: Hippocampus (mythology)

- Our Hydras Are Different: Lernaean Hydra

- Our Imps Are Different: Imp

- Our Kelpies Are Different: Kelpie

- Our Kobolds Are Different: Kobold

- Our Liches Are Different: Lich

- Our Manticores Are Spinier: Manticore

- Our Mermaids Are Different: Mermaid

- Our Minotaurs Are Different: Minotaur

- Our Monsters Are Weird: Monster

- Our Nymphs Are Different: Nymph

- Our Ogres Are Hungrier: Ogre

- Our Orcs Are Different: Orc

- Our Perytons Are Different: Peryton

- Our Pixies Are Different: Pixie

- Our Sirens Are Different: Siren (mythology)

- Our Spirits Are Different: Spirit

- Our Sphinxes Are Different: Sphinx

- Our Titans Are Different: Titans

- Our Vampires Are Different: Vampire

- Our Werebeasts Are Different: Therianthropy

- Our Werewolves Are Different: Werewolf

- Our Wights Are Different: Wight

- Our Wyverns Are Different: Wyvern

- Our Yaoguai Are Different: Yaoguai

- Our Zombies Are Different: Zombie

- Ouroboros: [148]
* - Outlaw: [149]
*, see also Outlaw (stock character)
for a list of outlaws in folklore - Outside-Context Problem: [150]
* - Out with a Bang: Death during consensual sex

- Overpopulation Crisis: Human overpopulation

P
- "Pachelbel's Canon" Progression: List of variations on Pachelbel's Canon

- Panacea: [151]
* - Pan and Scan: [152]
* - Panspermia: [153]
* - Pants-Pulling Prank: Pantsing

- Paparazzi: [154]
* - Paper Talisman: Ofuda

- Paper Tiger: [155]
* - Paralyzing Fear of Sexuality: Genophobia
, Sexophobia
- The Paranoiac: Paranoid personality disorder

- The Pardon: [156]
* - Parental Neglect: Child neglect

- Pariah Prisoner: Prison social hierarchy

- Pariah State: [157]
* - Le Parkour: Parkour

- Parody: [158]
* - Parody Commercial: Parody advertisement

- Parody Religion: [159]
* - Pascal's Wager: [160]
* - The Password Is Always "Swordfish": Password strength#Examples of weak passwords
and List of the most common passwords
- Pastiche: [161]
* - Patchwork Story: Fix-up

- Pater Familicide: Familicide#Family annihilation

- The Patient Has Left the Building: Against medical advice

- Patient Zero: Index Case

- Patricide [162]
* - Patron Saint: [163]
* - Patter Song: [164]
* - Pay Evil unto Evil: Retributive justice

- Pay Phone: [165]
* - Peace Pipe: Ceremonial pipe

- Pedophile Priest: Catholic Church sexual abuse cases

- Peerless Love Interest: Princesse Lointaine

- Pegasus: Winged horse

- Peking Duck Christmas: Jewish-American patronage of Chinese Restaurants

- Pelvic Thrust: [166]
* - Penal Colony: [167]
* - Pen Name: [168]
* - People in Rubber Suits: Creature suit

- People's Republic of Tyranny: People's Republic

- People Zoo: Human zoo

- Percussive Maintenance: [169]
* - Perfect Solution Fallacy: Nirvana fallacy

- Performance Anxiety: Stage fright

- Permadeath: [170]
* - Perma-Stubble: Designer stubble

- Perpetual Beta: [171]
* - Perpetual Motion Machine: Perpetual motion

- Perp Walk: [172]
* - The Perry Mason Method: Perry Mason moment

- Persecution Flip: Reverse discrimination

- Persona Non Grata: [173]
* - Personal Horror: Moral injury

- Personality Blood Types: Blood type personality theory

- Personal Seals: Seal (East Asia)

- Perverse Sexual Lust: Fictosexuality
, Nijikon
, and Waifu
- The Peter Principle: [174]
* - Phantasy Spelling: Sensational spelling

- Pheromones: [175]
* - Philosopher's Stone: [176]
* - The Phoenix: [177]
* - Phony Veteran: Military imposter

- Photo Comic: Photonovel

- Photographic Memory: Eidetic memory

- Photo Op with the Dog: Reputation laundering

- Picky Eater: Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder

- Pie in the Face: Pieing

- Piggy Bank: [178]
* - Pig Latin: [179]
* - Pink Girl, Blue Boy: Gendered associations of pink and blue

- Pink Elephants: Seeing pink elephants

- Pinky Swear: [180]
* - Pirate: Piracy

- Pirate Booty: Buried treasure

- Pirate Girl: Women in piracy

- Pirates vs. Ninjas: [181]
* - Pit Trap: Trapping pit

- Pixellation: Pixelization

- Placebo Effect: Placebo

- The Plague: Epidemic
, Pandemic
- Plague Doctor: [182]
*, Plague doctor costume
- Planar Shockwave: Praxis effect

- Platonic Cave: Plato's Allegory of the Cave

- Platonic Life-Partners: Platonic love

- Plausible Deniability: [183]
* - Playboy Bunny: [184]
* - Player Character: [185]
* - Player Versus Environment: [186]
* - Player Versus Player: [187]
* - Playful Cat Smile: uwu

- Playing Doctor: [188]
* - Playing with Fire: Pyrokinesis

- Plea Bargain: [189]
* - Plot Device: [190]
* - Plot Hole: [191]
* - Plot Point: [192]
* - Plot Twist: [193]
* - Plucky Comic Relief: Comic relief

- Pluralses: Reduplicated plural

- Poe's Law: [194]
* - Point of Divergence: [195]
* - Pointy Ears: [196]
* - Police Brutality: [197]
* - Police State: [198]
* - Political Cartoons: Editorial cartoon

- The Political Officer: Political commissar

- Poltergeist: [199]
* - Polyamory: [200]
* - Pony Express Rider: Pony Express

- Ponzi: Ponzi scheme

- Population Control: Human population planning

- Portable Hole: [201]
* - Portal Network: Portals in fiction

- Portmanteau: [202]
* - Posthumous Credit: List of works published posthumously

- Postmodernism: [203]
* - Post-Peak Oil: Peak oil

- Post-Scarcity Economy: [204]
* - Pothole: Piped links

- Poverty Food: Famine food

- Poverty Porn: [205]
* - P.O.W. Camp: Prisoner-of-war camp

- Powered Armor: Powered exoskeleton

- Powered by Potato: Lemon battery

- Practical Effects: Practical effect

- Prank Call: [206]
* - Preacher's Kid: [207]
* - Precursors: Elder race

- Predatory Big Pharma: Pharmaceutical industry
covers mainstream scandals relating to pharmaceutical companies. Big Pharma conspiracy theories
covers less mainstream conspiracies surrounding Big Pharma. - Prehensile Tail: [208]
* - Pre-lap: [209]
* - Pre-Rendered Graphics: [210]
* - Present Day: [211]
* - President for Life: [212]
* - Press-Ganged: Impressment

- Pressure Point: [213]
* - Press X to Not Die: Quick time event

- Pretty Fly for a White Guy: Cultural appropriation
, Wigger
- Previously on…: Recap sequence

- Pride: [214]
* - Pride Parade: [215]
* - Primal Scene: [216]
* - Prince Charming: [217]
* - Prison: [218]
* - Prison Rape: [219]
* - Prison Riot: [220]
* - Prison Ship: [221]
* - Prisoner's Dilemma: [222]
* - Prisoner Exchange: [223]
* - Prisoner's Last Meal: Last Meal

- Private Detective: Private investigator

- Privateer: [224]
* - Product Displacement: [225]
* - Product Placement: [226]
* - Professional Killer: Contract killing

- Professional Voice Dissonance: Code-switching

- Professor Guinea Pig: Self-experimentation

- Profiling: Racial profiling

- Programming Game: [227]
* - Promotion to Parent: Parentification

- Propaganda Piece: Propaganda
- Prophetic Names: Nominative determinism

- The Protagonist: [228]
* - Protest Song: [229]
* - Proxy War: [230]
* - Pseudo-Romantic Friendship: Romantic friendship

- Psychic Powers: Psychic
and List of psychic abilities
- Psychic Surgery: [231]
* - Psychological Projection: [232]
* - Psychopomp: [233]
* - Public Execution: [234]
* - Publicity Stunt: [235]
* - Pun: [236]
* - Punchline: [237]
* - Punk Punk: Cyberpunk derivatives

- Puppet State: [238]
* - Puppy Love: [239]
* - Purgatory and Limbo: Purgatory
, Limbo
- The Purge: [240]
* - Purple Prose: [241]
* - Putto: [242]
* - Pyramid Power: [243]
* - Pyromaniac: Pyromania

- Pyrrhic Victory: [244]
*
