History Main / BluffTheEavesdropper

* PlayedWith in an episode of ''{{Babylon 5}}''. Londo discovers a listening device in a bag of groceries from a Drazi grocer. He spends a few moments saying several insulting things about the Drazi ambassador's wife under the pretense of not knowing he was being recorded, before smashing the bug.

* In ''{{Farscape}}'', Crichton and Aeryn eventually do this to Scorpius, apparently getting him to believe that their relationship is at an end and Aeryn can't be used against Crichton. [[spoiler: "Apparently" being the operative word; Aeryn ends up getting kidnapped in an operation that Scorpius apparently had a hand in, so the whole gambit is rendered completely pointless because Crichton ends up offering Scorpius everything he wanted in return for Aeryn's safety.]]

-->-- '''Michael Weston (Narrator)''', ''BurnNotice''

* From ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': a masterful example by [[TheDragon Azula]], when she has [[{{Kuudere}} Mai]] and [[PerkyFemaleMinion Ty Lee]] purposely reveal that they're Fire Nation in disguise... to the pair of Dai Li agents they knew were eavsdropping, overhead. She knew they'd ferry the news back to [[EvilChancellor Long Feng]], and knew he couldn't resist the opportunity to use it against her. So she wasn't surprised when those same agents brought her to his cell, where he coerces her into helping him under threat of exposing her to the Earth King. Azula "reluctantly" agrees. It doesn't end well for Long Feng.

* In one episode of ''{{Scrubs}}'', Dr. Cox realises that [[ButtMonkey Doug]] is listening to him and says to himself;

* While posing as a spy couple in ''{{NCIS}}'', Tony and Ziva have (simulated) sex because they know the room is being filmed.

* In the climax of the ''StarTrekTOS'' episode "The Deadly Years", due to having been rapidly aged by mysterious radiation and gone senile Kirk has stepped down from command and his incompetent replacement has led the ship through the Romulan Neutral Zone and the latter are about to destroy them. Suddenly a cure is found, a restored Kirk appears on the bridge and gives an order to relay a message to Starfleet...using a code previously established as having been broken by the Romulans, which briefly causes the crew to wonder if he's still senile. Nevertheless, they open the channels and Kirk sends a message that the ''Enterprise'' will self destruct via the [[CallBack Corbomite Device]] and destroy any ship in a huge radius. The Romulans intercept the message and leave.

* In ''QuestionableContent'', Faye, Dora and Marten against the Vespavenger.

* In ''{{Farscape}}'', Crichton and Aeryn eventually do that to Scorpius.

* ''{{XKCD}}'' [[http://xkcd.com/525/ #525]]:

* In ''{{Farscape}}'', Crighton and Aeryn eventually do that to Scorpius.

* During the "David" arc in the ''{{Animorphs}}'' series, once the team realizes how unstable and dangerous David is, they sometimes do this while discussing their plans, in case he is eavesdropping on them in morph.

!Examples:

* ''TheAdventureOfSherlockHolmesSmarterBrother''. SherlockHolmes and Watson are in a room when Holmes silently informs Watson that there's someone listening at the keyhole. They then have a conversation intended to fool the eavesdropper that they're leaving the country.
* The villains do this to Dick Tracy in the ''DickTracy'' movie.

* In the ''DoctorWho'' story "The Two Doctors", the Doctor gives some key exposition to his companion and is overheard by one of the villains, but he later reveals that he knew the villain was listening and sabotaged his exposition accordingly.

* ''{{XKCD}}'': ''"[[http://xkcd.com/525/ Now and then, I announce "I know you're listening" to empty rooms.]] If I'm wrong, nobody knows, and if I'm right, maybe I just freaked the hell out of some secret organization."''

* From ''AvatarTheLastAirbender'': a masterful example by [[TheDragon Azula]], when she has [[{{Kuudere}} Mai]] and [[PerkyFemaleMinion Ty Lee]] purposely reveal that they're Fire Nation in disguise... to the pair of Dai Li agents they knew were eavsdropping, overhead. She knew they'd ferry the news back to [[EvilChancellor Long Feng]], and knew he couldn't resist the opportunity to use it against her. So she wasn't surprised when those same agents brought her to his cell, where he coerces her into helping him under threat of exposing her to the Earth King. Azula "reluctantly" agrees. It doesn't end well for Long Feng.

* In ''{{Farscape}}'', Crighton and Aeryn eventually do that to Scorpius.
* In ''QuestionableContent'', Faye, Dora and Marten against the Vespavenger.
* In ''BurnNotice'', Michael often does this when he knows he is being bugged.
* This was done in the season 3 finale of ''TheMentalist'', to give one of the CBI employees who might be Red John's spies the room number of a person they were hiding. The person is actually somewhere else, and the room number is a trick to reveal who is Red John's spy.
* ''{{XKCD}}'': ''"[[http://xkcd.com/525/ Now and then, I announce "I know you're listening" to empty rooms.]] If I'm wrong, nobody knows, and if I'm right, maybe I just freaked the hell out of some secret organization."''

* In the ''DoctorWho'' story "The Two Doctors", the Doctor gives some key exposition to his companion and is overheard by one of the villains, but he later reveals that he knew the villain was listening and sabotaged his exposition accordingly.
* ''{{Doonesbury}}'': While Zonker is being kept in a hotel awaiting trial for possession of marijuana, Mike finds a bug under a lamp. The two start ''very'' obviously acting, talking about [[BlatantLies how completely sober Zonker is]] in order to tip off the prosecutors that yes, they know there's a bug in the room. It gets the case thrown out of court.
* ''HogansHeroes'': Hogan finds out that one of the new prisoners of war is actually a German spy, so they pretend to trust him and tell him they're going to take him to their secret hideout blindfolded. They then let some false information slip out while talking and make noises that imply their hideout is under the watertower.
* ''{{Seinfeld}}'': While in the diner waiting for a reporter who's going to do a story on Jerry, he and George notice a young woman eavesdropping on their conversation, so to mess with her they pretend to be gay for each other. It turns out that she's the reporter Jerry was waiting for, who then outs them in her school newspaper as gay. They try desparately to convince her that they're not gay -- NotThatTheresAnythingWrongWithThat.
* In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', Liquid and Ocelot discuss their PAL codes and Snake's card key deactivating Metal Gear Rex, knowing that Snake is spying on them, to further fool Snake into unwillingly doing their bidding for them.
* Used in ''MuchAdoAboutNothing'' to make Beatrice and Benedick fall in love with each other.

* From ''AvatarTheLastAirbender'': a masterful example by [[TheDragon Azula]], when she has [[{{Kuudere}} Mai]] and [[PerkyFemaleMinion Ty Lee]] purposely reveal that they're Fire Nation in disguise... to the pair of Dai Li agents they knew were eavsdropping, overhead. She knew they'd ferry the news back to [[EvilChancellor Long Feng]], and knew he couldn't resist the opportunity to use it against her. So she wasn't surprised when those same agents brought her to his cell, where he coerces her into helping him under threat of exposing her to the Earth King. Azula "reluctantly" agrees. It doesn't end well for Long Feng.

* In one episode of ''GummiBears,'' the king tries to find out a famous chef's secret recipe by listening at the door, which the chef thwarts by reciting absolute nonsense instead of his ingredients. However, this does not thwart Cubbi, Sunni, and Tummi, who are hiding ''in'' the kitchen and can write down the actual steps he's taking.
* In an episode of ''GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'', the Major realizes that the Tachikomas are observing her meeting with Batou. She and Batou proceed to hold two conversations simultaneously: they speak audibly to mislead the Tachikomas, while using their neural implants to message each other wirelessly and say what they really mean.
* ''FullmetalAlchemist'': Hawkeye needs to get Mustang a message about [[spoiler:the identity of the homunculus Pride]], but knows that [[spoiler:Pride]] is observing her, so she signals Mustang by tapping her mug. They then have a long, apparent innocuous conversation that's a cover for a coded message.
* In the climax of the ''StarTrekTOS'' episode "The Deadly Years", due to having been rapidly aged by mysterious radiation and gone senile Kirk has stepped down from command and his incompetent replacement has led the ship through the Romulan Neutral Zone and the latter are about to destroy them. Suddenly a cure is found, a restored Kirk appears on the bridge and gives an order to relay a message to Starfleet...using a code previously established as having been broken by the Romulans, which briefly causes the crew to wonder if he's still senile. Nevertheless, they open the channels and Kirk sends a message that the ''Enterprise'' will self destruct via the [[CallBack Corbomite Device]] and destroy any ship in a huge radius. The Romulans intercept the message and leave.

----

* While posing as a spy couple in {{NCIS}}, Tony and Ziva have (simulated) sex because they know the room is being filmed.

* A specific version of this is when two people being audio bugged carry on a conversation for the benefit of the bug while holding the ''real'' conversation by sign language or exchanging written notes. (And the visual conversation will often begin with a note or signal meaning "I should warn you we're being bugged".)

* Can be used as Number 33 of TheThirtySixStratagems. Compare FeedTheMole.

* In one episode of ''TheGummiBears,'' the king tries to find out a famous chef's secret recipe by listening at the door, which the chef thwarts by reciting absolute nonsense instead of his ingredients. However, this does not thwart Cubbi, Sunni, and Tummi, who are hiding ''in'' the kitchen and can write down the actual steps he's taking.

* In ''Burn Notice'', Michael often does this when he knows he is being bugged.

People notice their phone is tapped, or see a microphone in their potted plant, or otherwise discover they are spied on. So they start acting.

See also BeingWatched, BathroomstallOfOverheardInsults and ExactEavesdropping.

* This was done in the season 3 finale of TheMentalist, to give one of the CBI employees who might be Red John's spies the room number of a person they were hiding. The person is actually somewhere else, and the room number is a trick to reveal who is Red John's spy.

* Sasuke did this in ''Naruto'' by giving his teammates a password that the real Naruto would never be able to remember. The imposter Naruto who showed up did remember.
* Combined with BluffingTheMurderer in TheKindaichiCaseFiles: In at least one occasion, Kindaichi stages a fight and pretends to go off alone in order to lure out the suspected killer.

* A specific version of this is when two people being audio bugged carry on a conversation for the benefit of the bug while holding the ''real'' conversation by sign language or writing notes to one another. (And the visual conversation will often begin with a note or signal meaning "I should warn you we're being bugged".)

* ''HogansHeroes'': Hogan finds out that one of the new POWs is actually a German spy, so they pretend to trust him and tell him they're going to take him to their secret hideout blindfolded. They then let some false information slip out while talking and make noises that imply their hideout is under the watertower.
* ''{{Seinfeld}}'': While in the diner waiting for a reporter who's going to do a story on Jerry, he & George notice a young woman eavesdropping on their conversation so to mess with her they pretend to be gay for each other. It turns out that she's the reporter Jerry was waiting for, who then outs them in her school newspaper as gay. They try desparately to convince her that they're not gay - NotThatTheresAnythingWrongWithThat.

* ''TheAdventureOfSherlockHolmesSmarterBrother''. Sherlock Holmes and Watson are in a room when Holmes silently informs Watson that there's someone listening at the keyhole. They then have a conversation intended to fool the eavesdropper that they're leaving the country.
* The villains do this to Dick Tracy in the Dick Tracy movie.
* Used in the 39Clues series, more than once to throw the other Cahills of the track
* From [[AvatarTheLastAirbender Avatar: the Last Airbender]]: a masterful example by [[TheDragon Azula]], when she has [[{{Kuudere}} Mai]] and [[PerkyFemaleMinion Ty Lee]] purposelly reveal that they're Fire Nation in disguise... to the pair of Dai Li agents they knew were eavsdropping, overhead. She knew they'd ferry the news back to [[EvilChancellor Long Feng]], and knew he couldn't resist the opportunity to use it against her. So she wasn't surprised when those same agents brought her to his cell, where he coerces her into helping him under threat of exposing her to the Earth King. Azula "reluctantly" agrees. It doesn't end well for Long Feng.

-->'''Dr. Cox:''' Hey, if you leave I'm going to know that you were listening to me [[MortonsFork and kill you anyway!]]
* In one episode of ''Series/SueThomasFBEye'', the characters play football. The other team hides their mouths during huddles so Sue, who is Deaf, cannot read their lips. On the final play, they let her see their lips, but call a fake play. She doesn't fall for the bluff.

->Ada Gronick: [speaking quietly] The guards will have to be bribed. We'll need money.
->Loo: We can raise the money, that's no problem. [Reaches up and pulls down an overhead microphone, speaks into it] But that would be wrong.