History Main / OutOfContextEavesdropping

* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'': In the "Tunnel of Lost Love" OVA episode, Ryōga teams up with Ukyō in another attempt to split Ramna and Akane. The plan backfires due to Ryōga repeatedly defending Akane from the spirits inside, which causes Ukyō to become upset with him and leads Akane to misinterpret it as jealousy. This sets up the scene where Ryōga apologizes and is dragged off by Ukyō so they can speak in private. Akane then tells Ranma her suspicions about Ukyō's feelings for Ryōga, [[DatePeepers prompting them to follow and eavesdrop]], in time to overhear the following exchange:
-->'''Ryōga:''' (''to Ukyō'') Please, I give you my word of honor!\\
'''Ukyō:''' (''petulantly'') How can I trust you?\\
'''Ryōga:''' We can start over, can't we? I'll never betray you again.\\
'''Ukyō:''' If only I could believe you were telling the truth...\\

* Happens a few times in HeyArnold. In one episode Arnold mistakenly thinks his teacher is in love with him when she's actually talking about her fiance with the same name, and another time he and Gerald think Mr. Green the butcher's life is in danger when a few people say they're going to "get him".

* OrderOfTheStick: Miko overheard Lord Shojo discussing the fact that he told his paladins some lies, and concluded that he betrayed the city. He actually told those lies because the paladins are so traditional, they wouldn't let him do what he thought was needed to save the whole world.

This trope is a NarrativeDevice in which an eavesdropper hears part of a statement or conversation out of context and leaps to the wrong conclusion. It is a very specific aversion of ExactEavesdropping which was popularized, on television at least, by ''Series/ThreesCompany'', but is OlderThanDirt. Often {{Lampshaded}} or [[SubvertedTrope suvberted]] but just as often played straight, making it a bit of an UndeadHorseTrope.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' episode "Party of One", Pinkie Pie overhears everypony else in the Mane Six planning ''something'' without her, and they even say at one point "If Pinkie Pie finds out, everything will be ruined!" She concludes that they don't want her as a friend anymore, but they are really just throwing a surprise party in her honor.

** Lisa in The Simpsons episode "Dude, Where's My Ranch" overhears her cowboy crush talking to a girl named Clara and thinks she's his girlfriend. She finds out the truth, that Clara's his sister...but not before her jealousy gets the better of her and she sends Clara down a dangerous trail.

* Happens a few times in Hey Arnold. In one episode Arnold mistakenly thinks his teacher is in love with him when she's actually talking about her fiance with the same name, and another time he and Gerald think Mr. Green the butcher's life is in danger when a few people say they're going to "get him".

* Happens a few times in Hey Arnold. In one episode Arnold mistakenly thinks his teacher is in love with him when she's actually talking about her fiance with the same name, and another time he and Gerald think Mr. Green the butcher's life is in danger when a few people say they're going to "get him".

* In ''Film/DownWithLove'', a secretary overhears Creator/EwanMcGregor and Creator/DavidHydePierce discussing a new kind of sock that obviates the need for sock garters in such a way as to mistake them for comparing penises. [[DoubleEntendre "It stays up all day long!"]] and "Well, how long does a man's hose need to be?" are just a few examples.

* ''Series/DiffrentStrokes'': In an early episode Willis & Arnold (black) plan to run away because they overhear their adopted father (white) saying that black boys should be put with black families, thinking that he didn't want them; but he didn't believe in that, he was telling someone else what a black buttinski said to him before he threw him out.

* In the 1947 comedy ''Film/{{Copacabana}}'', Lionel and Carmen have made up a fake stage persona, [[EveryoneLooksSexierIfFrench Mlle. Fifi]]. When they decide to dump the persona, an old woman hears them joking about it and misinterprets them as saying that they murdered Fifi (who no-one else knows was just Carmen in a veil with a [[EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench French]] [[GratuitousFrenchPhrases accent]]). HilarityEnsues.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' episode "Party of One", Pinkie Pie overhears everypony else in the Mane Six talking about how they don't want her around, She assumes that they don't want her as a friend anymore, but they are really just throwing her a surprise party.

** In book five. [[spoiler:It turns out Snape was the one who told the prophecy to Voldemort, which lead him to try to kill Harry. However, he only heard the part labeling Harry, and not why he would be dangerous, leading to his initial downfall.]]

* In the 1947 comedy ''Film/Copacabana'', Lionel and Carmen have made up a fake stage persona, [[EveryoneLooksSexierIfFrench Mlle. Fifi]]. When they decide to dump the persona, an old woman hears them joking about it and misinterprets them as saying that they murdered Fifi (who no-one else knows was just Carmen in a veil with a [[EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench French]] [[GratuitousFrenchPhrases accent]]). HilarityEnsues.

* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' has a couple of these, most obviously when a bunch of the girls overhear FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire Evangeline requesting that Negi pay for that day's [[TrainingFromHell training session]], which goes something along these lines:
-->'''Evangeline:''' Hurry and whip it out, boy!\\

** By the way, the payment was sucking blood from his arm.

-->'''Chachamaru:''' I have been serving as Negi's partner every night and he seems to be happy about it.

* [[RanmaOneHalf Ranma 1/2]]: In the "Tunnel of Lost Love" OVA episode, Ryoga teams up with Ukyo in another attempt to split Ramna and Akane. The plan backfires due to Ryoga repeatedly defending Akane from the spirits inside. Which causes Ukyo to become upset with him and leads Akane to misinterpret it as jealousy. This sets up the scene where Ryoga apologizes and is dragged off by Ukyo so they can speak in private. Akane then tells Ranma her suspicions about Ukyo's feelings for Ryoga, [[DatePeepers prompting them to follow and eavesdrop]], in time to overhear the following exchange:
-->'''Ryoga: (to Ukyo)''' "Please, I give you my word of honor!"
-->'''Ukyo: (petulantly)''' "How can I trust you?"
-->'''Ryoga:''' "We can start over, can't we? I'll never betray you again."
-->'''Ukyo:''' "If only I could believe you were telling the truth..."
-->'''*Ranma and Akane gasp in realization and sneak away*'''
-->'''Akane:''' "I ''knew'' it! Ranma they're... THOSE TWO ARE IN LOVE!!"
-->'''Ranma: ([[LargeHam dramatically amidst fireworks display]])''' "WELL WADDYA KNOW!?"

[[folder:Comics]]
* Used in an infamous storyline in the ''ComicStrip/{{Popeye}}'' comic strip; A woman overhears Olive Oyl talking about getting rid of a baby robot a home shopping channel had mistakenly sent her and assumes she's talking about getting rid of her (unborn) baby and quickly assembles a crew of her cohorts to talk her out of it. Although there was little negative feedback from readers or newspapers, the artist behind this strip was soon fired (The official reason being that the artist had gone too far in trying to include modern elements into such a legacy strip. The "abortion" strip was merely the last straw).
* In "The Power of the Press" in ''Mad House Comic Digest'' #5 a member of a betting syndicate was accidentally run over by one of the main characters and woke up in their apartment just in time to overhear them discussing what to do with the "dead fish on ice" - i.e., the one in the refrigerator. After escaping, he complained to his boss that "They were as casual as if they were talking about ''lunch''!"

[[folder:Film]]

* In the 1947 comedy ''Copacabana'', Lionel and Carmen have made up a fake stage persona, [[EveryoneLooksSexierIfFrench Mlle. Fifi]]. When they decide to dump the persona, an old woman hears them joking about it and misinterprets them as saying that they murdered Fifi (who no-one else knows was just Carmen in a veil with a [[EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench French]] [[GratuitousFrenchPhrases accent]]). HilarityEnsues.

* In ''Literature/{{Harry Potter|and the Philosophers Stone}}'', Harry overhears what seems to be Snape forcing Quirrell to help him steal the Stone. It turns out [[spoiler:''Quirrell'' was after the Stone and Snape, suspecting as much, was trying to scare him into giving up on it.]]
** In book five. [[spoiler: It turns out Snape was the one who told the prophecy to Voldemort, which lead him to try to kill Harry. However, he only heard the part labeling Harry, and not why he would be dangerous, leading to his initial downfall.]]

[[folder:LiveActionTelevision]]
* This premise was the plot of roughly 2/3s of the episodes of ''ThreesCompany''.

* In the ''{{Babylon 5}}'' episode "Rumors, Bargains and Lies", Delenn and Neroon are in private conference onboard a ship discussing how to resolve the Minbari Civil War. Delenn says that neither the Warrior Caste nor the Religious Caste should be allowed to win the war because it would unbalance society--but a Religious Caste member walks by the room and hears only the part that the Religious caste should not win the war. He thus concludes that Delenn is betraying her caste and surrendering the war to Neroon's Warrior Caste, which leads to the Religious Caste members (who crew the ship they are travelling on) to plot to sabotage the ship's life support so that it doesn't reach Minbar.
* In an episode of ''Series/TheBlackAdder'' a couple of knights overhear the king talking to his wife saying how satisfied he is with the current Archbishop, and won't ever again have to say "will no one rid me of this TurbulentPriest?" Unfortunately they only hear that last part where he's quoting himself, so they go off to slay the Archbishop to get in the king's good graces.
* In an episode of ''TheMuppetShow'', Fozzie keeps hearing remarks that sound like the others want to get rid of him and only Gonzo is on his side. Of course, ''we'' know that the bear in question is Gonzo's teddy bear, but Fozzie doesn't find this out until the end of the episode, when Kermit reassures him that he never intends to fire Fozzie.

[[folder:WesternAnimation]]
* In TheSimpsons episode "My Pods and Boomsticks," Homer, who is prejudiced against the new Muslim family, hears the father talking about his demolition job. Unfortunately, the parts of the conversation that Homer hears makes it sound like he is a suicide bomber.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' episode "Model Sponge", [=SpongeBob=] overhears Mr. Krabs talking about how it's time for him to "let the little guy go", and assumes he's getting laid off from the Krusty Krab. After [=SpongeBob=] leaves the restaurant to find a new job, however, the audience sees that the "little guy" Mr. Krabs was referring to is actually a scallop. [=SpongeBob=], of course, doesn't know this until he returns to the Krusty Krab near the end, asking Mr. Krabs not to fire him.

* Played with in ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime''. In "Crystals Are Powerful," Jake has a flashback of accidentally hurting his brother during a friendly boxing match, after which his father laughs and tells him that he'll "hurt everyone," causing Jake to try to become an ActualPacifist at the least opportune moment. It takes a vision of his father clarifying that he meant to say that Jake will "hurt everyone ''who's evil''" and that Jake should really let a guy finish next time to snap Jake out of his funk. It is unclear what prevented Jake's father from finishing his sentence or why he didn't clarify his intention at some point in the years since.

* The ''WesternAnimation/ThomasTheTankEngine'' episode [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NolKsx27tRo Percy's Big Mistake]] had Percy overhearing The Fat Controller say something about scrap and thought it meant he was to be scrapped (he's a steam engine). [[spoiler: The Fat Controller actually said that Percy was working to hard recently and so after taking some scrap metal to the smelters he would be given the somewhat easier job of carrying the mail for a week]].

* In the MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic episode "Party of One", Pinkie Pie overhears everypony else in the Mane Six talking about how they don't want her around, She assumes that they don't want her as a friend anymore, but they are really just throwing her a surprise party.

[[/folder]]

* Played with in ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime''. In "Crystals Are Powerful," Jake has a flashback of accidentally hurting his brother during a friendly boxing match, after which his father laughs and tells him that he'll "hurt everyone," causing Jake to try to become an ActualPacifist at the least opportune moment. It takes a vision of his father clarifying that he meant to say that Jake will "hurt everyone ''who's evil''" and that Jake should really let a guy finish next time to snap Jake out of his funk. It is unclear what prevented Jake's father from finishing his sentence or why he didn't clarify his intention at some point in the years since.

Often a form of ContrivedCoincidence. A common source of ThirdActMisunderstanding. Compare PoorCommunicationKills, where the speaker and not the listener is at fault for the misunderstanding. See also: BathroomStallOfOverheardInsults, OneSideOfTheStory, NotWhatItLooksLike. Can result in half or more of the entries on the MistakenForIndex.

* A scene from ''Look Who's Talking!'' has James pulling out a splinter from Molly's finger. Her mother overhears and assume they're having sex. When James comes out, he ''zips his fly''.