When threatened, a character responds with, "Is that a threat?" or "Are you threatening me?" regardless of how poorly veiled the actual threat was. Stock answers include, "No, it's a fact", "No, it's a promise" and "Yes." A common variation is having the character asking "is that a threat or a promise?", and its usually used as a form of Insult Backfire, when the threatened thing wouldn't inconvenience them, or even benefit them.

Compare Blackmail Is Such an Ugly Word

"Are you threatening me?"

• Tower of God:

• Meet Joe Black:

• A Man for All Seasons:

• Doctor Who: "Partners in Crime":

• • Big Finish Doctor Who: "Faith Stealers":

• Without a Trace:

• Spooks:

• Payback:

• Butter Cream Gang has the cliché:

• Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith:

• Transformers Animated

• The Dark Knight

• Time Chasers

• Ice Age

• Commonly uttered by Beavis in Beavis and Butthead when he's in his "Cornholio" phase—said in response to just about anything.
• Law and Order:

• • Another example:

• Harry Potter:

• Heavy Rain:

• A variation from an episode of of the sitcom Taxi; Louie has enraged Alex to the point that Alex has ripped the front off of Louie's dispatcher cage and bodily dragged him forth:

"Is that a threat?"

• Rules Of Engagement:

• Parodied in Two and A Half Men:

• Played with in Scream 3:

• The Swan Princess:

• Harry Potter (movie version):

• Passions:

• Club Dread:

• Blood and Chocolate:

• Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen:

• The 1970 horror flick Torture Dungeon:

• Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

• Dr. Dolittle 2:

• If Looks Could Kill:

• Stargate SG-1:

• Dallas:

• Star Trek: Voyager:

• Red Dwarf

• The Sopranos

• The Lion King has a variation

• Warrior Cats:

"Is that a threat or a promise?"

• Revolutionary Road:

• The Suite Life of Zack and Cody:

• Knights of the Old Republic: