History Main / VerbalBackpedaling

* In Creator/RichardWagner's ''[[Theatre/DerRingDesNibelungen Siegfried]]'', the dragon's blood acts as a reverse TruthSerum, allowing Siegfried (and the audience) to hear through Mime's lies. Several times, Mime lets his malicious intent slip, Siegfried questions him, he objects that he didn't say that, then continues in a soothing tone telling Siegfried YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness.

* In ''Theatre/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet'', when Judge Turpin first comes to Todd for a shave, he mentions that he is marrying his ward (unaware that she is actually Todd's daughter), and comments that she's "pretty as a rosebud." "Pretty as her mother," Todd adds, but covers with, "No, nothing," when the judge asks what he said.

* In one episode of ''[[CareBears Adventures in Care-a-Lot]]'', Grizzle is in disguise as [[DisguisedInDrag Busybody Bear]], spreading gossip to Cheer, Harmony, Trueheart, and Love-a-Lot in order to [[ItMakesSenseInContext break up their band]]. Each time, the bear he's gossiping with expresses disbelief, and so, after hearing "That doesn't sound like something they would say," for the fourth time, he slips up and mutters, "Of course they would, you silly Care Bear," in annoyance. Realizing what he's done, he clears his throat and says, "Ah, I mean, that's what I 'heard.'"

[[folder: Web Animation ]]

-->'''[[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]]:''' Have care how you speak! {{SelfDemonstrating/Loki}} is beyond reason, but [[ThickerThanWater he is of Asgard, and he's my brother]].\\

-->-- '''Dread Lord''', '''''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'''''

* ''Film/TheAvengers''

-->'''[[TheMightyThor Thor]]:''' Have care how you speak! {{Selfdemonstrating/Loki}} is beyond reason, but [[ThickerThanWater he is of Asgard, and he's my brother]].\\

-->'''Olaf''': Hey, where'd you guys go? We totally lost Marshmallow back there! ''(Marshmallow roars [[HesRightBehindMe right behind Olaf]])'' Hey, we were just talking about you! [[BlatantLies All good things, all good things...]]

-->'''Olaf''': Hey, where'd you guys go? We totally lost Marshmallow back there! ''(Marshmallow roars [[HesRightBehindMe right behind Olaf)'' Hey, we were just talking about you! [[BlatantLies All good things, all good things...]]

-->'''[[TheMightyThor Thor]]:''' Have care how you speak! {{ComicBook/Loki}} is beyond reason, but [[ThickerThanWater he is of Asgard, and he's my brother]].\\

-->-- '''Dread Lord''', '''''{{Warcraft}} 3'''''

* One of the hidden movies in Legendary Frog's ''[[http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/169933 Final Fantasy VII: All About Random Battles]]'' animation may count as this trope. In ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpV5lUtmHlc Yuffie Joins the Party]]'' GenkiGirl Yuffie pulls this until the last "What?"

* In the movie ''WesternAnimation/GrandmaGotRanOverByAReindeer'', Cousin [[GoldDigger Mel]] talks to herself about finding a way to sell Grandma's store for big bucks. She turns around to see the protagonist, Jake, who asks her what she said... Cue poorly thrown together excuse about her saying they'd need to sell a lot of fruitcake. Sure, that IS what she was helping with at the time, but still.

* In the movie ''Grandma Got Ran Over By a Reindeer'', Cousin [[GoldDigger Mel]] talks to herself about finding a way to sell Grandma's store for big bucks. She turns around to see the protagonist, Jake, who asks her what she said... Cue poorly thrown together excuse about her saying they'd need to sell a lot of fruitcake. Sure, that IS what she was helping with at the time, but still.

Villains seem particularly prone to this (due to their penchant for EvilGloating), especially if the BigBad and his [[TheDragon Dragon]] (or [[BigBadDuumvirate another Big Bad]]) don't get along well and [[TheStarscream one of them]] is secretly plotting to [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness betray the other]]; but it can really occur with any character who is [[NothingCanStopUsNow a little overconfident]]. For example, a Hero in the midst of a BadassBoast may accidentally [[ExplainingYourPowerToTheEnemy reveal too much about their particular powers]], giving their opponent information on how to defeat them.

But in most cases, their impromptu explanation is enough to drop the matter ... [[ChekhovsGun at least for now]].

[[quoteright:349:[[EerieCuties http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/echuh_3647.jpg]]]]

* Became an OverlyLongGag in the ''JosieAndThePussycats'' movie.
* Played with in ''DraculaDeadAndLovingIt''. When Dracula leaves the ball with Mina, Renfield runs after him calling "Master! Master!... I mean... Mister! Mister!" Shortly afterward:

* While not evil, Sam does this in ''CloudyWithAChanceOfMeatballs'' by backtracking any time she says something smart, as part of her ObfuscatingStupidity routine. Subverted in that Flint doesn't immediately forget whatever she said before backtracking.

* Somewhat of a [[SubvertedTrope subversion]] in ''PhineasAndFerb's Musical Cliptastic Countdown'': Dr. Doofenschmirtz does this with his plan to control people using his MIND-CONTROL-INATOR. When he realizes that all of what he just said was on-camera, he quickly says, "I meant, 'Mimes control my gator!'" Cut to two mimes and an alligator.

* In the ''SouthPark'' episode "Something Wall-Mart This Way Comes":

-->'''Kyle''': * coming back on screen* I heard that!

* Scudworth's constant muttering while the Board of Shadowy Figures plot the future of CloneHigh typically reveals his plan to create a clone-based theme park instead of an army. This tends to be perfectly audible to the Board.
* Another non-evil example in the ''FamilyGuy'' episode "Boys Do Cry" has Peter repeatedly blabbing to a cop when they're supposed to be on the run, but avoids suspicion by backtracking every time Lois nudges him.

* In ''Casina'' by the Roman playwright {{Plautus}}, the old man wants to sleep with the slave girl Casina his son is in love with. The old man makes a deal with his own slave overseer to marry the girl to the overseer, and then keep the wedding night activities for himself. Throughout the play, whenever things go his way, he gloats that he will be with Casina tonight. He is invariably overheard, several times by his wife, and says, "Er, I mean my overseer!" Making this trope OlderThanFeudalism.

* In Creator/RichardWagner's ''[[DerRingDesNibelungen Siegfried]]'', the dragon's blood acts as a reverse TruthSerum, allowing Siegfried (and the audience) to hear through Mime's lies. Several times, Mime lets his malicious intent slip, Siegfried questions him, he objects that he didn't say that, then continues in a soothing tone telling Siegfried YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness.

* In RichardWagner's ''[[DerRingDesNibelungen Siegfried]]'', the dragon's blood acts as a reverse TruthSerum, allowing Siegfried (and the audience) to hear through Mime's lies. Several times, Mime lets his malicious intent slip, Siegfried questions him, he objects that he didn't say that, then continues in a soothing tone telling Siegfried YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness.
* In ''Casina'' by the Roman playwright {{Plautus}}, the old man wants to sleep with the slave girl Casina his son is in love with. The old man makes a deal with his own slave overseer to marry the girl to the overseer, and then keep the wedding night activities for himself. Throughout the play, whenever things go his way, he gloats that he will be with Casina tonight. He is invariably overheard, several times by his wife, and says, "Er, I mean my overseer!" Making this trope {{Older than Feudalism}}.

* Scudworth's constant muttering while the Board of Shadowy Figures plot the future of CloneHigh typically reveals his plan to create a clone-based theme park instead of an army. This tends to be perfectly audible to the Board.

See also BadLiar and ImplausibleDeniability; compare and contrast RightBehindMe and ThatCameOutWrong.

* In WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra's second episode "Leaf in The Wind", Bolin presumes that Korra is a [[MakingASplash waterbender]] due to ethnicity and clothing, but Korra trolls him by saying she's an [[DishingOutDirt earthbender]] ([[PhysicalGod which she is too...]]). Bolin tries to avert being MistakenForRacist.
-->'''Bolin''': I'm sorry, no, no! I didn't mean to assume! It's that, I was just figuring... with your Water Tribe getup... that you are... a Water Tribe... gal.

* ''TheCurseOfMonkeyIsland'' has this exchange, with the hero staying in the room all the time but the villain can't help himself:

* In TheLegendOfKorra's second episode "Leaf in The Wind", Bolin presumes that Korra is a [[MakingASplash waterbender]] due to ethnicity and clothing, but Korra trolls him by saying she's an [[DishingOutDirt earthbender]] ([[PhysicalGod which she is too...]]). Bolin tries to avert being MistakenForRacist.

* In TheLegendOfKorra's second episode "Leaf in The Wind", Bolin presumes that Korra is a [[MakingASplash waterbender]] due to ethnicity and clothing, but Korra trolls him by saying she's an [[DishingOutDirt earthbender]]. Bolin tries to avert being MistakenForRacist.

* In LegendOfKorra's second episode "Leaf in The Wind", Bolin presumes that Korra is a [[MakingASplash waterbender]] due to ethnicity and clothing, but Korra trolls him by saying she's an [[DishingOutDirt earthbender]]. Bolin tries to avert being MistakenForRacist.

* In ''SweeneyTodd'', when Judge Turpin first comes to Todd for a shave, he mentions that he is marrying his ward (unaware that she is actually Todd's daughter), and comments that she's "pretty as a rosebud." "Pretty as her mother," Todd adds, but covers with, "No, nothing," when the judge asks what he said.