History Main / OutOfContextEavesdropping

* ''Series/TheAddamsFamily'': In one episode, Morticia and Uncle Fester, already in a panic after reading a newspaper story about a stock-market tumble, overhear Gomez on the phone with his broker. Hearing the words "broke", "penniless", and "wiped out", they think that Gomez is financially ruined. He was trying to buy his own railroad as a surprise for Morticia.

* ''VideoGame/{{Detention}}'': the plot is kicked off by Ray hearing an out-of-context conversation and deciding to act on her own instead of discussing it with anyone. As a result, [[spoiler:she inadvertently gets all members of the book club arrested, forces [[CoolTeacher Ms. Yin]] to flee the country, and gets [[TeacherStudentRomance Mr. Chang]] killed, and, upon realisation, kills herself in remorse]]. PoorCommunicationKills at its finest.

** In "For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils", Sweetie thinks her older sister, Rarity, deliberately upstaged her at her own birthday party: when Sweetie made her big entrance to the party, the guests were all distracted by cake and party favors that Rarity had just handed out, and they were saying "Who even needs the birthday girl?" Sweetie Belle only discovers the context years later: the guests were bored from waiting for Sweetie's entrance, so Rarity passed out the cake and party favors as a last-ditch effort to keep them from leaving, and when the guests praised her, she responded that the party swag were all Sweetie's doing.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheCupheadShow'': The plot for "Dirt Nap" gets started when Elder Kettle overhears Cuphead and Mugman from the other side of a barely closed door, thinking they're talking about him. It starts out as the cups talking about how he's not as youthful as he used to be, then about how they might have to "take him out of his misery", and finally, burying him in the backyard. [[spoiler:They are actually talking about their pet earthworm.]]

** In the episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS20E7MypodsAndBoomsticks 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 another episode, Marge listens in on Bart and Milhouse playing a card game and thinks Bart is dealing drugs. Lampshaded, where she mentions that she listened to it out of context.
** Lisa in the episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS14E18DudeWheresMyRanch 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.

* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3050527/1/Voices-carry Voices carry]]'' Ron overhears what he thinks is Snape and Dumbledore having sex. In actuality they're trying to put the cork back in a wine bottle.

* During the prom episode in ''Series/

* One episode of ''Series/NedsDeclassifiedSchoolSurvivalGuide'' centers around a rumor that Ned likes Moze from a comment he made earlier. What he meant was he liked ''calling her''' Moze.

* The ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends'' episode "Arrivaderci, Odie" had Garfield break Jon's vase and attempt to make Odie take the rap. After Garfield is out of sight, Jon does believe Odie broke the vase, but doesn't get mad at Odie and proceeds to drive the dog to Dr. Liz Wilson when Odie starts sneezing. A bit later, Jon finally gets rid of a fly that was bugging him at home by taking Liz's advice of opening a window and waiting for the fly to get out. Garfield wakes from his nap to see that Odie isn't present and overhears Jon gloating over the phone of finally being rid of an insect, which causes Garfield to assume that Jon got rid of Odie for breaking the vase.

* ''Fanfic/TheBoltChronicles'': In "The Party," Mittens overhears two cats talking about the title event after emerging from a nearby apartment building. Given what they're saying, she assumes they just emerged from the party, but it turns out the shindig occured the previous evening.

* In [[https://www.deviantart.com/muk854/art/Naegiri-Week-2018-Sound-778379587 this]] ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'', Sayaka, Leon, Mukuro and Junko all hear moans of pleasure coming from Kyoko while she and Makoto are inside his room, they jump to the conclusion that the duo are having sex. In actuality, Makoto is giving Kyoko a massage.

* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'': In the "Tunnel of Lost Love" OVA episode, Ryouga teams up with Ukyo; in another attempt to split Ramna and Akane. The plan backfires due to Ryouga 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 Ryouga apologizes and is dragged off by Ukyo; so they can speak in private. Akane then tells Ranma her suspicions about Ukyo's feelings for Ryouga, [[DatePeepers prompting them to follow and eavesdrop]], in time to overhear the following exchange:
-->'''Ryouga:''' (''to Ukyo;'') Please, I give you my word of honor!\\
'''Ukyo:''' (''petulantly'') How can I trust you?\\

(''Ranma and Akane gasp in realization and sneak away'')\\

'''Ranma:''' (''[[LargeHam dramatically amidst fireworks display]]'') WELL WADDYA KNOW!?

* In ''Manga/TegamiBachiLetterBee'', As Nelli gets home from a shopping trip, she finds her DelicateAndSickly brother Nello writing a letter to their friend Jiggy Pepper, who left town to become a Letter Bee. Nelli hears Nello through the window, as he sobs and tells Jiggy that he's "so angry." Nello dies a week later, and Nelli assumes that he was angry with Jiggy for leaving them behind. In reality, Nello had promised Jiggy that he'd look after Nelli, and was angry about not being able to fulfill that promise.

* In Creator/JohnByrne's ''ComicBook/BatmanAndCaptainAmerica'' crossover, Private Steve Rogers has been assigned to bodyguard Bruce Wayne, supposedly because his connections to the Gotham Project make him a target for the Joker's espionage, but secretly because the Army think Bruce has a SuspiciouslyCleanCriminalRecord and may be the mastermind behind the whole thing. After a few days of this Bruce and Dick are discussing how this hampers their activities Batman and Robin, and Cap arrives at the window just in time to hear Bruce say he's going to have to ditch Rogers because he's got an appointment with the Joker...

* In the ''Manga/LoveHina'' fic ''Fanfic/ContractLabor'', Motoko overhears Kitsune talking on the phone with Haruka about how Keitaro saved Naru from getting kidnapped at knife-point by a gang, and Keitaro is currently with the police talking it over. Having only heard Kitsune's side of the conversation, and already fully prepared to believe the worst in Keitaro as it is, Motoko automatically assumes that Keitaro had assaulted Naru and attacks him with her sword when he returns to the Hinata House, only to get T.K.O.'d by Kanako in retaliation. When Motoko comes to the next morning, she meets her sister Tsuruko, who wastes no time in [[WhatTheHellHero chewing her out]] for jumping to conclusions so quickly based on what little information she heard.
* The sequel to ''Fanfic/TheDarkLordsOfNerima'' has [[Manga/SailorMoon Luna]] go to the [[Manga/RanmaOneHalf Tendo Dojo]] to gather information on the eponymous Dark Lords. There, she overhears Ranma and Akane talking about the usual chaos that afflicts Nerima, and an upcoming meeting with the Sailor Senshi to try and sort out the misunderstanding, but since she misses key portions of the conversation, she becomes more convinced than ever that Ramna intends to take over the world and the meeting with the Senshi is a trap.

* In ''Fanfic/ThePeaceNotPromised'', Severus and Lily's breakfast conversation in the Great Hall leads Hagrid to believe that she's pregnant, and being as loose lipped as he is, he spreads the story around amongst the staff. Cue staff members keeping Lily away from alcohol, fussing about which potions she's allowed to brew, ensuring that she wraps up warmly, but never directly approaching her about it.
* In the ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' fanfic ''[[Fanfic/{{Eleutherophobia}} THX 1138]]'', Tom overhears his dad compare [[FictionalDisability Post-Infestation Affective Blunting Syndrome]] to the negative symptoms of schizophrenia, and assumes at first that ex-hosts such as him ''have'' schizophrenia.

* In the ''Series/SamAndCat'' fic "[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/30171864/ #GrandFinale]]", after Sam and Cat start dating, when Carly comes to Los Angeles for a visit, Cat overhears Sam on a phone call that she takes to be about how Sam is going to dump her for Carly, when in reality Sam's talking with Freddie about her own realisation that she's over her past crush on Carly and has fallen for Cat, to the extent that Cat leaves before Sam explicitly calls Cat her girlfriend.
* The ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' fic "[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2050116/1/Equal-Romance-01-Tension-Living Equal Romance 01: Tension Living]]" features a complex version of this. When Kim and Ron are stuck together for over a week after Drakken's latest device forces them to hold hands for that time (they can change ''which'' hand they're holding but they have to stay in contact), another side-effect of the link is an erratic telepathic connection that allows them to occasionally hear each other's thoughts. Ron uses the opportunity to try and subtly make Kim aware of his deeper feelings for her, but when they're about to sever the connection, Kim overhears only ''some'' of Ron's thoughts, and mistakes Ron's thoughts of joy that they're taking a new step in their relationship for self-satisfaction that he drove away Kim's current love interest and he has her all to himself.
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9576027/1/The-Day-When-Ron-Did-What-Ron-Does-Best The Day When Ron Did What Ron Does Best]]'' Ron overhears what he thinks is Harry and Ginny about to have sex. It turns out that Harry is piercing her ears.
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3050527/1/Voices-carry Voices carry]]'' Ron overhears what he thinks is Snape and Dumbledore having sex. In actuality they're trying to put the cork back in a wine bottle.
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3057244/1/Mixing-It-Up Mixing It Up]]'' Harry overhears what he thinks is Hermione and Susan talking about sex, when they're really trying to decide on the cocktails to be served at Ginny's birthday party.
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3752722/1/Getting-Another-One Getting Another One]]'' Ron and Ginny overhear what they think is Harry and Hermione having sex, when they're actually trying to fit a new bookshelf into too small of a space.
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3799210/1/Cocksure Cocksure]]'' Draco overhears what he thinks is his father, Snape and Remus comparing penis sizes, when they're actually talking about their pet cockatoos.
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5363879/1/Did-I-Hear-that-Right Did I Hear that Right?]]'' Harry overhears what he thinks is Hermione having sex with Fred, George and a cucumber. It turns out that the twins are painting a still life while Hermione holds a fruit bowl at the proper height.
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11660786/1/Simple-Misunderstandings Simple Misunderstandings]]'' Ron, Hermione and Draco overhear what they think is Snape and Harry having sex. In reality, Harry is giving Snape a massage.
* In [[https://www.deviantart.com/muk854/art/Naegiri-Week-2018-Sound-778379587 this]] ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'', Sayaka, Leon, Mukuro and Junko all hear moans of pleasure coming from Kyoko while she and Makoto are inside his room, they jump to the conclusion that the duo are having sex. In actuality, Makoto is giving Kyoko a massage.
* ''Fanfic/TheBoltChronicles'': In "The Party," Mittens overhears two cats talking about the title event after emerging from a nearby apartment building. Given what they're saying, she assumes they just emerged from the party, but it turns out the shindig occured the previous evening.
* Happens twice in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4037542/1/When-True-Love-Comes-Between-Two-Duelists When True Love Comes Between Two Duelists]]; Fubuki overhears a rather suggestive conversation between his sister and Judai, [[KnightTemplarBigBrother prompting him to]] [[OpenSaysMe burst into the room]] and find them...playing video games. [[RuleOfThree The third time this happens]] is an aversion, but by that point Fubuki, thinking he's wised up and not wanting to embarrass himself a third time, [[GaveUpTooSoon just walks away]].
* In Chapter 8 of ''Fanfic/TheSeasonsMyReason'', [[Anime/YesPrettyCure5 Nozomi]] overhears some screaming and shouts of "Push!" coming from a hospital room and believes someone inside is having a baby. In reality, [[Anime/HealinGoodPrettyCure Chiyu]] is trying to push [[Anime/TropicalRougePrettyCure Manatsu]] out of a tunnel in the wall she's gotten stuck in, and Sango is screaming while trying to squish a bug.

[''[[PoorCommunicationKills thinking Rita's going to sell him to The Toad,]] Roddy leaves quietly, but doesn't hear this part'']\\

'''Liam:''' ''[looks out the window]'' He's gonna steal your boat.\\

''[She looks out the window and sees Roddy leaving on the Jammy Dodger]''

--> '''Agent''': I sold one! The woman! I got $100 for her!

* In ''Film/ShallWeDance'' (1937), a policeman overhears Linda and Peter discussing the dilemma caused by the newspapers publishing "evidence" of their (nonexistent) secret marriage. Linda is suggesting that [[ItMakesSenseInContext Peter marry her so they can then have a public divorce]], but the policeman thinks they're talking about ... [[HonorableMarriageProposal something else.]]

''[The policeman looks shocked.]''\\

''[The policeman frowns disapprovingly.]''\\

'''Peter:''' All right. ''[The policeman smiles.]'' But where can we get a license? Everybody in New York knows us now.\\
''[The policeman casually strolls past them.]''\\

* In ''Film/{{Rags}}'', Charlie happens to be cleaning the hallway when Kadee, Finn, and her father are discussing how much time Kadee is spending with him. She sarcastically points out that someone like her has no reason to be spending so much time with a janitor who mops the floors she walks on, and he walks away in annoyance before she sincerely calls him cooler than anyone else in the building.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter''

* Played very much [[PlayedForDrama for drama]] in ''Literature/WutheringHeights.'' Heathcliff overhears Cathy say that she's resolved to marry Edgar because it would degrade her to marry Heathcliff now. He doesn't stay long enough to hear her confess that she truly does love Heathcliff as her own being, and that a key part of why she's chosen Edgar is so she can share her new wealth with Heathcliff and help him escape from Hindley's abuse. Cue Heathcliff's FaceHeelTurn and twenty-year RoaringRampageOfRevenge on everyone who led Cathy away from him and their children too.

* This is the catalyst for the plot of "Let It Go" from ''Series/BearInTheBigBlueHouse''. Tutter overhears Bear and Doc Hogg having a conversation about it having not rained much lately. As usual, it's Doc Hogg who's doing most of the talking and he says that it's going to get mighty dry. He says he's starting to wonder if it's ever going to rain again. Tutter takes this to mean that it's never going to rain again in Woodland Valley and spreads this around to all of the other kids of the Big Blue House. However, he didn't hear the rest of it.
-->'''Bear''': (''shaking his head'') Oh, Doc. Don't worry, I'm sure it will rain very soon. In fact, let's see if we can get a weather report on the radio. (''turns on radio, the forecaster says that there's a storm coming'')

* ''VideoGame/{{Detention}}'': the plot is kicked off by Ray hearing an out-of-context conversation and deciding to act on her own instead of discussing it with anyone. As a result, [[spoiler:she inadvertently gets all members of the book club arrested, forces [[CoolTeacher Ms. Yin]] to flee the country, and gets [[TeacherStudentRomance Mr. Chang]] killed, and, upon realisation, kills herself in remorse]]. PoorCommunicationKills at its finest.

* In ''Webcomic/ScaryGoRound'', Desmond overheard Shelley and Amy talking (jokingly) about how Ryan ought to leave, and misunderstood them as talking about him, causing him to run away. [[http://scarygoround.com/sgr/ar.php?date=20090109 (Link)]]

-->'''Aladdin:''' I didn't ''ask'' Abu to leave! I-I'm ''glad'' he's gone! He can just stay away forever!
-->''(Abu, feeling betrayed, lowers his head and sadly walks away)''
-->'''Aladdin:''' ''(sigh)'' Who am I kidding? I miss that furry little guy.

--->'''Stan:''' As far as I'm concerned, we only have ''one'' child! It's like someone left the other one on our doorstep!
--->'''Steve:''' ''(gasps and starts sobbing)''
--->'''Roger:''' [[LampshadeHanging Oh, I just love it when crap lines up like that.]]

* In the WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}} episode "Arthur and the Real Mr. Ratburn", Arthur and Buster, upon overhearing Mr. Ratburn talking on the phone where he states he needs "boys' heads", [[LiteralMinded thinks that he actually wants]] [[OffWithHisHead boy's heads]]. [[spoiler:It's not until after they follow him around and into a carnival that he meant heads to make puppets for his show.]]

-->'''Dad:''' Well, how about the last time I caught ''you'' cheating?! How ''easily'' you seem to forget who dealt the cards then!
-->'''Mom:''' That was different! I told you that the jack of spades was wild!
-->'''Dexter:''' Who is Jack?
-->'''Dee Dee:''' Whoever he is, he must be more exciting than Dad.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/DonkeyKongCountry'' episode "From Zero to Hero", Bluster Kong has an X-ray, which reveals something wrong with the machine. Bluster overhears Cranky, Donkey and Diddy Kong talking about how they just got Bluster's X-ray and "doesn't look good" and they'd "give it a week". However, Bluster leaves before he hears the context, thinking that he is the one they were talking about and that he is going to die soon.

-->'''Dad:''' What do you mean you've got a bun in the oven?!
-->'''Lincoln:''' ''(gasp)'' YOU GUYS!!!
-->'''Dad:''' You know I'm gluten-free!

-->'''Clown:''' So you want me to throw them out just like that? Why don't I just eat 'em?
-->'''Professor:''' Eh, be my guest.
-->''(Bubbles faints from [[ImAHumanitarian the implications]])''

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs1981'' episode "Smurf Me No Flowers", Brainy goes to talk to Papa Smurf about Lazy's problems with insomnia when he overhears Papa Smurf saying, "Oh, what a pity...if only he had come to me sooner, perhaps I could have helped, but now I'm afraid it's too late." Brainy thinks it's Papa Smurf talking about [[MistakenForDying Lazy's problems being a prelude to something worse]] and goes to tell his fellow Smurfs about it, but in reality it's Papa Smurf talking about Vanity's withered plant.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'', Helen picks up the phone and hears Bob speaking to a woman she doesn't know, but misses the part of the conversation about Bob getting a new assignment and only hears his eagerness to leave in the morning to meet with her. The whole conversation might have clued her in that Bob was actually doing secret superhero work again. Instead Bob's recently changed behavior which includes him buying a new sports car and getting in shape as well as Helen having just found a [[AffairHair long, blond hair]] on his tuxedo leads her to the conclusion that Bob is cheating on her.

''[thinking Rita's going to sell him to The Toad, Roddy leaves quietly, but doesn't hear this part]''\\

''Liam:''' [[DeadpanSnarker He stole your boat.]]\\

''[thinking Rita's going to sell him to The Toad, Roddy leaves quietly, but doesn't hear this part]]''\\

* In the first ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' film, Shrek is about to confess his love to Fiona, when he overhears Fiona talking to Donkey, saying that no one could love a monster like an ogre. Of course, he is unaware that she is talking about the curse that turns ''her'' into an ogre, which she conveniently doesn't explicitly mention again until just ''after'' Shrek gets disgusted and leaves.

* The ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' fic "[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2050116/1/Equal-Romance-01-Tension-Living Equal Romance 01: Tension Living]]" features a complex version of this. When Kim and Ron are stuck together for over a week after Drakken's latest device forces them to hold hands for that time (they can change ''which'' hand they're holding but they have to stay in contact), another side-effect of the link is an erratic telepathic link that allows them to occasionally hear each other's thoughts. Ron uses the opportunity to try and subtly make Kim aware of his deeper feelings for her, but when they're about to sever the connection, Kim overhears only ''some'' of Ron's thoughts, and mistakes Ron's thoughts of joy that they've reaffirmed their old friendship for self-satisfaction that he drove away Kim's current love interest and he has her all to himself.

* One episode of ''Anime/MagicalPrincessMinkyMomo'' begins with Momo’s MuggleFosterParents discussing a troublesome “she”, saying that she is a nuisance and that [[HatedByAll no one in town likes her]] so it will be difficult to convince her to leave, while unbeknownst to them [[TalkingAnimal Mocha]] overhears them in the hall and promptly jumps to the conclusion that they are going to cast Momo onto the streets to fend for herself, so he rushes to tell Momo about this, causing her to [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome immediately ask her parents if it’s true]], to which they say they would never treat their daughter that way and they were actually talking about a GrumpyOldLady whom they are trying to convince to go on a bus trip with the rest of the neighborhood, without success, resolving this misunderstanding within the first two minutes of the episode. Momo’s other animal friends then quip that Mocha was an idiot.

* ''Series/TheDickVanDykeShow'': In "[[Recap/TheDickVanDykeShowS5E10GoTellTheBirdsAndTheBees Go Tell the Birds and the Bees]]", Rob and Laura get a call that Ritchie has been telling the other students the facts of life. One of Ritchie's female classmates calls him, and Rob and Laura eavesdrop, thinking that he's giving another of his lectures. He says that the process usually takes three months, but it can take almost a year if the family doesn't eat much cereal. When they ask him about it, it turns out Ritchie was just talking about sending in box tops to get a toy helicopter.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-5D9Gtceqw Akane]] accuses Tsutsuji of being a pornstar in an attempt to make her boyfriend Tokusa break up with her due to Akane thinking he is rich and owns several lands. [[spoiler: Tsutsuji's friend Karin reveals that Tsutsuji [[FormerlyFat was overweight in high school]] and often mistaken for being that pornstar because they look alike, Tokusa also reveals that he isn't rich at all and has hemorrhoids[[labelnote:note]]''Jinushi'' can refer to both "owning several lands" and "having hemorrhoids" in Japanese.[[/labelnote]], the reveal causes Akane to run away crying. The whole incident started because Akane eavesdropped Tsutsuji and Karin talking about Tokusa's hemorrhoids in the cafeteria and misinterpreted the context.]]
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mD6j_eWDMh8 Yuzuriha]] "marries" Kuroki without him knowing because he was in coma due to an accident, claiming he is the heir of a large company and owns a Porsche. Kuroki's parents Tokusa and Karin end up going to court against Yuzuriha. [[spoiler: Hiiragi is then called by the judge and reveals the actual context about her claims; Kuroki is actually a farmer from the countryside, the "Porsche" is revealed to be a tractor named "Farm Road Porsche" and the "next company president" is actually a nickname for Kuroki because he was sharing vegetables his parents grew to poor students, including Hiiragi. The "marriage" ends up being nullified by the court's order. As it turns out, Yuzuriha lived next to Kuroki's apartment and eavesdropped him talking on phone with Hiiragi and she took the conversation between them completely out of context.]]

* ''Film/TheConversation'' is made of this.

* In the first ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' film Shrek is about to confess his love to Fiona, when he overhears Fiona talking to Donkey, saying that no one could love a monster like an ogre. Of course, he is unaware that she is talking about the curse that turns ''her'' into an ogre, which she conveniently doesn't explicitly mention again until just ''after'' Shrek gets disgusted and leaves.