History Main / FellOffTheBackOfATruck

* ''TheFairlyOddparents'': Timmy cannot tell anyone about Cosmo and Wanda, but he gets all this great stuff from them. So when people (like his parents or friends) ask him where he got XYZ, he responds, "Uh...Internet?" This is usually sufficient (only because Timmy's parents and friends are rather dim-witted.) Except at one point, when his father asks: "And where did you get the internet?"

* ''Married To The Mob'' references this. The main character is sick of her husband's organized crime connections, and says angrily, "Everything we own fell off the back of a truck!"

* ''The Borribles'': This classic juvenile novel played with this trope. Mentions of things falling off the backs of lorries would be followed by comments about how bumpy the roads are in London, or what a useful thing gravity is. Pretty much all the characters were professional thieves of one sort or other and were using the phrase with heavy irony.

* In ''TheDrewCareyShow'', Lewis sells a Mimi some experimental make-up from DrugCo saying, "Let's just say it fell off the back of a truck." When Mimi asks where he got it, he says "Like I said, it fell off the back of a truck!" implying that it ''really'' fell off the back of a truck.

* In ''[=~Dad's Army~=]'' anything that Walker supplies. Although he rightly points out: "these things don't just fall off the back of a truck of their own accord, they've got to be pushed" when defending that his job is indeed difficult.

* ''Babylon5'': In the first episode, Commander Sinclair is handed a copy of every file Ambassador Delenn has concerning the Vorlons. While handing over the data card, Delenn smirks and says "Here is a copy of everything I have. It may be of use. If anyone asks, say 'it fell from the sky.'"

* In ''Second Empire'', a webcomic starring a the [[DoctorWho Daleks]] in one of their interminable internal wars, one of the characters notes the head scientist got excellent prices for some stuff that happened to "fall off the back of a cargo ship".

The origin of the phrase most probably lies with the practice of holding "salvage auctions" for goods that were damaged in transit (say, by actually falling off the back of a truck), where the damaged and possibly-damaged goods usually sold for a tiny fraction of their normal price. The people who bought such goods could then resell them at a larger fraction of their normal price and still make a profit. Of course, it didn't take long for unscrupulous operators to realize that one could ''push'' something off the back of the truck, or simply ''claim'' that it had fallen off the truck, and sell it the same way. From there it was an easy step to simply using the phrase to mean "acquired through questionable means"

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* MarriedToTheMob references this. The main character is sick of her husband's organized crime connections, and says angrily, "Everything we own fell off the back of a truck!"

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* While [[HonestJohnsDealership Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler]] (of {{Discworld}} fame) is best known for selling [[MasochistsMeal nearly-inedible foods]], he has been known to deal in "absolutely anything that could be sold hurriedly from an open suitcase in a busy street and was guaranteed to have fallen off the back of an oxcart".
* The classic juvenile novel ''TheBorribles'' played with this trope. Mentions of things falling off the backs of lorries would be followed by comments about how bumpy the roads are in London, or what a useful thing gravity is. Pretty much all the characters were professional thieves of one sort or other and were using the phrase with heavy irony.

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* Jerry {{Seinfeld}} once buys his father a $200 organizer, but claims he got it for $50, hinting that it may have come from this source. His father is proud that Jerry made such a smart move (which is why Jerry claimed it).

* In the first episode of "Babylon 5", Commander Sinclair is handed a copy of every file Ambassador Delenn has concerning the Vorlons. While handing over the data card, Delenn smirks and says "Here is a copy of everything I have. It may be of use. If anyone asks, say 'it fell from the sky.'"
* [[MarriedWithChildren Bud and Kelly]] tried to give their parents a jukebox that literally fell off a truck.

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* I have heard the phrase "it fell off the back of a torrent" to jokingly say that you have downloaded pirated stuff.

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* Winquman, the [=PDX=] quartermaster in ''TheNamelessMod'', is told by his supplier that the PHAT Rifle he got fell off the back of a truck. The World Corp storyline reveals it DID come off the back of a truck -- it was stolen from it.

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* Shown above, this trope is zanily parodied in ''TheSimpsons'', as is usual in the show. When Homer is asked how he acquired a ''truck'', he answers, "It fell off a truck-truck." It is immediately used again in the same scene, where Bart drives a ''truck-truck'' and is asked where he got it. He answers, "It fell off a truck-truck... -truck." Maggie then drives onto the scene with a truck-truck-truck.

* A variant occurs on ''TheFairlyOddparents''. Timmy cannot tell anyone about Cosmo & Wanda, but he gets all this great stuff from them. So when people (like his parents or friends) ask him where he got XYZ, he responds, "Uh...Internet?" This is usually sufficient (only because Timmy's parents and friends are rather dim-witted.)
** Except at one point, when his father asks: "And where did you get the internet?"

->According to my supplier, it "fell off the back of a truck." But then, he once got me a Humvee that fell off the back of a Hercules cargo plane...
-->-- '''Winquman''' ''TheNamelessMod''

-->-- ''OnlyFoolsAndHorses'', "The Long Legs of the Law"

* * ''{{Class of 3000}}'': "Where did you get that rocket?" "It fell off the back of a truck!"

* Shown above, this trope is zanily parodied in ''The Simpsons'', as is usual in the show. When Homer is asked how he acquired a ''truck'', he answers, "It fell off a truck-truck." It is immediately used again in the same scene, where Bart drives a ''truck-truck'' and is asked where he got it. He answers, "It fell off a truck-truck... -truck." Maggie then drives onto the scene with a truck-truck-truck.

* ''TheSimpsons'' (pictured): The trope is zanily parodied (as is usual for ''The Simpsons''). When Homer is asked how he acquired a ''truck'', he answers, "It fell off a truck-truck." It is immediately used again in the same scene, where Bart drives a ''truck-truck'' and is asked where he got it. He answers, "It fell off a truck-truck... -truck." Maggie then drives onto the scene with a truck-truck-truck.

->According to my supplier, it "fell off the back of a truck." But then, he once got me a humvee that fell off the back of a Hercules cargo plane...

* ''TheSimpsons'': The trope is zanily parodied (as is usual for ''The Simpsons''). When Homer is asked how he acquired a ''truck'', he answers, "It fell off a truck-truck." It is immediately used again in the same scene, where Bart drives a ''truck-truck'' and is asked where he got it. He answers, "It fell off a truck-truck... -truck." Maggie then drives onto the scene with a truck-truck-truck.

* Winquman, the [=PDX=] quartermaster in ''TheNamelessMod'', is told by his supplier that the PHAT Rifle he got fell off the back of a truck. The World Corp storyline reveals it DID come off the back of a truck -- it was stolen from it.
* Pops up a few times in ''LawAndOrder''.
* ''TheSimpsons'': The trope is zanily parodied (as is usual for ''The Simpsons''). When Homer is asked how he acquired a ''truck'', he answers, "It fell off a truck-truck." It is immediately used again in the same scene, where Bart drives a ''truck-truck'' and is asked where he got it. He answers, "It fell off a truck-truck... -truck." Maggie then drives onto the scene with a truck-truck-truck.
* In ''HarryPotter'', Mundungus Fletcher claims a bunch of cauldrons he has "fell off the back of a [[FlyingBroomstick broom]]".

* In ''TheDrewCareyShow'', Lewis sells a Mimi some experimental make-up from DrugCo saying, "Let's just say it fell off the back of a truck." When Mimi asks where he got it, he says "Like I said, it fell off the back of a truck!" implying that it ''really'' fell off the back of a truck.
* The Bucko and Champs song ''Here Comes Christmas Bob'' contains the line in the chorus:
-->Here comes Christmas Bob
-->Selling cheap prezzies in the pub
-->If you've got the cash, then you're in luck
-->Get a VCR off the back of a truck.
* Not surprisingly, [[{{Ptitle5nn0czid}} Crazy Redd]] in ''AnimalCrossing'' claims to deal in "everything that fell off the back of a truck."
* Arona Daal from ''{{Startopia}}'' uses this line when selling you medical supplies in the second mission, claiming "it fell off the back of a [hospital] trolley."
* Occurs a lot in ''OnlyFoolsAndHorses''.
* In ''MechCommander 2'' (or in the manual, can't remember at the moment), your battlefield tactical command and control console "Fell off the back of an Armored Personnel Carrier".
* ''Class of 3000'': "Where did you get that rocket?" "It fell off the back of a truck!"
* While [[HonestJohnsDealership Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler]] (of {{Discworld}} fame) is best known for selling [[MasochistsMeal nearly-inedible foods]], he has been known to deal in "absolutely anything that could be sold hurriedly from an open suitcase in a busy street and was guaranteed to have fallen off the back of an oxcart".
* Jerry {{Seinfeld}} once buys his father a $200 organizer, but claims he got it for $50, hinting that it may have come from this source. His father is proud that Jerry made such a smart move (which is why Jerry claimed it).
* The classic juvenile novel ''The Borribles'' played with this trope. Mentions of things falling off the backs of lorries would be followed by comments about how bumpy the roads are in London, or what a useful thing gravity is. Pretty much all the characters were professional thieves of one sort or other and were using the phrase with heavy irony.
* In ''SmallSoldiers'', Alan uses this trope on Joe, the Globotech delivery man, when begging him to let his dad's store have a set of Commando Elite action figures as well as a set of Gorgonite action figures (neither of which had been officially released yet, which could have lead to a lot of trouble for Joe if word got out about the new toys being there).
--> '''Alan:''' What, you're telling me that, in all the time you've run deliveries, nothing has ever just...fallen off the back of the truck?
--> '''Joe:''' Hey, I don't like your tone.
--> '''Alan:''' S-sorry.
--> '''Joe:''' *leans closer* It's too loud.

* In ''WorldOfWarcraft'' one Ethreal smuggler will sometimes try to sell passing players an item that he says fell off the back of a pack mule.
* Used in ''TheSopranos'' when Tony gives his neighbor a box of expensive cigars.
* In ''[=~Dad's Army~=]'' anything that Walker supplies. Although he rightly points out: "these things don't just fall off the back of a truck of their own accord, they've got to be pushed" when defending that his job is indeed difficult.
* In ''EverybodyHatesChris'', Chris is able to sell truckloads of cookies by falsely saying they "fell off the truck this morning". [[BookEmDanno Guess what happens next]].
* I have heard the phrase "it fell off the back of a torrent" to jokingly say that you have downloaded pirated stuff.

* On an episode of ''White Collar,'' a career criminal caught with a briefcase full of gold coins claims they "fell off a truck." Subverted to some extent because he clearly is being sarcastic and his next line is, "I want to talk to my lawyer."
* RedDawn: A literal example, several boxes of food fall off the back of a [[RedsWithRockets Soviet]] supply truck as a convoy stops for a moment before driving off. Also a subversion: [[spoiler:It's a trap. As soon as they take the bait, they're ambushed by Spetsnatz troopers and attack helicopters.]]

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->According to my supplier, it "fell off the back of a truck." But then, he once got me a humvee [sic] that fell off the back of a Hercules cargo plane...

** This troper has heard that the origin of the phrase was that the driver of said truck pushed the items in question, probably outside a pub, and that the phrase was his excuse for what had happened to them.

* While [[HonestJohnsDealership Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler]] (of {{Discworld}} fame) is best known for selling [[MasochistsMeal nearly-inedible foods]], he has been known to deal in "absolutely anything that can be guaranteed to have fallen off the back of an oxcart".