Main Tropes Index

Troperville

Editing

Tools

Toys

Narrative

Genre

Media

Topical Tropes

Other Categories

Custom Search

"I never really said most of the things I said."
Yogi Berra

Commander Frack: "Baroness, Baroness! I can't find my nail file! Call a meeting, call a meeting!"
Destro: I've never said that, you idiot!
"Beam me up, Scotty!"
—Nobody in Star Trek The Original Series. Ever.

"A friend of mine once told me nobody on Star Trek ever said “Beam me up, Scotty.” I nodded at his knowledge of this, picked up his pet turtle, and hurled that sonuvabitch down the street. "

Lines that people associate with something or someone by way of Popcultural Osmosis, despite the fact that they are never uttered by them. Usually a mis-quotation of something that actually was said or done, or a combination of several common or famous lines (If the line isn't even quoted in connection with the source material, it doesn't really count as an example; some supposed misquotes are really just coincidences of phrasing.)

This can be extended to Iconic Items the character never actually had: Holmes' deerstalker, etc.

The Trope Namer is "Beam me up, Scotty", never actually uttered in Star Trek The Original Series. It was said in one of the films, but even then, it was phrased "Scotty, beam me up". (It is actually said in Star Trek The Animated Series. And Star Trekkin' ) More often, Kirk said, e.g., "four to beam up", and he was talking to whoever happened to be at the Transporter console.

To correct someone quoting one of these automatically designates you as a smartass nerd.

Subtrope of Common Knowledge. See also Dead Unicorn Trope, Cowboy Bebop At His Computer, Mondegreen.

Examples:

    open/close all folders 

     Anime and Manga  

     Comic Books  

     Film  

     Literature  

     Live Action TV  

     Commercials  

     Music  

     Other  

     Radio  

     Theater  

     Video Games  

     Western Animation  

     Web Animation  

     Web Original  

     Real Life