| abstract | - Sometimes, an Invisible President or a Banana Republic just doesn't work in the context of a story an author is trying to tell. Note that we're not just talking about government officials, it may be necessary to refer to some famous person or group. The world the story unfolds in is meant to be the real world, and the people in it should be real people. Enter the Anonymous Ringer - a character or place transparently meant to be a recognizable real-world figure, but never explicitly mentioned by name. This device allows an author to write about England being invaded by "a country to the north", the US being driven to war by "the president", or a riot at a concert of "a popular rock-and-roll band", without having to worry about Scots, Barack Obama, or the Rolling Stones firing off a cease-and-desist letter. Compare Roman à Clef, Historical Domain Character, Lawyer-Friendly Cameo (which is not so vital to the plot). Examples of Anonymous Ringer include:
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