History Main / VerbalBackpedaling

* [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Rainbow Dash]] in ''Fanfic/TwilightsList''; she doesn't want to admit to needing to ask Applejack for advice.

* ''Film/TheAvengers2012'':

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

[[folder: Fan Works]]

[[folder: Film - Animated]]

[[folder: Film - Live-Action]]
* Became an OverlyLongGag in the ''Film/JosieAndThePussycats'' movie.

* ''Film/TheAvengers2012''
-->'''[[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]]:''' Have care how you speak! Loki is beyond reason, but [[ThickerThanWater he is of Asgard, and he's my brother]].\\
'''[[ComicBook/BlackWidow Natasha Romanoff]]:''' [[AxCrazy He killed eighty people in two days.]]\\
'''Thor:''' ([[{{Beat}} hesitantly]]) ...He's adopted.

[[folder: Theater ]]

* In ''Casina'' by the Roman playwright Creator/{{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.

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* Ultimis Richtofen of ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyZombies'', being a PlayedForLaughs ObviousJudas, is rather fond of this.
--> '''''FINALLY! IT WILL BE MINE!''''' '''''[[EvilLaugh HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH-]]''''' I mean uh... Hey, look, I think we're in space!

[[folder: Web Original]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* While not evil, Sam does this in ''WesternAnimation/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.
* In the movie ''WesternAnimation/GrandmaGotRunOverByAReindeer'', 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.

--> '''Dr. D.:''' See? And you thought I was just making it up!

---> '''Dr. D.'''(pulls out a pie tray): "It's silver!"

-->'''Phineas:''' We're gonna laser our faces into the comet. That way, when it comes back in seventy-three and a half years, we can all show our grandchildren! Oh, yeah, my parents are cooking steaks for everyone.
-->'''Isabella:''' You had me at ''our grandchildren.''
-->'''RecordNeedleScratch'''
-->'''Phineas:''' What?
-->'''Isabella:''' STEAKS! Y-you had me at steaks!

-->'''Cartman''': You fools have no idea that I will never let you hurt the Wall-Mart.
-->'''Kyle''': *coming back on screen* I heard that!
-->'''Cartman''': You heard what?
-->'''Kyle''': You said we have no idea that you're never gonna let us hurt Wall-Mart.
-->'''Cartman''': That's not what I said!
* In one episode of ''[[WesternAnimation/CareBearsAdventuresInCareALot 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.'"
* Scudworth's constant muttering while the Board of Shadowy Figures plot the future of ''WesternAnimation/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 ''WesternAnimation/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.

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

--> '''''FINALLY! IT WILL BE MINE!''''' '''''[[EvilLaugh HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH-]]''''' I mean uh... [[VerbalBackpedaling Hey, look, I think we're in space!]]

** A straight example in "Comet Kermillian" between the [[ObliviousToLove eternally-obvious]] Phineas and Isabella, the [[LiterallyLovingThyNeighbor girl across the street]] who CannotSpitItOut.

* [[MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Rainbow Dash]] in ''Fanfic/TwilightsList''; she doesn't want to admit to needing to ask Applejack for advice.

* ''Disney/{{Frozen}}'':

->''"And then, after I overthrow this fool---Oh, hello! I didn't know you were there!"''

->''"And then, after I overthrow this fool- Oh, hello! I didn't know you were there!"''
-->-- '''Dread Lord''' StopPokingMe line, ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII''

[[folder: Film ]]

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

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