History Main / BorrowedWithoutPermission

SubTrope to InsistentTerminology. Related to HeroStoleMyBike and FellOffTheBackOfATruck. Compare BlackmailIsSuchAnUglyWord and LessEmbarrassingTerm. Also see HowDidYouGetIt.

** In ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS07E06TreacheryFaithAndTheGreatRiver Treachery, Faith and the Great River]]", Captain Sisko's desk disappears. It reappears again, and it turns out that Nog borrowed it without permission in order to allow a third party to take a holographic photo of himself sitting at it, which in turn started a series of trades which got Nog's boss, Chief O'Brien, a necessary piece of equipment which he needed urgently.

* Incorrigible larcenist Harry Mudd from ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' recounts how he managed to escape from a Federation penal colony to Captain Kirk and Mister Spock.
-->'''Harry Mudd:''' I... borrowed transportation...\\

* ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'': A RunningGag has Jackie running up to random people's bicycles to chase the villains, shouting, 'Thank you, I'll return it!' as he speeds off. He never returns the bicycle.

* ''VideoGame/SpyroYearOfTheDragon'': The plot of [[UnderTheSea Seashell Shore]] is kicked off by three seals borrowing the submarine of the Rhynocs without asking, taking it for a joyride, and totaling the sub on a rock pile. They explain it to the Rhynocs, thinking that they'll take the story in stride, but unfortunately for the seals, the Rhynocs proceed to [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome throw them in a jail cell]].

* ''WesternAnimation/OneHundredAndOneDalmatiansTheSeries'': One episode has Spot and co. do this with Cruella's car, arguing that as long they return it in one piece, they should be okay. HilarityEnsues.

* Marisa Kirisame from ''Franchise/{{Touhou}}'' always justifies her kleptomaniac habits with the statement that she's not stealing; she's borrowing them until she dies. Of course, that's ignoring the fact that she's looking for ways to become immortal.

* In ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' the main characters are occasionally forced to steal things from innocent civilians in their guerrilla war against {{Puppeteer Parasite}}s -- most often clothes, since their shape-shifting abilities only work in thin leotards, which aren't great for blending in. They do try to later pay back what they took. Their SixthRanger David, however...

* This is the Modus Operandi of the Kangaroo in Creator/MarcUweKling's Kangaroo book tetralogy. This habit is PlayedForLaughs and goes from the Kangaroo "borrowing" Marc-Uwe's possessions and restaurant ashtrays in the first book to a minor plot point in the third one when [[spoiler:they can [[ItMakesSenseInContext successfully disguise themselves as penguins]] because the Kangaroo "borrowed" nun habits while visiting a monastery many chapters ago.]]
* Wayne from ''Literature/TheMistbornAdventures'' never steals things, he trades for them. Albeit usually without telling people, and sometimes not leaving things equal in value (such as taking an {{unobtainium}} handgun that is also police evidence and leaving them a nice cobblestone in exchange).
* In ''Ernie and the Twiddlebug Town Fair'', a ''Series/SesameStreet'' book, the Twiddlebugs prepare for their yearly town fair, but need something to use for a tent to shelter their feast. One night, two Twiddlebugs named Tilly and Titus find Ernie's bandana and decide to take it, but bring it back to him after the fair ends, since they only take things that have been lost and forgotten long ago. Sure enough, when Ernie tries to play cowboy the next day, he is unable to find his bandana even though he looks everywhere. Fortunately for him, Tilly and Titus return his bandana the following night.
* Skate is told this is her new job in ''Literature/SkateTheThief'', and Belamy is [[InsistentTerminology insistent]] that he does mean that the books should be returned when he's done with them.

* The ''Literature/SkulduggeryPleasant'' Novella "The Maleficent Seven" has two of the heroes who were responsible for getting transport stealing a jet. They claim the jet is "Not stolen, almost stolen, semi-stolen, quasi-stolen" before they claim that they technically always borrow because what they take is always returned, just not always in one piece or to the right person.

'''Captain America:''' Nazi Germany. And we're not stealing, we're borrowing.

* Discussed in ''Film/Titanic1997'' when it's discovered that Jack stole the coat.
->'''Jack''': I was just borrowing it. I was gonna return it.\\

** Marty does this twice over the course of the ''Film/BackToTheFuture'' films. In the first movie, he snatches a kid's wood crate scooter (but not before tearing the top part off to make an improvised skateboard) to escape from Biff and his goons. He returns the board after he maneuvers Biff into the manure truck. In the next film, he repeats this act in the future with a little girl's hoverboard, though this time he's told he can keep it, as the girl has made off with Griff's "Pit Bull" model hoverboard, which she apparently considers a step up.

* The Disney film ''WesternAnimation/RobinHood'' has Robin Hood claim they're just borrowing from those who can afford it. Little John scoffs at this, saying they're seriously in debt.

* ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'' inverts this in "[[Recap/SherlockS02E01AScandalInBelgravia A Scandal in Belgravia". Sherlock says that if he wanted to look at naked women, he'd borrow John's computer. John retorts that Sherlock ''does'' borrow it. Sherlock then states, "I confiscate it."