History Main / AndSomeOtherStuff

Compare InsubstantialIngredients, for when the "other stuff" ''is'' specified, but doesn't actually constitute something physical in the real world; and SecretIngredient, which is about being tasty rather than explosive. Contrast NoodleImplements, where you know exactly what's going to be used, and absolutely nothing about how.

* An infamous 1979 case, US v. Progressive, Inc., concerned the publication by ''The Progressive'' magazine of the basic working principles of a thermonuclear bomb, a curious trick of physics involving using the radiation generated by the trigger blast to compress the fusion material. The magazine won the lawsuit despite the fear that it would lead to the proliferation of fusion bombs around the world, but in fact the description was missing several components, including one material known as FOGBANK that appears to have been an aerogel of sorts (actual function unknown outside US nuclear weapons research) in warheads. [[note]]All that's known for sure about it is that it requires some fairly toxic reagents to manufacture, most notably acetonitrile, which caused several industrial accidents in 2006 where the material was being made.[[/note]] It was discovered in the 2000s that the recipe that the US government had used to make the stuff in the 1970s and 80s was faulty, and had relied on a contaminated ingredient to work; the result was that work on updating the US nuclear arsenal stalled while they figured out what the Some Other Stuff in question actually was. It ended up taking the engineers at Los Alamos about 11 years and more than $100 million to figure out how to recreate the stuff.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HfnWns8Gtc This]] ''Machinima/CivilProtection'' video parodies, then subverts, this trope. One of the characters is very careful not to say anything about how to build bombs, and the other says DontTryThisAtHome whilst explaining ''exactly'' what not to do. When asked why he's explaining how to make napalm, he says that he doesn't want people to do it [[ComicallyMissingThePoint by accident.]]

* Back in TheEighties, ''Series/MacGyver1985'' himself was omitting steps for his explosive solutions.

Compare SecretIngredient, which is about being tasty rather than explosive. Contrast NoodleImplements, where you know exactly what's going to be used, and absolutely nothing about how.

** Bringing the above two together, Mythbusters took a hack at some of the chemistry on Breaking Bad, proving in short order that hydrofluoric acid wasn't quite nasty enough to actually eat through a bathtub. What was? Sulfuric acid and "special sauce", which Adam and Jamie refused to elaborate on. Those who know a bit of chemistry trivia might suspect that the "special sauce" was actually reagent-grade hydrogen peroxide, which when combined with H[[subscript:2]]SO[[subscript:4]] produces a spectacularly violent glassware cleaning product called "piranha solution". Hydrofluoric acid might not be the most destructive acid out there, but it IS ''incredibly'' toxic, to the point where Jesse should have been killed several times over from his reckless handling of it. The writers might have actually intended to pull a SelfDisposingVillain gambit on any criminal who tries to get rid of a body using the chemical employed by Walter and Jesse.

** Bringing the above two together, Mythbusters took a hack at some of the chemistry on Breaking Bad, proving in short order that hydrofluoric acid wasn't quite nasty enough to actually eat through a bathtub. What was? Sulfuric acid and "special sauce", which Adam and Jamie refused to elaborate on. Those who know a bit of chemistry trivia might suspect that the "special sauce" was actually [[spoiler:reagent-grade hydrogen peroxide]], which when combined with H[[subscript:2]]SO[[subscript:4]] produces a spectacularly violent glassware cleaning product called "piranha solution". Hydrofluoric acid might not be the most destructive acid out there, but it IS ''incredibly'' toxic, to the point where Jesse should have been killed several times over from his reckless handling of it. The writers might have actually intended to pull a SelfDisposingVillain gambit on any criminal who tries to get rid of a body using the chemical employed by Walter and Jesse.

* Completely averted in ''Manga/DrStone''. When Senku makes gunpowder, he says the exact ratio of ingredients needed, explains how to mix the ingredients together, and a character named Mecha Senku appears to warn the audience that this ''will'' actually make gunpowder, [[DontTryThisAtHome so don't try it]].

* It's not explosive, but it is dangerous: "moon tea" in ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' is based on natural abortifacients such as tansy and pennyroyal, which were historically used, but produced nasty side effects at best and would straight-up kill a woman if the mixture was even slightly off. George R R Martin [[http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/A_Myriad_of_Questions/ "added a few fantasy touches"]] because he didn't want anybody trying this at home.
** The Inn At the Crossroads ASOIAF cooking site made a recipe for tansy tea, noting that: "Nobody should drink this tea for its Westerosi purpose. In fact, nobody should drink this tea at all..."

* In ''Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde'', Lanyon recognizes a few of the ingredients used to make the potion (salt, phosphorous, blood-red liquor, ether), but the rest are unidentified.
** Taking it UpToEleven, ''Jekyll himself'' doesn't know all the ingredients in the potion. He's almost certain that the original potion [[MiraculousMalfunction only worked because of some unknown impurity in one of the mineral salts]], but he never figured out what that impurity was.

* The novelization of the ''Series/Doctor Who'' episode "Remembrance of the Daleks" actually goes into some detail of how Ace made her first nitro explosive, but naturally some ingredients are left out.

So, to avoid liability issues and criminal charges, some critical ingredient for the explosive is removed, replaced (with something less volatile) or referred to [[UnusualEuphemism vaguely]] (as "stuff", "my secret ingredient", or similar.)

* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' goes a step further--a brief scene shows Homura making a bomb in her apartment using instructions she apparently found on the internet, but none of the ingredients have visible labels, and all we see of her computer screen is the words "How To Make A Bomb" reflected in her glasses.

'''Burt Gummer:''' A few household chemicals in the proper proportions.[[note]] Of course, it's possible that GunNut Burt thinks of Gunpowder as a household chemical...[[/note]]

** The creators had a real live DEA agent come in to teach the writers how to actually cook meth, so that they could then carefully (and invisibly) subvert the processes shown on screen, retaining verisimilitude while actually offering directions on how to produce pseudoephedrine, an over-the-counter nasal decongestant. Also, the difficulty of procuring the raw materials (which include some of the most highly DEA-controlled chemicals there are) means that anyone who tries to copy the TV show (presumably because [[ComicallyMissingThePoint they have a stuffy nose]]) will be facing down the police in fairly short order.

** The creators had a real live DEA agent come in to teach the writers how to actually cook meth, so that they could then carefully (and invisibly) subvert the processes shown on screen, retaining verisimilitude while actually offering directions on how to produce an over-the-counter nasal decongestant. Also, the difficulty of procuring the raw materials (which include some of the most highly DEA-controlled chemicals there are) means that anyone who tries to copy the TV show (presumably because [[ComicallyMissingThePoint they have a stuffy nose]]) will be facing down the police in fairly short order.

'''Burt Gummer:''' A few household chemicals in the proper proportions.

** Bringing the above two together, Mythbusters took a hack at some of the chemistry on Breaking Bad, proving in short order that hydrofluoric acid wasn't quite nasty enough to actually eat through a bathtub. What was? Sulfuric acid and "special sauce", which Adam and Jamie refused to elaborate on. Those who know a bit of chemistry trivia might suspect that the "special sauce" was actually [[spoiler:reagent-grade hydrogen peroxide]], which when combined with H[[subscript:2]]SO[[subscript:4]] produces a spectacularly violent glassware cleaning product called "piranha solution".

* In ''Film/GhostTown1988'', Kate uses the leftover black powder to create a bomb. When she throws it and it detonates in the midst of the undead outlaws, it explodes with a much greater ferocity and effectiveness than Langley was expecting; deva sting much of the gang.

* In-universe in ''Literature/{{Frankenstein}}''. The titular doctor is deliberately vague about how he created the monster and "infused it with the spark of life". The sailor he's telling his story to tries to inquire further, but Frankenstein refuses because he doesn't want anyone else to replicate his experiment. PopCultureOsmosis notwithstanding, there is no indication that the monster was [[Franchise/{{Frankenstein}} sewed together from corpses, that electricity is used, or what role existing human flesh played in the creation, if any]].

* In-universe in ''Literature/{{Frankenstein}}''. The titular doctor is deliberately vague about how he created the monster and "infused it with the spark of life". The sailor he's telling his story to tries to inquire further, but Frankenstein refuses because he doesn't want anyone else to replicate his experiment. PopCultureOsmosis notwithstanding, there is no indication that the monster was [[[[Franchise/{{Frankenstein}} sewed together from corpses, that electricity is used, or what role existing human flesh played in the creation, if any]].

* In-universe in ''Literature/{{Frankenstein}}''. The titular doctor is deliberately vague about how he brought a sewn-together corpse to life. The sailor he's telling his story to tries to inquire further, but Frankenstein refuses because he doesn't want anyone else to replicate his experiment.

'''Michael:''' ''[taping bottles together and tossing them out a car window]'' It will, if it's mixed with chlorine dioxide, [[TropeNamer and some other stuff.]]

* Amusingly lampshaded in ''The Smart Aleck's Guide to American History'', which is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. Throughout the book, there are obviously sarcastic suggestions for "activities," such as hanging someone upside down by the ankle or tarring and feathering someone. Then, in the World War One section, they have what they claim is a recipe for mustard gas. At the end of the recipe, the author admits it's a recipe for fudge, since, in spite of all the ''other'' "activities" in the book, ''this'' is the one the publisher made them take out, since someone might actually make mustard gas. "We assume you all are smarter than that, but the publisher said we could get sued. So make some fudge! Everyone loves fudge."

* Averted in ''Literature/GeorgesMarvelousMedicine'', in which every ingredient is named as it is added. They still add a warning at the beginning though.