Worldwide starlets get much boys!
Spyder: I thought maybe you guys could give me a little information about what it's like workin' for the Mob, if not give me a recommendation or at least a contact.
Guido: Connection.
Spyder: What's that, Swatter?
Guido: I said 'Connection.' In normal business you have contacts. In the Mob, the first step is to get 'connected.'
Nunzio: ...
Or so we've heard. I dunno. We might be able to share a few
rumors with you. What do you want to know?
"Vince McMahon did stage his own death a couple of years ago, his limo blew up. How do I know that? I read it in a... in a book somewhere. I wouldn't have known it otherwise. *clears throat*"
— Chris Cotter, FOX Business
As you browse wikis or participate in forums, at times there will be a great example of the subject at hand that pops into your mind. The problem is that you'd rather not admit to watching that show. "I think in that show there was an example of a
Harmless Villain. Or so I heard..."
Yeah, right. You don't think so, you know so. You've seen every episode, and you know that villain's motivations, relationships, and
Embarrassing Middle Name.
This usually stems from:
- Media not targeted at your demographic, especially being in an extreme Periphery Demographic.
- The work being a guilty pleasure.
- The work being pornographic.
- The work being So Bad Its Horrible, but you saw the whole thing anyway.
- Any work that elicits "I can't believe I sat through that!"
- A work you are willing to defend on its own merits. But admitting you know it means you probably know of plenty you won't defend.
Around here
There Is No Such Thing As Notability, so odd examples that fit are just fine. And there is sometimes a pride in knowing obscure knowledge of an obscure show.
Note that in this wiki, this is not only used as part of a
Lampshade Hanging, but also straight when someone really
has only heard about something.
Generally follows from
Suspiciously Specific Denial.
Examples for being this:
- Burn Hollywood Burn.
- High School Musical. 'Nuff said.
- Twilight.
- Dragon Ball Z, depending on the company you are in.
- Hentai.
- Thanks to 4chan, Something Awful, YTMND and the like, everyone who routinely browses the internet now knows about hentai whether we wanted to or not.
- The Dungeons And Dragons Book of Erotic Fantasy, which is Exactly What It Says On The Tin...allegedly.
- That would require the content to be actually erotic, as opposed to simply sexual. Percentile tables for pregnancy chances? Not erotic.
- Furry Fandom, though much of this is more from The Law Of Fan Jackassery.
- World of Warcraft.
- One Tree Hill.
- Lolicon (eg Kodomo No Jikan)
- Supernatural: All of us who watch it know the show rocks. But we also know that, thanks to the reputation of its fandom, if we mention we watch it to anyone else, sooner or later that fateful word will be mentioned. That word we can only cringe at. That word we are powerless to defend. That word that will destroy any future claims we may make to normality, rationality and/or sanity. Wincest.
- Fanfic.
- The Inheritance Cycle.
Examples for using this:
- This strip
from Loserz.
- This strip from It's Walky.
- "They're the very devil to forge, I know that," said Moist. "Or so I've been told," he added quickly. Going Postal by Terry Pratchett
- Mystery Science Theater 3000 - During The Atomic Brain, Mike compares a scene to The Facts Of Life Go to Europe. ("Not that I've seen it...")
- During the opening credits of Overdrawn at the Memory Bank:
- Darths And Droids:
When playing a roleplaying game, the most important thing you can do to ensure the safety of your character is never leave the room and let the other players continue playing in your absence.
Even if your character survives the experience, it's times like this when you end up drunk, on a train to Vladivostok, with no money or ID, chained to a toilet cubicle sink, and dressed in a clown costume.
No, I have no personal experience of this. Why do you ask?
- Ashes To Ashes: "It's like something out of a German porn film... apparently."
- Father Ted: Uses this in one episode, wherein the titular character and his fellow priest, Father Dougal, accidentally find themselves in "The largest lingerie section in all of Ireland... Or so I've been told." They then proceed to meet a number of other Priests who have "accidentally" found themselves in the store, and the scene turns into a war film parody as Ted leads the band to escape out the fire exit without anyone noticing half a dozen priests surrounded by ladies' intimate items.
- Torchwood: uses this in the episode "Sleeper," when the Monster Of The Week comments on Jack's bedside manner, Gwen responds "He's got terrible manners in bed, too. Or so I've heard"
- In the NCIS episode "Singled Out", McGee describes a speed dating service as "designed to introduce successful men to a wide assortment of eligible women. Each night brings the promise of romance and the chance of finding your soulmate." His team mates look at him questioningly and he hurriedly adds "... or so I've heard."
- South Park episode "The Return of the Fellowship of the Ring to the Two Towers" plays this for laughs; all the men in town only have to hear the title "Backdoor Sluts 9" and they all know exactly which porn it is.
Mr. Stotch: Backdoor Sluts 9 makes Crotch Capers 3 look like Naughty Nurses 2!
Mr. Brovloski: It is the most depraved, vile porno ever made...
Mrs. Brovloski: And how do you know?
Mr. Brovloski: I, uh, read about it in People.
- Not referring to a work of fiction specifically, but Bones does reference this.
Booth: Yeah, well, a woman finds out a man is cheating on her, she can get really angry. (Others stare at him) That's what I heard, okay?
- This wonderful Yu Gi Oh! comic. You might not get what's going on if you don't read earlier strips though.
- Detective Beckett (of Castle) says this after making reference to Showgirls.
- Tonto says this when he is called out by the Lone Ranger in Dynamyte's comic book series.
- The Fairly Oddparents: When Wanda takes over her father's business, she put a fickus in the meeting room. One of the men comments on a gardening tip for it, then quickly invokes this trope when the others stare at him suprised.
