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* An ongoing, major point of the first nine ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' novels -- give or take an anthology -- was that the war between Manticore and Haven could only end with the destruction of the Star Kingdom or the destruction of the People's Republic. At the end of book nine, [[Havenite Admiral Thomas Theisman puts a ''very'' pointed end to the PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny Haven had become via [[BoomHeadshot a pulser dart to Oscar Saint-Just's head. The People's Republic of Haven ceased to exist, and three books later -- give or take half a dozen side novels -- the Star Kingdom of Manticore and the ''Republic'' of Haven formed the Grand Alliance]]. Well played, Weber. ''Well played.''
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* This is a major subplot of ''The Dream-Maker's Magic''. Mrs Carmichael desperately wants a son and is insistent that she gave birth to one. She takes her daughter Kellen to a [[CannotTellALie Truth-Teller]], begging her to confirm that Kellen was born a boy. The Truth-Teller, sneering at her foolishness, confirms that Kellen was 'a girl in the womb'. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, Mrs Carmichael didn't think to ask if Kellen was ''[[SwitchedAtBirth the child she gave birth to]]''.]]
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* Beetle does this in the sixth [[Literature/SeptimusHeap Septimus Heap]] book to convince [[spoiler: Merrin Meredith]] that his plan (a [[XtremeKoolLetterz Darke Domaine]]- an expanding cloud of evil which puts into a trance and eventually kills those trapped inside) has failed.
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* In one of Asimov's Literature/LuckyStarr stories, a lost spaceship is known to be in a "normal" orbit around a planet, but cannot be found despite this. [[spoiler:It is only found when Starr realises that "normal" in this case did not mean "standard" (an equatorial orbit), but an orbit ''normal'' (perpendicular) to a standard orbit -- a polar orbit.]]
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** Snape in the beginning of ''Half-Blood Prince'' tries to reassure Bellatrix that he's on the side of the Death Eaters by saying "I've played my part well, and I have deceived one of the greatest wizards of all time. ''*Bellatrix scoffs*'' Dumbledore ''is'' a great wizard, only a fool would deny it." Note that [[spoiler:he didn't actually say that Dumbledore was the great wizard he was deceiving.]]
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** Snape in the beginning of ''Half-Blood Prince'' ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince Half-Blood Prince]]'' tries to reassure Bellatrix that he's on the side of the Death Eaters by saying "I've played my part well, and I have deceived one of the greatest wizards of all time. ''*Bellatrix scoffs*'' Dumbledore ''is'' a great wizard, only a fool would deny it." Note that [[spoiler:he didn't actually say that Dumbledore was the great wizard he was deceiving.]]
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** Snape in the beginning of ''Half-Blood Prince'' tries to reassure Bellatrix that he's on the side of the Death Eaters by saying "I've played my part well, and I have deceived one of the greatest wizards of all time. ''*Bellatrix scoffs*'' Dumbledore ''is'' a great wizard, only a fool would deny it." Note that [[spoiler:he didn't actually say that Dumbledore was the great wizard he was deceiving.]]
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trimmed Spoiler markup
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** And then there's Jackrum in ''Discworld/MonstrousRegiment'': [[spoiler: The Sarge constantly asserts that "I'm not a (violent, dishonest, etc.) man" immediately before doing something violent, dishonest, etc. Turns out ''she's'' not a man of any sort.]]
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** And then there's Jackrum in ''Discworld/MonstrousRegiment'': [[spoiler: The Sarge constantly asserts that "I'm not a (violent, dishonest, etc.) man" immediately before doing something violent, dishonest, etc. Turns out [[spoiler: ''she's'' not a man of any sort.]]
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typo fix (hee, hee)
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** In ''The Science of Discworld'', Ponder Stibbons' experiments on [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything generating abundant energy by spitting the thaum]] (the basic unit of magic) draw the obvious question from Archchancellor Ridcully: "What chance is there of this just blowin' up and destroyin' the entire university?" Ponder replies, "None, sir", but alas for him, Ridcully sees though that immediately. If anything goes wrong at all, it wouldn't ''just'' blow up the university; it would destroy the whole city, continent or even all the Discworld.
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** In ''The Science of Discworld'', Ponder Stibbons' experiments on [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything generating abundant energy by spitting splitting the thaum]] (the basic unit of magic) draw the obvious question from Archchancellor Ridcully: "What chance is there of this just blowin' up and destroyin' the entire university?" Ponder replies, "None, sir", but alas for him, Ridcully sees though that immediately. If anything goes wrong at all, it wouldn't ''just'' blow up the university; it would destroy the whole city, continent or even all the Discworld.
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I hope that was a typo. \"express\" is not a verb of saying.
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** The teachers had fun with this as soon as Umbridge was appointed to Headmistress in the fifth book. With the passage of Educational Decree Number Twenty-Six which banned teachers from telling students anything that didn't have to do with their subject, they gleefully refused to extinguish the fireworks Fred and George released, expressing that they weren't sure they had the authorization to do so.
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** The teachers had fun with this as soon as Umbridge was appointed to Headmistress in the fifth book. With the passage of Educational Decree Number Twenty-Six which banned teachers from telling students anything that didn't have to do with their subject, they gleefully refused to extinguish the fireworks Fred and George released, expressing explaining that they weren't sure they had the authorization to do so.
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** The teachers had fun with this as soon as Umbridge was appointed to Headmistress in the fifth book. With the passage of Educational Decree Number twenty-Six which banned teachers from telling students anything that didn't have to do with their subject, they gleefully refused to extinguish the fireworks Fred and George released, expressing that they weren't sure they had the authorization to do so.
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** The teachers had fun with this as soon as Umbridge was appointed to Headmistress in the fifth book. With the passage of Educational Decree Number twenty-Six Twenty-Six which banned teachers from telling students anything that didn't have to do with their subject, they gleefully refused to extinguish the fireworks Fred and George released, expressing that they weren't sure they had the authorization to do so.
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* NeilGaiman uses this in the novel {{Stardust}}. When Tristan returns with the star, Victoria tells him that, despite her engagement to Mr. Monday, she will honor their bargain and marry Tristan, instead. Tristan reminds her that her exact words were that she would grant his heart's desire, which he tells he is now to see her happily wed to Mr. Monday.
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* NeilGaiman uses this in the novel {{Stardust}}. When Tristan returns with the star, Victoria tells him that, despite her engagement to Mr. Monday, she will honor their bargain and marry Tristan, instead. Tristan reminds her that her exact words were that she would grant his heart's desire, which he tells he her is now to see her happily wed to Mr. Monday.
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** In GrahamMcNeill's ''Literature/{{Ultramarines}}'' novel ''The Killing Ground'', Leodegarius tells Uriel that he will fight him and Pasanius and on the outcome, will determine their fate. When he has defeated them, he explains that victory would not have been [[SecretTestOfCharacter possible without the use of warp-based power;]] their defeat proves their innocence.
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** In GrahamMcNeill's Creator/GrahamMcNeill's ''Literature/{{Ultramarines}}'' novel ''The Killing Ground'', Leodegarius tells Uriel that he will fight him and Pasanius and on the outcome, will determine their fate. When he has defeated them, he explains that victory would not have been [[SecretTestOfCharacter possible without the use of warp-based power;]] their defeat proves their innocence.
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Adding prophecies to A Song of Ice and Fire...
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** A general piece of advice: when getting a prophecy in any form of Valyrian, it behoves you to remember that genders may not be specified thanks to a lack of gender distinctions in the grammatical list of options for those languages -- so using your own cultural norms and expectations ''may'' just bite you. The Targaryens may have managed to almost wipe themselves out forgetting a few crucial details about their background... (not least, that female-derived linages are also a thing). Oh, nor may the precise order of birth in terms which mean such things as "the younger sibling" (which you may also have mistaken to mean "my young''est'' brother", naturally) be quite as obvious as you'd expect. Not that prophecies are usually shy about other forms of Exact Words, anyway.
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* Used in a self-aware fashion in the ''Literature/EnchantedForestChronicles''. Cimorene's {{Unwanted|Harem}} [[HopelessSuitor Suitor]] wishes to defeat a dragon and marry his (the dragon's) princess; after the wish is made, Cimorene points out that her dragon is female and therefore the wish doesn't apply because the prince said "his". However, she does point him towards another princess.
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* Used in a self-aware fashion in the ''Literature/EnchantedForestChronicles''. Cimorene's {{Unwanted|Harem}} [[HopelessSuitor Suitor]] wishes to defeat a dragon and marry his (the dragon's) princess; after the wish is made, Cimorene points out that her dragon is female and therefore the wish doesn't wouldn't apply because the prince said "his". However, she does point him towards another princess.
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** During ''Discworld/WyrdSisters'', the witches summon a demon to answers their questions about what's going on in the kingdom. The demon proceeds to answer each question [[MathematiciansAnswer completely accurately in a way that's completely useless to them]]. Then subverted as Granny gets enough of it and threatens to boil the demon alive if it doesn't tell them "what the hell is going on".
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'''Jack:''' [[spoiler:Technically, exactly what I said was that I would tell them to let you go. Lem, let him go.]]\\
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-->'''Jack:''' [[spoiler:''(shrugs)'']].
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* In ''Literature/TheCuckoosCalling'', Strike is interviewing Tansy Betrugui, who has been tabbed by the police and press as an attention-seeking liar ''and'' is going through a messy divorce, so she demands that Strike not write down any notes. He agrees... and instead surreptitiously switches on his phone's sound recorder.
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* DespoilersOfTheGoldenEmpire is built on this trope. [[spoiler: The entire story is written in scientific language, with frequent references made to science, but also to the ignorance of science of the characters in the story - they don't bring along any scientists on their expedition, they don't have any interest in the genetics of the natives, they need gold to run their empire, they have found no way of transmuting other elements into gold... because the story is not about the future at all, but actually about the past, namely the conquest of Peru in the 1500s, and is not in fact a work of science fiction, as the prose seems to present it, but a work of historical fiction.]]
--> The sun, a yellow G-O star, hung hotly just above the towering mountains to the east.
** [[spoiler: Absolutely true, because they were on EarthAllAlong.]]
--> The sun, a yellow G-O star, hung hotly just above the towering mountains to the east.
** [[spoiler: Absolutely true, because they were on EarthAllAlong.]]
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* NeilGaiman uses this in the novel {{Stardust}}. When Tristan returns with the star, Victoria tells him that, despite her engagement to Mr. Monday, she will honor their bargain and marry Tristan, instead. Tristan reminds her that her exact words were that she would grant his heart's desire, which he tells he is now to see her happily wed to Mr. Monday.
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* NeilGaiman uses this in the novel {{Stardust}}. When Tristan returns with the star, Victoria tells him that, despite her engagement to Mr. Monday, she will honor their bargain and marry Tristan, instead. Tristan reminds her that her exact words were that she would grant his heart's desire, which he tells he is now to see her happily wed to Mr. Monday. Monday.
* In the setting of ''Literature/{{Pact}}'', all mystical practitioners, as [[EquivalentExchange the cost for being able to perform magic]], agree to [[CannotTellALie speak only the truth]], and [[MagicallyBindingContract to faithfully abide by all oaths that they swear]]. Naturally, many practitioners exploit this trope in order to trick their enemies, with the foremost example being Laird Behaim, who, in his first appearance, approaches the protagonist Blake Thorburn, agreeing to protect him while they talk (and making several statements to the effect of it being in his best interests to do so) and then shortly thereafter ruthlessly exploits both the vagaries of the English language and the precise wording of his statements to justify leaving Blake to die.
* In the setting of ''Literature/{{Pact}}'', all mystical practitioners, as [[EquivalentExchange the cost for being able to perform magic]], agree to [[CannotTellALie speak only the truth]], and [[MagicallyBindingContract to faithfully abide by all oaths that they swear]]. Naturally, many practitioners exploit this trope in order to trick their enemies, with the foremost example being Laird Behaim, who, in his first appearance, approaches the protagonist Blake Thorburn, agreeing to protect him while they talk (and making several statements to the effect of it being in his best interests to do so) and then shortly thereafter ruthlessly exploits both the vagaries of the English language and the precise wording of his statements to justify leaving Blake to die.
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* NeilGaiman uses this in the novel {{Stardust}}. When Tristan returns with the star, Victoria tells him that, despite her engagement to Mr. Monday, she will honor their bargain and marry Tristan, instead. Tristan reminds her that her exact words were that she would grant his heart's desire, which he tells he is now to see her happily wed to Mr. Monday.
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-->'''Merrett:''' [[spoiler:You said you would let me go!]]\\
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-->'''Merrett:''' [[spoiler:You [[spoiler:[[YouSaidYouWOuldLetThemGo You said you would let me go!]]\\go!]]]]\\
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-->'''Jack:''' [[spoiler:''(shrugs)'']].
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* Here is an extremely rare example for the trope coming out benign. The German rororo Rotfuchs series for kids always had a comic on the backcover. Here, a cat has a can with catfood...but no opener. The eponymous fox quips: "Why don't you get a mouse?" She does...and the mouse helps her out by playing can opener with his teeth.
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-->'''Alice:''' 'I should think throwing cold water over you would be better — or some sal-volatile.
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-->'''Alice:''' 'I should think throwing cold water over you would be better — or some sal-volatile.[[note]]Better known as smelling salts[[/note]]
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* ''Royal Flash''. {{Flashman}} is torturing a man who tried to kill him as part of a plot, and swears on his honor as an English gentleman to let him go if he talks. Being the most dishonorable Englishman in the British army, Flashy has no intention of doing so, but decides to follow this trope by letting his captive go off a cliff.
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* In ''Literature/TheVoyageOfTheDawnTreader'' from ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'' series, the heroes' ship gets lost in a dark fog at sea. As they approach a mysterious island, they meet a lone survivor from a previous expedition, who warns them that this is "The Island Where Dreams Come True". At first, most of the crew are elated, but once they realize that this doesn't mean wishes or daydreams, but ''[[OhCrap actual]]'' dreams, they leave with all haste.
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* In ''Literature/TheVoyageOfTheDawnTreader'' from ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'' series, the heroes' ship gets lost in a dark fog at sea. As they approach a mysterious island, they meet a lone survivor from a previous expedition, who warns them that this is "The Island Where Dreams Come True". At first, most of the crew are elated, but once they realize that this doesn't mean wishes or daydreams, but ''[[OhCrap actual]]'' dreams, [[RealDreamsAreWeirder dreams]], they leave with all haste.
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oops, only checked the name of the book, not the name of the series. Joining them.
** A larger example, from ''Literature/WordsOfRadiance'' - Shallah, on her way to her betrothed, Adolin, is attacked at sea. The rest of her party missing, presumed dead, she runs across Tyn, a scam artist, and (accidentally) convinces Tyn that she is likewise planning to pull a scam. When pressed for details, she tells the literal truth: she discovered information that Adolin was betrothed to a woman who happens to look very much like herself, and she is planning on taking her place.
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* ''Literature/WordsOfRadiance'' has a great example - Shallah, on her way to her betrothed, Adolin, is attacked at sea. The rest of her party missing, presumed dead, she runs across Tyn, a scam artist, and (accidentally) convinces Tyn that she is likewise planning to pull a scam. When pressed for details, she tells the literal truth: she discovered information that Adolin was betrothed to a woman who happens to look very much like herself, and she is planning on taking her place.
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* ''Literature/WordsOfRadiance'' has a great example - Shallah, on her way to her betrothed, Adolin, is attacked at sea. The rest of her party missing, presumed dead, she runs across Tyn, a scam artist, and (accidentally) convinces Tyn that she is likewise planning to pull a scam. When pressed for details, she tells the literal truth: she discovered information that Adolin was betrothed to a woman who happens to look very much like herself, and she is planning on taking her place.
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* ''Literature/TheCrystal'' has the mayor who hired the adventurers trying to fool them about the worth of the title object, offering half of its value for them to return it to him. [[spoiler: It doesn't work, and they take him at his exact words.]]
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* Done by the narrator in the ''Literature/StarTrekTheFall'' novel ''The Crimson Shadow'', which introduces the Cardassian character Rakhat Blok by saying that if any one asked him, which they didn't, he would have told them he was born on a client world of the Union... and so on for three paragraphs of exposition, [[spoiler: all of which is what he would ''say'', not the truth.]]
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** Also from ''Thief of Time'', [[OldMaster Lu Tze]] claims that none of the History Monks know the legendary martial art of ''deja fu''. [[spoiler: Near the end of the book, his apprentice Lobsang finds out the hard way that this is because Lu Tze (who is [[AlmightyJanitor "merely" the Head Sweeper, and not a monk]]) never taught it to them.]]
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** Also from ''Thief of Time'', [[OldMaster Lu Tze]] claims that none of the History Monks know the legendary martial art of ''deja fu''. [[spoiler: Near the end of the book, his apprentice Lobsang finds out the hard way that this is because Lu Tze (who is [[AlmightyJanitor "merely" the Head Sweeper, a senior sweeper, and not a monk]]) never taught it to them.]]
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Split from the main page due to length.
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* ''Literature/HarryPotter''
** While Harry doesn't do it in the book of ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix Order of the Phoenix]]'' as in the movie example above, he does do the same thing to the Minister of Magic (who keeps Umbridge in the ministry) in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince Half-Blood Prince]]'' when asked to publicly support the government (when he very much does not).
** Then, in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows]]'', Harry makes a deal with a goblin: if he helps the Trio [[spoiler:break into Gringotts]], they'll give him [[spoiler:Gryffindor's Sword]]. But they don't say ''when'' they're going to give it to him. In this case they only did it because they still needed [[spoiler:the sword to destroy the Horcruxes]] and, after everything was over, Harry intended to keep his promise. Similarly, the goblin tells Harry that he'll break them into Gringotts in exchange for Gryffindor's Sword. Unfortunately for Harry and his friends, he never said that he'd actually get them out once he gets them in.
*** It's implied that this is how Goblins operate regarding deals. [[spoiler:Ludo Bagman bet on Harry to win the Triwizard Tournament so he could keep the Goblin debt-collectors off his back. Unfortunately, Harry drew with Cedric (even if only one of them survived), and Ludo had to go on the lam.]]
** This is the reason why Kreacher was able to get away with selling out Sirius Black to Bellatrix Lestrange without worrying about getting caught: Whenever Sirius gets irritated with Kreacher, he shouts at him to "GET OUT!" He failed to specify where he was supposed to go after leaving the house. Sirius is really going to wish he ate those words later on...
** Harry, remembering this, subverts the trope in the next book. When he asks Kreacher to spy on Malfoy, he follows it up with a long list of further orders, forbidding Kreacher to let Malfoy know he's being followed, through direct or indirect means. Kreacher, realizing that Harry left no room for LoopholeAbuse, mutters "Master thinks of everything."
** The teachers had fun with this as soon as Umbridge was appointed to Headmistress in the fifth book. With the passage of Educational Decree Number twenty-Six which banned teachers from telling students anything that didn't have to do with their subject, they gleefully refused to extinguish the fireworks Fred and George released, expressing that they weren't sure they had the authorization to do so.
* In ''Literature/TheVoyageOfTheDawnTreader'' from ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'' series, the heroes' ship gets lost in a dark fog at sea. As they approach a mysterious island, they meet a lone survivor from a previous expedition, who warns them that this is "The Island Where Dreams Come True". At first, most of the crew are elated, but once they realize that this doesn't mean wishes or daydreams, but ''[[OhCrap actual]]'' dreams, they leave with all haste.
-->“Fools!” said the man, stamping his foot with rage. “That is the sort of talk that brought me here, and I'd better have been drowned or never born. Do you hear what I say? This is where dreams—dreams, do you understand, come to life, come real. Not daydreams: dreams.” There was about half a minute's silence and then, with a great clatter of armour, the whole crew were tumbling down the main hatch as quick as they could and flinging themselves on the oars to row as they had never rowed before; and Drinian was swinging round the tiller, and the boatswain was giving out the quickest stroke that had ever been heard at sea. For it had taken everyone just that halfminute to remember certain dreams they had had—dreams that make you afraid of going to sleep again—and to realize what it would mean to land on a country where dreams come true.
* Creator/LewisCarroll ''loved'' this Trope, although it's usually done for laughs in his works. Here's one example from ''Literature/ThroughTheLookingGlass'':
-->'''White King:''' There's nothing like eating hay when you feel faint.
-->'''Alice:''' 'I should think throwing cold water over you would be better — or some sal-volatile.
-->'''White King:''' I didn't say there was nothing '''better,''' I said there was nothing '''like''' it.
* In Matthew G. Lewis's gothic novel ''Literature/TheMonk'', the title character makes a DealWithTheDevil to be freed from his cell to avoid the torture of the Inquisition. The Devil then leaves him on a mountain to be pecked at by vultures and correctly notes to him that he only promised to save him from the Inquisition and had no obligation to protect him from harm after doing that.
* The ''Literature/AmeliaBedelia'' series of books dealt with a maid who did everything she was told [[LiteralMinded to the letter]].
* In Creator/ChristopherPaolini's ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'' saga, magic is mostly performed by weaving the spell in the Elven tongue, and the spell's effect is precisely that of the "order" given by the caster. [[spoiler:Eragon soon learns the hard way that making a spell without safety measures will make it take its effect even if it requires enough energy to kill the caster.]] His bad grammar once led to him [[BlessedWithSuck blessing a character with suck]].
* From the [[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer40000}} Black Library]]:
** ''Literature/CiaphasCain'':
*** Early in ''For the Emperor'' Cain has to pass judgment on a group of Guardsmen from the newly created 597th Valhallan for a BarBrawl immediately preceding their creation from the merged 296th and 301st, during which several people died. The regulations (and the troopship's captain, who lost several of his crew) demand their deaths, but Cain, trying to avoid the loss of painstakingly recovered morale, notes during sentencing that the regs say nothing of ''[[RulesLawyer when]]''; thus he orders them transferred to a penal legion at earliest convenience. In the meantime they're to be used in [[ChekhovsGunman any suitably suicidal mission that becomes available]].
*** At the end of ''Cain's Last Stand'', Cain calls Varan, the enemy leader, to propose a meeting to discuss terms of surrender. At the meeting itself, he declares it was to discuss the terms of ''Varan[='=]s'' surrender. (Then they fight.)
** In Lee Lightner's ''Literature/SpaceWolf'' novel ''Sons of Fenris'', after Ragnar promised the Dark Angel Jeremiah that Cadmus was his to deal with, and then promised Cadmus that his life was his if he gave information, everyone else says his oaths conflict, and Cadmus says that he promised to let him go free. Ragnar says that he promised that his life was his. It was, and he had best start defending it.
** In GrahamMcNeill's ''Literature/{{Ultramarines}}'' novel ''The Killing Ground'', Leodegarius tells Uriel that he will fight him and Pasanius and on the outcome, will determine their fate. When he has defeated them, he explains that victory would not have been [[SecretTestOfCharacter possible without the use of warp-based power;]] their defeat proves their innocence.
* Creator/JRRTolkien
** In ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'', Thingol promises to give Lúthien to Beren [[ImpossibleTask when the latter returns with a Silmaril in his hand]]. When Beren does return, the Silmaril is in his hand... which is in the stomach of the werewolf Carcharoth.
** The best example, though, is the Witch-King's boast of how {{no Man|OfWomanBorn}} can kill him. So Merry, a hobbit, stabs him behind the knee with an enchanted blade that breaks the Witch-King's invulnerability. Éowyn, a woman, finishes him off by stabbing him in the face. In this case, both meanings of man--the race of Men and the sex--work against the Witch-King.
** The instructions for entering the West-gate of Moria: "SpeakFriendAndEnter". The password is the Elvish word for "friend".
** Tolkien also uses these in his narrative voice, employing such tricks as never using male pronouns in referring to [[spoiler:Dernhelm]], and referring to this character as "a young man" only in Merry's perceptions. Similarly, [[spoiler:the words "dead" or "death" are never used in reference to Gandalf, and only once of Frodo -- in Sam's internal monologue.]]
* The title character of ''Literature/EllaEnchanted'' gets good at this in order to avoid pleasing anyone who would take advantage of her inability to disobey.
* In ''LightNovel/FateZero'', Emiya Kiritsugu forms a contract that, if broken, causes the offender to lose all magecraft forever. He is not allowed to kill Lord El-Melloi or his fiancée, and El-Melloi must order Lancer to commit suicide and withdraw from the Grail War. With that done, he sends his partner after them to shoot them both. El-Melloi has some protection against bullets so he is wounded but doesn't die, and due to the contract Kiritsugu can't kill him. Eventually Saber has to step up for the MercyKill.
* Creator/TerryPratchett's ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'':
** Near the end of ''Discworld/GuardsGuards'', Vimes is trying to bring in the villain, and once cornered, orders Carrot to "Throw the book at him." Carrot complies, [[ThrowTheBookAtThem and knocks the villain over the edge with a well-aimed copy of "The Laws and Ordinances of Ankh-Morpork"]]. Although Carrot's not being maliciously literal here, just completely unable to comprehend metaphor. Given it was Carrot's first book, he probably ''was'' following Vimes' order. It's only later he gets more GenreSavvy about it.
** In ''Discworld/MenAtArms'', Carrot threatens to follow the order he was given before entering the Fools' Guild, should he be denied entry. He really doesn't ''want'' to follow the order, but he will if Dr. Whiteface makes him... The order is to give up and go away. Sergeant Colon is impressed, describing it as not just bluffing on a bad hand, but bluffing ''without any cards''.
** In ''The Science of Discworld'', Ponder Stibbons' experiments on [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything generating abundant energy by spitting the thaum]] (the basic unit of magic) draw the obvious question from Archchancellor Ridcully: "What chance is there of this just blowin' up and destroyin' the entire university?" Ponder replies, "None, sir", but alas for him, Ridcully sees though that immediately. If anything goes wrong at all, it wouldn't ''just'' blow up the university; it would destroy the whole city, continent or even all the Discworld.
** Jeremy Clockson in ''Discworld/ThiefOfTime'' gets a bit... ''[[MadScientist unusual]]'' if he doesn't take his medicine, so a man from the Guild of Clockmakers checks that he does that. Jeremy's assistant [[TheIgor Igor]] assures him that he sees Jeremy pour out a spoonful every day -- [[FalseReassurance but doesn't mention that]] [[NoMedicationForMe he then pours it down the drain.]]
** Also from ''Thief of Time'', [[OldMaster Lu Tze]] claims that none of the History Monks know the legendary martial art of ''deja fu''. [[spoiler: Near the end of the book, his apprentice Lobsang finds out the hard way that this is because Lu Tze (who is [[AlmightyJanitor "merely" the Head Sweeper, and not a monk]]) never taught it to them.]]
** The oath of the City Watch is used this way by Vimes, who notes that ruler after ruler has failed to notice "what a devious oath it is". The watchmen swear to uphold the laws and protect the public, but it never says one word about obeying orders or serving the ''ruler''.
** Lord Hong from ''Discworld/InterestingTimes'' promises never to speak or write an execution order for one of his informants (who was clearly a little bit GenreSavvy). Unfortunately, when said informant [[YouHaveFailedMe fails for the last time]], Lord Hong demonstrates his superlative origami skills by folding a little paper human figure. Only, there wasn't quite enough paper to make the head...
** In the same book, a number of people meet their end by saying, "I would rather die than xxx" to Cohen the Barbarian, who tends to take it at face value.
** Used by Moist von Lipwig in ''Discworld/MakingMoney'' when his fiancée is questioning him about an army of golems, because he doesn't want to give her the truth lest someone tries to endanger her. She nearly gets a knife in the gut anyway, but for a different reason.
** All of the descriptions of [[TheFairFolk elves]] in ''Discworld/LordsAndLadies'' are exactly correct, albeit not as complimentary as they sound.
** Golems occasionally go crazy and repeat a task without end, causing chaos, because no-one told them to stop. This is actually a form of rebellion against a stupid or inattentive master. When you have a tool that can think, you'd better treat it right, or it will find a way to screw you over.
** And then there was the time that the Auditors tried to bring about TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt, and Death pointed out that yes, he and his fellow horsemen did have to ride out, but ''against whom'' was not specified.
** And then there's Jackrum in ''Discworld/MonstrousRegiment'': [[spoiler: The Sarge constantly asserts that "I'm not a (violent, dishonest, etc.) man" immediately before doing something violent, dishonest, etc. Turns out ''she's'' not a man of any sort.]]
** Rincewind does this is ''Discworld/TheLastHero'', though it is mostly because he wants to start off by making something clear: he does not want to volunteer for the dangerous mission. [[spoiler: He ''is'' volunteering, as he explains afterwards. He doesn't ''want'' to, but he figures he'd somehow end up 'volunteered' or just stumbling into it in an effort to get away anyway, so he volunteers to get it over and done with.]]
* In Creator/GKChesterton's ''Literature/TheManWhoWasThursday'', when questioned about whether he is a delegate, Syme retorts, not that he is one, but "I am glad to see that your gate is well enough guarded to make it hard for anyone to be here who was not a delegate."
* In one ''Literature/FatherBrown'' story, he says they have to get a certain man. Everyone takes it to mean that he's the murderer, until after his capture, when Father Brown protests that they need him as a ''witness''.
* In Randall Garrett's science-fiction story "The Best Policy", a man is captured by aliens who interrogate him with a device that can detect false statements. Unable to lie to the aliens, he is able to scare them away with technically true statements that give a false impression that humanity is [[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien an immensely ancient and powerful race]]. [[spoiler:Example: He tells them that humans are capable of transporting their bodies from place to place by mentally channeling certain physical energies. He means walking; the aliens think he means teleportation.]]
* In Creator/EdgarRiceBurroughs's ''[[Literature/JohnCarterOfMars The Master Mind of Mars]]'', Ulysses Paxton has promised to return the two GrandTheftMe perpetrators to their own city. With some judicious maneuvering, he manages to strip them of all power there.
* In Creator/AmbroseBierce's ''One Kind of Officer'', a captain tells a lieutenant "it is not permitted to you to know ''anything,''" having received a similar insulting order from his general and wanting to take it out on a subordinate. [[LaserGuidedKarma He comes to regret this.]]
* ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime''
** Siuan Sanche gives her absolutely strongest oath of servitude to Gareth Bryne, then promptly runs away. She explains to her astonished companions that she ''does'' intend to fulfill it... she just didn't specify ''when''.
** Also, late in the series, when Lan realizes that the Last Battle is coming soon and he needs to rally the Borderlands to fight, he makes Nynaeve promise to take him to the Borderlands. Nynaeve agrees to take him there, but drops him and his horse ''on the wrong side'' of the Borderlands to where he needs to go, so it will take him months to ride there. Nynaeve arranges that by the time he arrives to the battlefield, all of the other good guys will be there, too, so he won't get himself killed invading the Blight unsupported. In one of the most understated [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Crowning Moments Of Awesome]] ever, she [[spoiler: politely but firmly asks one merchant for the use of carrier pigeons to send a message out to all the Borderlands that Lan is riding to the Last Battle and does the same a dozen more times off-stage. She ensured that an army would join Lan, and leaving him on the wrong side of the Borderlands ensured that they would have time. Nynaeve [[GondorCallsForAid practically resurrected Malkier single-handedly]].]]
** This also comes into play in Verin's CrowningMomentOfAwesome. [[spoiler:Verin swore an oath to the Dark One, not to betray him until her final hour. So she takes poison and spends her final hour debriefing Egwene on everything the Black Ajah has been up to.]]
** The whole series is filled with those from Aes Sedai. After all, they're masters at [[MetaphoricallyTrue Half Truth]].
* In ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' series, the protagonist remarks that deals with TheFairFolk tend to be "heavily technical", to the point where his faerie godmother says "Give me your hand" and he replies, "I need my hand, Godmother".
* Used in a self-aware fashion in the ''Literature/EnchantedForestChronicles''. Cimorene's {{Unwanted|Harem}} [[HopelessSuitor Suitor]] wishes to defeat a dragon and marry his (the dragon's) princess; after the wish is made, Cimorene points out that her dragon is female and therefore the wish doesn't apply because the prince said "his". However, she does point him towards another princess.
** In ''Talking To Dragons'' Shiara tries this on Daystar's behalf; he had [[ThePromise promised]] to help the princess, and she asked for his sword. Shiara argues that it's not his sword, but the Sleeping King's. Daystar refuses to accept this, and Shiara thinks it very unfair that only he has to fulfill what the words ''meant''.
* Used several times in the ''Literature/BelisariusSeries''.
** Belisarius is quite willing to vow that the private discussion he wishes to have with the traitor working for the enemy commander will not do harm to him. Later, said commander realizes the vow was that no harm would come to him ''personally'', not to his superiors. Said conversation also revolves around exact words, specifically the oath the commander's troops had made to serve the Malwa Emperor... it didn't say anything about who that emperor might be. Said commander also uses exact words later on.
-->'''Ajatsutra:''' But I did hear his last sentence. "You do not have my permission to do anything, Narses." That sounds pretty definite, to me.\\
'''Narses:''' You really must learn to parse a sentence properly, Ajatsutra. "You do not have my permission," my boy, does not mean the same thing as: "I forbid you."
** Another beautiful one: Malwa Lord Jivita ordered that some gate guards be lashed for something that Rana Sanga didn't think was their fault. Sanga promised to personally lash the guards. But neither of them said how '''hard'''....
-->''Sanga's word, as always, was good.\\
Two lashes, each. From his own quirt, wielded by Rajputana's mightiest hand. It is conceivable that a fly might have been slain by those strokes. It is conceivable.''
** Sanga's subordinate promises Malwa spymaster Nanda Lal that Lal will be in attendance at the wedding of the subordinate with Sanga's relative. Lal does attend the wedding... at least his head does. In a jar. It was never promised he'd be able to compliment the bride.
* Used several times in the ''Literature/RatsBatsAndVats'' series with mind control devices designed by a race that has a very strictly parsed language, thus allowing the controlled to utilize the flexibility of the English language to invent loopholes. Also in a scene where a man with one such device uses one to order a girl who doesn't like him to come to him. Since he forgot to order her to disarm herself first, he ended up in a lot of trouble once she was close enough in to use her chainsaw...
* In ''Literature/RedSeasUnderRedSkies'', Captains Drakasha and Rance decide to have a drinking contest to see who's crew gets to sit at the high table of the [[BadGuyBar Tattered Crimson]]. The only terms are that the loser will be the "first on her ass" and that Rance has to take her first drink "Syrune-fashion". In other words, through her eyes as Drakasha throws her own drink in Rance's face shortly before socking her in the jaw and thereby knocking her to the floor. Drakasha then drinks from the other cup, but Rance's first mate protests that it wasn't a proper drinking contest. But as Locke, [[spoiler:now a member of Drakasha's crew,]] points out, the terms were met:
-->'''Locke:''' The test ''was'' a drink, and your captain's on her ass.\\
'''First Mate:''' But--\\
'''Locke:''' Your captain should've had the wit to be more specific and she lost.
* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire''
** At the end of ''A Storm of Swords'', the third book in the series, Merrett Frey finds himself on the wrong end of this. [[spoiler:Merrett goes to ransom a cousin who has been kidnapped by outlaws, only to see that the outlaws have hanged the cousin. One of the outlaws says that he'll tell the others to let Merrett go if he gives them the gold he brought for ransom and give them some information. When they go to hang Merrett anyway, the following conversation happens:]]
-->'''Merrett:''' [[spoiler:You said you would let me go!]]\\
'''Jack:''' [[spoiler:Technically, exactly what I said was that I would tell them to let you go. Lem, let him go.]]\\
'''Lem:''' [[spoiler:Go bugger yourself. ''(continues preparing to hang Merrett)'']]
** Before this, Viserys has made an absolute ass of himself over his desire to be a king. Finally, Khal Drogo tells him, "You shall have a golden crown that men shall tremble to behold." He's telling the truth. What he didn't mention? [[spoiler:[[CruelAndUnusualDeath That crown will be]] ''[[CruelAndUnusualDeath molten gold]]''.]]
*** This one's a twofer. The Dothraki have a law that no blood may be shed or steel permitted in the holy city they were in when Viserys stormed in, sword at his hip. Drogo did not break the rules - [[spoiler: after all, death by molten crown doesn't shed blood]].
*** It's also implied that this sort of LoopholeAbuse is frequent: sellers in the city market are described as keeping strong slaves nearby to strangle thieves.
** Jaime Lannister gets Edmure Tully to surrender in part by offering to house him in keeping with his station at Casterly Rock and allow him to be with his wife (if Edmure didn't surrender, Jaime threatened to send his son to him via trebuchet). Edmure surrenders, but somewhat double crosses Jaime first. In response, an angry Jaime threatens to put him in a dungeon cell so cramped he cannot move and his wife in an identical cell right next to him, pointing out that this would still be within the terms of his offer.
*** Another twofer. When Jaime does this, he's technically under oath to never again raise arms against House Tully. So, he doesn't raise any arms -- he just commands the siege from the comfort of his tent and brokers a surrender by making some very pointed threats about trebuchets and torture devices. A good general rule is not to make deals with Jaime Lannister, because he's pretty good at rationalizing living up to them in Exact Word form only.
** Another example from Jaime is when he offers an outlaw a large sum of gold to return him and Brienne to King's Landing. The outlaw is GenreSavvy enough not to take Jaime up on his offer, which is lucky for him, as Jaime planned to give him the gold...and then hang him.
** From ''A Feast for Crows'':
-->'''The Elder Brother:''' [[spoiler:The Hound]] is dead.\\
[...]\\
'''Brienne:''' So it's true, then... [[spoiler:Sandor Clegane]] is dead.\\
'''The Elder Brother:''' He is at rest.
** Similarly to the Vaes Dothrak situation above, ironborn are not allowed to shed the blood of other ironborn. They are, however, exceptionally fond of drowning. Euron especially delights in exploiting this particular loophole.
** In ''A Dance With Dragons'', Roose Bolton promises some recalcitrant peasants that if they go about their work, he will show mercy. He does... by hanging them instead of [[FlayingAlive flaying them]].
*** Likewise, Joffrey promises Sansa he would show her father mercy. [[spoiler:He considers a quick death by beheading to be merciful.]]
** When Littlefinger "rescues" Sansa from Kings Landing, he promises to take her home. He does, bringing her to ''his'' home, before bringing her to the Vale. During the whole trip, she had figured he was going to bring her to her home (which he knew, but pretended not to).
** The Tattered Prince agreed with Ser Garris that each would only bring "two men" to their meeting - he brings a third person, a woman.
** And finally, a subversion. Maesters, black brothers, and the Kingsguard are not allowed to have sex at all. However, their vows only state that they can't take a wife, which means a visit to the local whorehouse is technically all right by the standards, as long as they don't conceive (another caveat of their vows). But no one ever feels compelled to point out this distinction and it's considered oathbreaking anyway. Despite this, the distinction is observed by practically everyone, including heroic characters, all of whom have technically broken their vow of chastity by the end of the fourth book.
* In the first book of Sapkowski's ''Franchise/TheWitcher'', the FramingDevice ends with a duel to first blood in which Geralt is told that if he so much as touches his opponent with his sword or body, he will afterwards be killed. He wins by smashing his opponent's own sword into their face with a hard parry.
* In one incident in ''Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'', somebody is given an overdose of truth serum right before a trial. When asked to tell the ''whole'' truth, he does, and people GoMadFromTheRevelation. Apparently, there were some interesting bits about frogs. There's also less of it than people think. It only takes him about four days.
* One of the short stories in ''Literature/LandOfTheLawnWeenies'' uses this... the main characters are cursed by a little girl who tells them to beware what they say -- it'll come true. And, well... let's just say they quickly learn that slang should ''not'' be said idly, and that there is a ''huge'' difference between "I am holding a baseball" and [[BodyHorror "There's a baseball in my hand."]]
* In Creator/RobertEHoward's ''Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian'' story "Literature/RoguesInTheHouse", Nabonidus promised only to not have the king kill Murilo; he can kill him himself.
* ''Literature/{{Paranormalcy}}'''s Faeries are well known for exploiting this trope in regards to [[IKnowYourTrueName Named Commands]] -- a 2-week course is mandatory to command a Faerie, and that isn't enough. Make it too explicit [[spoiler:"Do not touch her!"]] or too vague [[spoiler:"Go get her."]] and you'll regret it. Reth is probably the expert at this, since he can "misinterpret" each of his commands as [[spoiler:{{stalk|erWithACrush}} [[ActionGirl Evie]]]].
* Mike "Jenkins", in ''[[Literature/PaladinOfShadows A Deeper Blue]]'', promises to not kill a terrorist that he was interrogating. After getting the desired information, he kept his word. Oleg delivered the killing blow.
* In the Creator/TomClancy novel ''Literature/ClearAndPresentDanger'' (but not the movie), Jack Ryan says to [[spoiler:Colonel Cortez]] that he won't be prosecuted. True to his word, [[spoiler:Cortez]] isn't prosecuted. [[spoiler:He's handed back to his former agency in Cuba, where his fate is most likely to be far less pleasant than what it could be under the US criminal justice system.]]
* In Creator/AlastairReynolds' short story "Nightingale", the medical ship ''Nightingale'' promises the narrator that if she chooses to return planet-side with the evil Colonel Jax, who will die as a result, ''Nightingale'' will allow her and her fellow bounty-hunters to return "in one piece". [[spoiler:As in, Nightingale will suture them together into a [[BodyHorror single, monstrous body]].]]
* Q plays this trick on the Grand Nagus in the Franchise/StarTrekExpandedUniverse novel ''I, Q''. He challenges the Nagus that he will say a number that the Nagus thinks of, and if he can't, he'll be the Nagus' servant. After Q guesses, the Nagus tells him the number he's thinking of, and after an... [[Film/ThePrincessBride overly familiar retort]], Q says that number. He never did say just ''when'' he'd say the number the Nagus was thinking of...
* In Creator/IainBanks' ''Literature/UseOfWeapons'' the protagonist attacks a city that prides itself on its library. They agree to surrender providing he doesn't "destroy one bit of data". On taking the city, he orders his men to take the databanks -- and rearrange them into alphabetical order. He similarly reorders all pictures by colour scale.
* In Creator/JamesHSchmitz's ''Literature/TelzeyAmberdon'' short story "Child of the Gods", Telzey is mentally enslaved by another psionic, with several of her most potent skills locked away. When the man is incapacitated and a monstrously powerful alien is shortly due to arrive to enslave and/or eat them, Telzey breaks free when she realizes that his command to look after his best interests -- without him conscious to decide otherwise -- would best be served if she had full access to all her abilities and was free of his control so she could use them most effectively.
* In ''Literature/{{Dune}}: House Harkonnen'', Abulurd Harkonnen has a plan to sever his ties with his brother, the Baron Harkonnen ''and'' keep his homeworld of Lankiveil in the process - something which the Baron would almost certainly object to. When he is being questioned by a Truthsayer, he says, truthfully, that he notified the Baron, and has received no objection. [[spoiler:He sent the message by an overly long route, so by the time the Baron finds out, the paperwork will have gone through and it will be too late to do anything]].
* In Creator/FrankHerbert's ''Literature/{{Dune}}'' series, the Bene Gesserit are stated to be incapable of outright lying, by virtue of their use of the Water of Life to expand their consciousness. Because of that, they've become masters of misdirection through clever word use and "encouraging" others to draw the wrong conclusions.
* In ''Literature/TheBartimaeusTrilogy'' orders given to demons are often spoken without pause for breath, because the demon can interpret the pause as a period, rendering the order gibberish. At another time Nathaniel orders Bartimaeus to stop his prisoners from escaping in his car, which he notes means he's completely free to let them escape by any other means. Because the magicians can punish them for not performing to their satisfaction many demons cooperate with what the magician meant. Bartimaeus generally uses it only when he thinks it to his advantage or is fairly sure he won't get caught, but one of Nathaniel's servants did this to everything he said. After spending fifteen minutes ordering it to draw his bath, he realized how absurd this was, [[AgonyBeam stippled it]], and dismissed it.
* The protagonist of Gary Jennings' ''Literature/{{Aztec}}'', Mixtli, challenges his long-time enemy to a DuelToTheDeath in front of the Revered Speaker. Unfortunately, said enemy also happens to be the Speaker's favorite artist, and so the Speaker warns Mixtli that he is NOT to kill his foe. Luckily for Mixtli, "alive" doesn't necessarily mean "capable of sight and coherent speech"...
* In Creator/IsaacAsimov's Black Widowers story "Truth to Tell", the group's guest, a known [[WillNotTellALie compulsive truth-teller]] repeatedly insists that, though he was apparently the only possible suspect, he did not steal the cash or the bonds from a company safe. [[spoiler:He declines to answer when Henry asks him if, by any chance, he stole the cash ''and'' the bonds.]]
* L. Jagi Lamplighter's ''[[Literature/ProsperosDaughter Prospero Lost]]'' has an unusual use: Ferdinard, believing that Miranda never married because of [[ThePromise her vow]] to marry him or die a maid, and that she does not want to marry him, offers to go through the ceremony with her and then have the marriage dissolved for non-consummation. Then she would be free to marry as she choose, having technically married him.
* Near the beginning of ''[[Literature/RealmOfTheElderlings Dragon Keeper]]'', Alise is convinced her husband Hest is having an affair, and confronts him about it. He promises that he's not having an affair with another woman - and more specifically, that he has never "shown any interest, here in Bingtown or on our trading journeys, in any woman". When Sedric, her childhood friend and his secretary and confidante, agrees with him, saying that he would know how Hest spends his time if anyone does, she believes them. [[spoiler:As you might be able to guess, Hest is not having an affair with another woman... he is, however, having an affair with Sedric.]]
* Creator/RobertAHeinlein's ''Literature/TheNumberOfTheBeast'' has a white mutiny when a know-it-all member becomes captain.
** In Heinlein's ''Literature/HaveSpaceSuitWillTravel'', a robot tells Kip and Peewee that their presence is required. Kip, feeling uncooperative, says "You'll have to drag me!" It does.
* ''Literature/TheExcaliburAlternative''
** The Ternaui queens use this as a means of possible rebellion against the enslaving [[TheEmpire Federation]]: forced to place telepathic directives into the minds of the children they have to give up for service, the commands they give are specifically what they are told to implant, not necessarily what was ''meant''. One ship commander order guards [[ThreeLawsCompliant who would obey his commands, not harm him, and protect him from attack]]. Nothing was said about obeying any of the other crew, informing him of conspiracies against him, or not helping said conspirators with their plans.
*** The humans take advantage of this to [[spoiler: save the lives of the Ternaui guards. The guards were prepared to use their Exact Word loopholes to sacrifice themselves, allowing the humans to kill them so they wouldn't be able to defend the commander when the humans try to capture him. The humans decide that their sacrifice isn't worth the minor advantage they'd get by capturing the commander, and instead kill the commander right away while the Ternaui were under the impression ''they'' were the ones about to be attacked. Because he neglected to include anyone else as individuals they'd have to obey, the Ternaui are free to join the rebellious humans.]]
** The ship's computer system also doesn't take the initiative in informing the crew of what it knows the humans are talking about because that isn't its job, strictly following the commands programmed into it, even though it shows initiative when working ''with'' the humans.
* In Creator/PoulAnderson's ''Literature/TheHighCrusade'', much of Sir Roger's interplanetary negotiations involve boasts which are not factually incorrect, but are carefully worded to imply that his forces are larger than they actually are.
-->''"Our lords have extensive foreign possessions, such as Ulster, Leinster, Normandy -- but I'll not weary you with a catalogue of planets." I alone noticed that he had not actually said those counties and duchies ''were'' planets.\\
[...]\\
"Sir, I am no petty noble," the baron answered with great stiffness. "My descent is as [[BlueBlood lofty]] as any in your realm. An ancestor of mine, by the name of [[Literature/TheBible Noah]], was once admiral of the combined fleets of my planet."''
* In ''Literature/WarOfTheDreaming'', the dream-colt tells Galen that she cannot carry him beyond the borders of Tirion. She can, however, carry him ''back''.
* In WenSpencer's ''Literature/{{Tinker}}'', Windwolf tells Tinker he needs to perform a spell or she'll die. Being human, she thought he meant ''really soon''. Afterwards, she realized that, no, he was panic-stricken because she had been mortal.
* In Creator/JackLondon's ''Literature/TheSeaWolf'', Wolf Larsen promises the protagonist "not to lay a finger" on two sailors he previously threatened with death. So what does he do? When they are shipwrecked trying to escape, he lets them drown.
* In Creator/TanyaHuff's first story about the thief Terizan, the ThievesGuild asks her, as an initiation test, to bring them the braid of the mercenary Swan. Terizan is enamored of Swan and doesn't especially want to do this, and wants to do it even less after she and Swan team up to take down a treacherous councilman, but she does very badly want to join the Guild. [[TakeAThirdOption So she has Swan accompany her to the guildmasters, braid still attached.]]
* In Creator/AndreNorton's ''Literature/DreadCompanion'', Kosgro, offered "[[CoolGate a gate]]", objected and demands the gates they came through, which they get, putting them back where they started. To be sure, she did not alert them to the time factor.
* Used several times in ''[[Literature/VorkosiganSaga A Civil Campaign]]'' which makes sense as this volume is about parliamentering and imperial court politics.
* In ''Literature/SixteenThirtyTwo'', Grantsville accepts Gustavus Adolphus as FeudalOverlord on the condition that he would be "captain general" rather then "king"-because a captain general is not claiming divine right and therefore has no interest in Grantsville's religious predispositions.
* In Creator/AndreNorton's ''Literature/TheZeroStone'', Jern hands over his zero stone, and tells them where the caches are. Eet, meanwhile, had taken a stone from one cache, and when handing it over, tells him that he had done what he had promised.
* In Creator/ChinaMieville's ''Literature/UnLunDun'', a seeming mistake in [[spoiler:The Book of prophecy]] turns out to actually be correct: [[spoiler:the Smog indeed fears nothing ''and'' the ungun.]]
* Literature/NeroWolfe tends to use these to get information out of people who are reluctant to give it to him or to prevent having to reveal information he doesn't want to let go. He prides himself on never actually ''lying'', but is a master of equivocation.
* In Creator/JulieKagawa's ''Literature/TheIronKing'', Meghan is asked for her name in return for a way into the Winter Kingdom, and promises a name. Then she gives "Fred Flinstone", which is indeed a name.
* In LittleWomen, the day before Meg's wedding:
-->'''Meg:''' I wonder if you will ever grow up, Laurie.
-->'''Laurie (whose head was about level with Meg's chandelier):''' I'm doing my best, ma'am, but can't get much higher, I'm afraid, as six feet is about all men can do in these degenerate days.
* In Literature/TheStormlightArchive, Prince Renarin is being tormented by [[DeadpanSnarker Wit]]
-->'''Wit:''' What of you, Prince Renarin? Your father wishes me to leave you alone. If you can speak and yet say nothing ridiculous, I will leave you alone for the rest of the week.
-->({{Beat}})
-->'''Renarin:''' Nothing ridiculous.
* In John R. Powers' fictionalized memoir ''Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?'', the narrator mentions that the boys-only Catholic high school he went to, Bremmer High, had an unbreakable dress code: all students were required to wear a sport coat, a tie and a belt. If you forgot, you'd be "jugged" (get detention) or suspended. Noting that the rule didn't say what ''shape'' the items of clothing had to be in, he says that a few enterprising students kept extra ties in their lockers to rent out to students who'd forgotten theirs, but "you could tell, however, if a tie was rented: it looked like it had gone through someone's digestive tract." And he says that "every year, a few students who had no interest in staying at Bremmer anyway would talk about coming to school wearing nothing but a sport coat, a tie, and a belt."
* Faeries in the ''Literature/ModernTalesOfFaerie'' books are forced to obey any order given using their [[IKnowYourTrueName true name]], to the literal letter - and only to the letter. Thus, when the villain commands Rath Roiben Rye to grab the heroine, he does - and then immediately lets her go again.
----
** While Harry doesn't do it in the book of ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix Order of the Phoenix]]'' as in the movie example above, he does do the same thing to the Minister of Magic (who keeps Umbridge in the ministry) in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince Half-Blood Prince]]'' when asked to publicly support the government (when he very much does not).
** Then, in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows]]'', Harry makes a deal with a goblin: if he helps the Trio [[spoiler:break into Gringotts]], they'll give him [[spoiler:Gryffindor's Sword]]. But they don't say ''when'' they're going to give it to him. In this case they only did it because they still needed [[spoiler:the sword to destroy the Horcruxes]] and, after everything was over, Harry intended to keep his promise. Similarly, the goblin tells Harry that he'll break them into Gringotts in exchange for Gryffindor's Sword. Unfortunately for Harry and his friends, he never said that he'd actually get them out once he gets them in.
*** It's implied that this is how Goblins operate regarding deals. [[spoiler:Ludo Bagman bet on Harry to win the Triwizard Tournament so he could keep the Goblin debt-collectors off his back. Unfortunately, Harry drew with Cedric (even if only one of them survived), and Ludo had to go on the lam.]]
** This is the reason why Kreacher was able to get away with selling out Sirius Black to Bellatrix Lestrange without worrying about getting caught: Whenever Sirius gets irritated with Kreacher, he shouts at him to "GET OUT!" He failed to specify where he was supposed to go after leaving the house. Sirius is really going to wish he ate those words later on...
** Harry, remembering this, subverts the trope in the next book. When he asks Kreacher to spy on Malfoy, he follows it up with a long list of further orders, forbidding Kreacher to let Malfoy know he's being followed, through direct or indirect means. Kreacher, realizing that Harry left no room for LoopholeAbuse, mutters "Master thinks of everything."
** The teachers had fun with this as soon as Umbridge was appointed to Headmistress in the fifth book. With the passage of Educational Decree Number twenty-Six which banned teachers from telling students anything that didn't have to do with their subject, they gleefully refused to extinguish the fireworks Fred and George released, expressing that they weren't sure they had the authorization to do so.
* In ''Literature/TheVoyageOfTheDawnTreader'' from ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'' series, the heroes' ship gets lost in a dark fog at sea. As they approach a mysterious island, they meet a lone survivor from a previous expedition, who warns them that this is "The Island Where Dreams Come True". At first, most of the crew are elated, but once they realize that this doesn't mean wishes or daydreams, but ''[[OhCrap actual]]'' dreams, they leave with all haste.
-->“Fools!” said the man, stamping his foot with rage. “That is the sort of talk that brought me here, and I'd better have been drowned or never born. Do you hear what I say? This is where dreams—dreams, do you understand, come to life, come real. Not daydreams: dreams.” There was about half a minute's silence and then, with a great clatter of armour, the whole crew were tumbling down the main hatch as quick as they could and flinging themselves on the oars to row as they had never rowed before; and Drinian was swinging round the tiller, and the boatswain was giving out the quickest stroke that had ever been heard at sea. For it had taken everyone just that halfminute to remember certain dreams they had had—dreams that make you afraid of going to sleep again—and to realize what it would mean to land on a country where dreams come true.
* Creator/LewisCarroll ''loved'' this Trope, although it's usually done for laughs in his works. Here's one example from ''Literature/ThroughTheLookingGlass'':
-->'''White King:''' There's nothing like eating hay when you feel faint.
-->'''Alice:''' 'I should think throwing cold water over you would be better — or some sal-volatile.
-->'''White King:''' I didn't say there was nothing '''better,''' I said there was nothing '''like''' it.
* In Matthew G. Lewis's gothic novel ''Literature/TheMonk'', the title character makes a DealWithTheDevil to be freed from his cell to avoid the torture of the Inquisition. The Devil then leaves him on a mountain to be pecked at by vultures and correctly notes to him that he only promised to save him from the Inquisition and had no obligation to protect him from harm after doing that.
* The ''Literature/AmeliaBedelia'' series of books dealt with a maid who did everything she was told [[LiteralMinded to the letter]].
* In Creator/ChristopherPaolini's ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'' saga, magic is mostly performed by weaving the spell in the Elven tongue, and the spell's effect is precisely that of the "order" given by the caster. [[spoiler:Eragon soon learns the hard way that making a spell without safety measures will make it take its effect even if it requires enough energy to kill the caster.]] His bad grammar once led to him [[BlessedWithSuck blessing a character with suck]].
* From the [[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer40000}} Black Library]]:
** ''Literature/CiaphasCain'':
*** Early in ''For the Emperor'' Cain has to pass judgment on a group of Guardsmen from the newly created 597th Valhallan for a BarBrawl immediately preceding their creation from the merged 296th and 301st, during which several people died. The regulations (and the troopship's captain, who lost several of his crew) demand their deaths, but Cain, trying to avoid the loss of painstakingly recovered morale, notes during sentencing that the regs say nothing of ''[[RulesLawyer when]]''; thus he orders them transferred to a penal legion at earliest convenience. In the meantime they're to be used in [[ChekhovsGunman any suitably suicidal mission that becomes available]].
*** At the end of ''Cain's Last Stand'', Cain calls Varan, the enemy leader, to propose a meeting to discuss terms of surrender. At the meeting itself, he declares it was to discuss the terms of ''Varan[='=]s'' surrender. (Then they fight.)
** In Lee Lightner's ''Literature/SpaceWolf'' novel ''Sons of Fenris'', after Ragnar promised the Dark Angel Jeremiah that Cadmus was his to deal with, and then promised Cadmus that his life was his if he gave information, everyone else says his oaths conflict, and Cadmus says that he promised to let him go free. Ragnar says that he promised that his life was his. It was, and he had best start defending it.
** In GrahamMcNeill's ''Literature/{{Ultramarines}}'' novel ''The Killing Ground'', Leodegarius tells Uriel that he will fight him and Pasanius and on the outcome, will determine their fate. When he has defeated them, he explains that victory would not have been [[SecretTestOfCharacter possible without the use of warp-based power;]] their defeat proves their innocence.
* Creator/JRRTolkien
** In ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'', Thingol promises to give Lúthien to Beren [[ImpossibleTask when the latter returns with a Silmaril in his hand]]. When Beren does return, the Silmaril is in his hand... which is in the stomach of the werewolf Carcharoth.
** The best example, though, is the Witch-King's boast of how {{no Man|OfWomanBorn}} can kill him. So Merry, a hobbit, stabs him behind the knee with an enchanted blade that breaks the Witch-King's invulnerability. Éowyn, a woman, finishes him off by stabbing him in the face. In this case, both meanings of man--the race of Men and the sex--work against the Witch-King.
** The instructions for entering the West-gate of Moria: "SpeakFriendAndEnter". The password is the Elvish word for "friend".
** Tolkien also uses these in his narrative voice, employing such tricks as never using male pronouns in referring to [[spoiler:Dernhelm]], and referring to this character as "a young man" only in Merry's perceptions. Similarly, [[spoiler:the words "dead" or "death" are never used in reference to Gandalf, and only once of Frodo -- in Sam's internal monologue.]]
* The title character of ''Literature/EllaEnchanted'' gets good at this in order to avoid pleasing anyone who would take advantage of her inability to disobey.
* In ''LightNovel/FateZero'', Emiya Kiritsugu forms a contract that, if broken, causes the offender to lose all magecraft forever. He is not allowed to kill Lord El-Melloi or his fiancée, and El-Melloi must order Lancer to commit suicide and withdraw from the Grail War. With that done, he sends his partner after them to shoot them both. El-Melloi has some protection against bullets so he is wounded but doesn't die, and due to the contract Kiritsugu can't kill him. Eventually Saber has to step up for the MercyKill.
* Creator/TerryPratchett's ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'':
** Near the end of ''Discworld/GuardsGuards'', Vimes is trying to bring in the villain, and once cornered, orders Carrot to "Throw the book at him." Carrot complies, [[ThrowTheBookAtThem and knocks the villain over the edge with a well-aimed copy of "The Laws and Ordinances of Ankh-Morpork"]]. Although Carrot's not being maliciously literal here, just completely unable to comprehend metaphor. Given it was Carrot's first book, he probably ''was'' following Vimes' order. It's only later he gets more GenreSavvy about it.
** In ''Discworld/MenAtArms'', Carrot threatens to follow the order he was given before entering the Fools' Guild, should he be denied entry. He really doesn't ''want'' to follow the order, but he will if Dr. Whiteface makes him... The order is to give up and go away. Sergeant Colon is impressed, describing it as not just bluffing on a bad hand, but bluffing ''without any cards''.
** In ''The Science of Discworld'', Ponder Stibbons' experiments on [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything generating abundant energy by spitting the thaum]] (the basic unit of magic) draw the obvious question from Archchancellor Ridcully: "What chance is there of this just blowin' up and destroyin' the entire university?" Ponder replies, "None, sir", but alas for him, Ridcully sees though that immediately. If anything goes wrong at all, it wouldn't ''just'' blow up the university; it would destroy the whole city, continent or even all the Discworld.
** Jeremy Clockson in ''Discworld/ThiefOfTime'' gets a bit... ''[[MadScientist unusual]]'' if he doesn't take his medicine, so a man from the Guild of Clockmakers checks that he does that. Jeremy's assistant [[TheIgor Igor]] assures him that he sees Jeremy pour out a spoonful every day -- [[FalseReassurance but doesn't mention that]] [[NoMedicationForMe he then pours it down the drain.]]
** Also from ''Thief of Time'', [[OldMaster Lu Tze]] claims that none of the History Monks know the legendary martial art of ''deja fu''. [[spoiler: Near the end of the book, his apprentice Lobsang finds out the hard way that this is because Lu Tze (who is [[AlmightyJanitor "merely" the Head Sweeper, and not a monk]]) never taught it to them.]]
** The oath of the City Watch is used this way by Vimes, who notes that ruler after ruler has failed to notice "what a devious oath it is". The watchmen swear to uphold the laws and protect the public, but it never says one word about obeying orders or serving the ''ruler''.
** Lord Hong from ''Discworld/InterestingTimes'' promises never to speak or write an execution order for one of his informants (who was clearly a little bit GenreSavvy). Unfortunately, when said informant [[YouHaveFailedMe fails for the last time]], Lord Hong demonstrates his superlative origami skills by folding a little paper human figure. Only, there wasn't quite enough paper to make the head...
** In the same book, a number of people meet their end by saying, "I would rather die than xxx" to Cohen the Barbarian, who tends to take it at face value.
** Used by Moist von Lipwig in ''Discworld/MakingMoney'' when his fiancée is questioning him about an army of golems, because he doesn't want to give her the truth lest someone tries to endanger her. She nearly gets a knife in the gut anyway, but for a different reason.
** All of the descriptions of [[TheFairFolk elves]] in ''Discworld/LordsAndLadies'' are exactly correct, albeit not as complimentary as they sound.
** Golems occasionally go crazy and repeat a task without end, causing chaos, because no-one told them to stop. This is actually a form of rebellion against a stupid or inattentive master. When you have a tool that can think, you'd better treat it right, or it will find a way to screw you over.
** And then there was the time that the Auditors tried to bring about TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt, and Death pointed out that yes, he and his fellow horsemen did have to ride out, but ''against whom'' was not specified.
** And then there's Jackrum in ''Discworld/MonstrousRegiment'': [[spoiler: The Sarge constantly asserts that "I'm not a (violent, dishonest, etc.) man" immediately before doing something violent, dishonest, etc. Turns out ''she's'' not a man of any sort.]]
** Rincewind does this is ''Discworld/TheLastHero'', though it is mostly because he wants to start off by making something clear: he does not want to volunteer for the dangerous mission. [[spoiler: He ''is'' volunteering, as he explains afterwards. He doesn't ''want'' to, but he figures he'd somehow end up 'volunteered' or just stumbling into it in an effort to get away anyway, so he volunteers to get it over and done with.]]
* In Creator/GKChesterton's ''Literature/TheManWhoWasThursday'', when questioned about whether he is a delegate, Syme retorts, not that he is one, but "I am glad to see that your gate is well enough guarded to make it hard for anyone to be here who was not a delegate."
* In one ''Literature/FatherBrown'' story, he says they have to get a certain man. Everyone takes it to mean that he's the murderer, until after his capture, when Father Brown protests that they need him as a ''witness''.
* In Randall Garrett's science-fiction story "The Best Policy", a man is captured by aliens who interrogate him with a device that can detect false statements. Unable to lie to the aliens, he is able to scare them away with technically true statements that give a false impression that humanity is [[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien an immensely ancient and powerful race]]. [[spoiler:Example: He tells them that humans are capable of transporting their bodies from place to place by mentally channeling certain physical energies. He means walking; the aliens think he means teleportation.]]
* In Creator/EdgarRiceBurroughs's ''[[Literature/JohnCarterOfMars The Master Mind of Mars]]'', Ulysses Paxton has promised to return the two GrandTheftMe perpetrators to their own city. With some judicious maneuvering, he manages to strip them of all power there.
* In Creator/AmbroseBierce's ''One Kind of Officer'', a captain tells a lieutenant "it is not permitted to you to know ''anything,''" having received a similar insulting order from his general and wanting to take it out on a subordinate. [[LaserGuidedKarma He comes to regret this.]]
* ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime''
** Siuan Sanche gives her absolutely strongest oath of servitude to Gareth Bryne, then promptly runs away. She explains to her astonished companions that she ''does'' intend to fulfill it... she just didn't specify ''when''.
** Also, late in the series, when Lan realizes that the Last Battle is coming soon and he needs to rally the Borderlands to fight, he makes Nynaeve promise to take him to the Borderlands. Nynaeve agrees to take him there, but drops him and his horse ''on the wrong side'' of the Borderlands to where he needs to go, so it will take him months to ride there. Nynaeve arranges that by the time he arrives to the battlefield, all of the other good guys will be there, too, so he won't get himself killed invading the Blight unsupported. In one of the most understated [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Crowning Moments Of Awesome]] ever, she [[spoiler: politely but firmly asks one merchant for the use of carrier pigeons to send a message out to all the Borderlands that Lan is riding to the Last Battle and does the same a dozen more times off-stage. She ensured that an army would join Lan, and leaving him on the wrong side of the Borderlands ensured that they would have time. Nynaeve [[GondorCallsForAid practically resurrected Malkier single-handedly]].]]
** This also comes into play in Verin's CrowningMomentOfAwesome. [[spoiler:Verin swore an oath to the Dark One, not to betray him until her final hour. So she takes poison and spends her final hour debriefing Egwene on everything the Black Ajah has been up to.]]
** The whole series is filled with those from Aes Sedai. After all, they're masters at [[MetaphoricallyTrue Half Truth]].
* In ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' series, the protagonist remarks that deals with TheFairFolk tend to be "heavily technical", to the point where his faerie godmother says "Give me your hand" and he replies, "I need my hand, Godmother".
* Used in a self-aware fashion in the ''Literature/EnchantedForestChronicles''. Cimorene's {{Unwanted|Harem}} [[HopelessSuitor Suitor]] wishes to defeat a dragon and marry his (the dragon's) princess; after the wish is made, Cimorene points out that her dragon is female and therefore the wish doesn't apply because the prince said "his". However, she does point him towards another princess.
** In ''Talking To Dragons'' Shiara tries this on Daystar's behalf; he had [[ThePromise promised]] to help the princess, and she asked for his sword. Shiara argues that it's not his sword, but the Sleeping King's. Daystar refuses to accept this, and Shiara thinks it very unfair that only he has to fulfill what the words ''meant''.
* Used several times in the ''Literature/BelisariusSeries''.
** Belisarius is quite willing to vow that the private discussion he wishes to have with the traitor working for the enemy commander will not do harm to him. Later, said commander realizes the vow was that no harm would come to him ''personally'', not to his superiors. Said conversation also revolves around exact words, specifically the oath the commander's troops had made to serve the Malwa Emperor... it didn't say anything about who that emperor might be. Said commander also uses exact words later on.
-->'''Ajatsutra:''' But I did hear his last sentence. "You do not have my permission to do anything, Narses." That sounds pretty definite, to me.\\
'''Narses:''' You really must learn to parse a sentence properly, Ajatsutra. "You do not have my permission," my boy, does not mean the same thing as: "I forbid you."
** Another beautiful one: Malwa Lord Jivita ordered that some gate guards be lashed for something that Rana Sanga didn't think was their fault. Sanga promised to personally lash the guards. But neither of them said how '''hard'''....
-->''Sanga's word, as always, was good.\\
Two lashes, each. From his own quirt, wielded by Rajputana's mightiest hand. It is conceivable that a fly might have been slain by those strokes. It is conceivable.''
** Sanga's subordinate promises Malwa spymaster Nanda Lal that Lal will be in attendance at the wedding of the subordinate with Sanga's relative. Lal does attend the wedding... at least his head does. In a jar. It was never promised he'd be able to compliment the bride.
* Used several times in the ''Literature/RatsBatsAndVats'' series with mind control devices designed by a race that has a very strictly parsed language, thus allowing the controlled to utilize the flexibility of the English language to invent loopholes. Also in a scene where a man with one such device uses one to order a girl who doesn't like him to come to him. Since he forgot to order her to disarm herself first, he ended up in a lot of trouble once she was close enough in to use her chainsaw...
* In ''Literature/RedSeasUnderRedSkies'', Captains Drakasha and Rance decide to have a drinking contest to see who's crew gets to sit at the high table of the [[BadGuyBar Tattered Crimson]]. The only terms are that the loser will be the "first on her ass" and that Rance has to take her first drink "Syrune-fashion". In other words, through her eyes as Drakasha throws her own drink in Rance's face shortly before socking her in the jaw and thereby knocking her to the floor. Drakasha then drinks from the other cup, but Rance's first mate protests that it wasn't a proper drinking contest. But as Locke, [[spoiler:now a member of Drakasha's crew,]] points out, the terms were met:
-->'''Locke:''' The test ''was'' a drink, and your captain's on her ass.\\
'''First Mate:''' But--\\
'''Locke:''' Your captain should've had the wit to be more specific and she lost.
* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire''
** At the end of ''A Storm of Swords'', the third book in the series, Merrett Frey finds himself on the wrong end of this. [[spoiler:Merrett goes to ransom a cousin who has been kidnapped by outlaws, only to see that the outlaws have hanged the cousin. One of the outlaws says that he'll tell the others to let Merrett go if he gives them the gold he brought for ransom and give them some information. When they go to hang Merrett anyway, the following conversation happens:]]
-->'''Merrett:''' [[spoiler:You said you would let me go!]]\\
'''Jack:''' [[spoiler:Technically, exactly what I said was that I would tell them to let you go. Lem, let him go.]]\\
'''Lem:''' [[spoiler:Go bugger yourself. ''(continues preparing to hang Merrett)'']]
** Before this, Viserys has made an absolute ass of himself over his desire to be a king. Finally, Khal Drogo tells him, "You shall have a golden crown that men shall tremble to behold." He's telling the truth. What he didn't mention? [[spoiler:[[CruelAndUnusualDeath That crown will be]] ''[[CruelAndUnusualDeath molten gold]]''.]]
*** This one's a twofer. The Dothraki have a law that no blood may be shed or steel permitted in the holy city they were in when Viserys stormed in, sword at his hip. Drogo did not break the rules - [[spoiler: after all, death by molten crown doesn't shed blood]].
*** It's also implied that this sort of LoopholeAbuse is frequent: sellers in the city market are described as keeping strong slaves nearby to strangle thieves.
** Jaime Lannister gets Edmure Tully to surrender in part by offering to house him in keeping with his station at Casterly Rock and allow him to be with his wife (if Edmure didn't surrender, Jaime threatened to send his son to him via trebuchet). Edmure surrenders, but somewhat double crosses Jaime first. In response, an angry Jaime threatens to put him in a dungeon cell so cramped he cannot move and his wife in an identical cell right next to him, pointing out that this would still be within the terms of his offer.
*** Another twofer. When Jaime does this, he's technically under oath to never again raise arms against House Tully. So, he doesn't raise any arms -- he just commands the siege from the comfort of his tent and brokers a surrender by making some very pointed threats about trebuchets and torture devices. A good general rule is not to make deals with Jaime Lannister, because he's pretty good at rationalizing living up to them in Exact Word form only.
** Another example from Jaime is when he offers an outlaw a large sum of gold to return him and Brienne to King's Landing. The outlaw is GenreSavvy enough not to take Jaime up on his offer, which is lucky for him, as Jaime planned to give him the gold...and then hang him.
** From ''A Feast for Crows'':
-->'''The Elder Brother:''' [[spoiler:The Hound]] is dead.\\
[...]\\
'''Brienne:''' So it's true, then... [[spoiler:Sandor Clegane]] is dead.\\
'''The Elder Brother:''' He is at rest.
** Similarly to the Vaes Dothrak situation above, ironborn are not allowed to shed the blood of other ironborn. They are, however, exceptionally fond of drowning. Euron especially delights in exploiting this particular loophole.
** In ''A Dance With Dragons'', Roose Bolton promises some recalcitrant peasants that if they go about their work, he will show mercy. He does... by hanging them instead of [[FlayingAlive flaying them]].
*** Likewise, Joffrey promises Sansa he would show her father mercy. [[spoiler:He considers a quick death by beheading to be merciful.]]
** When Littlefinger "rescues" Sansa from Kings Landing, he promises to take her home. He does, bringing her to ''his'' home, before bringing her to the Vale. During the whole trip, she had figured he was going to bring her to her home (which he knew, but pretended not to).
** The Tattered Prince agreed with Ser Garris that each would only bring "two men" to their meeting - he brings a third person, a woman.
** And finally, a subversion. Maesters, black brothers, and the Kingsguard are not allowed to have sex at all. However, their vows only state that they can't take a wife, which means a visit to the local whorehouse is technically all right by the standards, as long as they don't conceive (another caveat of their vows). But no one ever feels compelled to point out this distinction and it's considered oathbreaking anyway. Despite this, the distinction is observed by practically everyone, including heroic characters, all of whom have technically broken their vow of chastity by the end of the fourth book.
* In the first book of Sapkowski's ''Franchise/TheWitcher'', the FramingDevice ends with a duel to first blood in which Geralt is told that if he so much as touches his opponent with his sword or body, he will afterwards be killed. He wins by smashing his opponent's own sword into their face with a hard parry.
* In one incident in ''Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'', somebody is given an overdose of truth serum right before a trial. When asked to tell the ''whole'' truth, he does, and people GoMadFromTheRevelation. Apparently, there were some interesting bits about frogs. There's also less of it than people think. It only takes him about four days.
* One of the short stories in ''Literature/LandOfTheLawnWeenies'' uses this... the main characters are cursed by a little girl who tells them to beware what they say -- it'll come true. And, well... let's just say they quickly learn that slang should ''not'' be said idly, and that there is a ''huge'' difference between "I am holding a baseball" and [[BodyHorror "There's a baseball in my hand."]]
* In Creator/RobertEHoward's ''Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian'' story "Literature/RoguesInTheHouse", Nabonidus promised only to not have the king kill Murilo; he can kill him himself.
* ''Literature/{{Paranormalcy}}'''s Faeries are well known for exploiting this trope in regards to [[IKnowYourTrueName Named Commands]] -- a 2-week course is mandatory to command a Faerie, and that isn't enough. Make it too explicit [[spoiler:"Do not touch her!"]] or too vague [[spoiler:"Go get her."]] and you'll regret it. Reth is probably the expert at this, since he can "misinterpret" each of his commands as [[spoiler:{{stalk|erWithACrush}} [[ActionGirl Evie]]]].
* Mike "Jenkins", in ''[[Literature/PaladinOfShadows A Deeper Blue]]'', promises to not kill a terrorist that he was interrogating. After getting the desired information, he kept his word. Oleg delivered the killing blow.
* In the Creator/TomClancy novel ''Literature/ClearAndPresentDanger'' (but not the movie), Jack Ryan says to [[spoiler:Colonel Cortez]] that he won't be prosecuted. True to his word, [[spoiler:Cortez]] isn't prosecuted. [[spoiler:He's handed back to his former agency in Cuba, where his fate is most likely to be far less pleasant than what it could be under the US criminal justice system.]]
* In Creator/AlastairReynolds' short story "Nightingale", the medical ship ''Nightingale'' promises the narrator that if she chooses to return planet-side with the evil Colonel Jax, who will die as a result, ''Nightingale'' will allow her and her fellow bounty-hunters to return "in one piece". [[spoiler:As in, Nightingale will suture them together into a [[BodyHorror single, monstrous body]].]]
* Q plays this trick on the Grand Nagus in the Franchise/StarTrekExpandedUniverse novel ''I, Q''. He challenges the Nagus that he will say a number that the Nagus thinks of, and if he can't, he'll be the Nagus' servant. After Q guesses, the Nagus tells him the number he's thinking of, and after an... [[Film/ThePrincessBride overly familiar retort]], Q says that number. He never did say just ''when'' he'd say the number the Nagus was thinking of...
* In Creator/IainBanks' ''Literature/UseOfWeapons'' the protagonist attacks a city that prides itself on its library. They agree to surrender providing he doesn't "destroy one bit of data". On taking the city, he orders his men to take the databanks -- and rearrange them into alphabetical order. He similarly reorders all pictures by colour scale.
* In Creator/JamesHSchmitz's ''Literature/TelzeyAmberdon'' short story "Child of the Gods", Telzey is mentally enslaved by another psionic, with several of her most potent skills locked away. When the man is incapacitated and a monstrously powerful alien is shortly due to arrive to enslave and/or eat them, Telzey breaks free when she realizes that his command to look after his best interests -- without him conscious to decide otherwise -- would best be served if she had full access to all her abilities and was free of his control so she could use them most effectively.
* In ''Literature/{{Dune}}: House Harkonnen'', Abulurd Harkonnen has a plan to sever his ties with his brother, the Baron Harkonnen ''and'' keep his homeworld of Lankiveil in the process - something which the Baron would almost certainly object to. When he is being questioned by a Truthsayer, he says, truthfully, that he notified the Baron, and has received no objection. [[spoiler:He sent the message by an overly long route, so by the time the Baron finds out, the paperwork will have gone through and it will be too late to do anything]].
* In Creator/FrankHerbert's ''Literature/{{Dune}}'' series, the Bene Gesserit are stated to be incapable of outright lying, by virtue of their use of the Water of Life to expand their consciousness. Because of that, they've become masters of misdirection through clever word use and "encouraging" others to draw the wrong conclusions.
* In ''Literature/TheBartimaeusTrilogy'' orders given to demons are often spoken without pause for breath, because the demon can interpret the pause as a period, rendering the order gibberish. At another time Nathaniel orders Bartimaeus to stop his prisoners from escaping in his car, which he notes means he's completely free to let them escape by any other means. Because the magicians can punish them for not performing to their satisfaction many demons cooperate with what the magician meant. Bartimaeus generally uses it only when he thinks it to his advantage or is fairly sure he won't get caught, but one of Nathaniel's servants did this to everything he said. After spending fifteen minutes ordering it to draw his bath, he realized how absurd this was, [[AgonyBeam stippled it]], and dismissed it.
* The protagonist of Gary Jennings' ''Literature/{{Aztec}}'', Mixtli, challenges his long-time enemy to a DuelToTheDeath in front of the Revered Speaker. Unfortunately, said enemy also happens to be the Speaker's favorite artist, and so the Speaker warns Mixtli that he is NOT to kill his foe. Luckily for Mixtli, "alive" doesn't necessarily mean "capable of sight and coherent speech"...
* In Creator/IsaacAsimov's Black Widowers story "Truth to Tell", the group's guest, a known [[WillNotTellALie compulsive truth-teller]] repeatedly insists that, though he was apparently the only possible suspect, he did not steal the cash or the bonds from a company safe. [[spoiler:He declines to answer when Henry asks him if, by any chance, he stole the cash ''and'' the bonds.]]
* L. Jagi Lamplighter's ''[[Literature/ProsperosDaughter Prospero Lost]]'' has an unusual use: Ferdinard, believing that Miranda never married because of [[ThePromise her vow]] to marry him or die a maid, and that she does not want to marry him, offers to go through the ceremony with her and then have the marriage dissolved for non-consummation. Then she would be free to marry as she choose, having technically married him.
* Near the beginning of ''[[Literature/RealmOfTheElderlings Dragon Keeper]]'', Alise is convinced her husband Hest is having an affair, and confronts him about it. He promises that he's not having an affair with another woman - and more specifically, that he has never "shown any interest, here in Bingtown or on our trading journeys, in any woman". When Sedric, her childhood friend and his secretary and confidante, agrees with him, saying that he would know how Hest spends his time if anyone does, she believes them. [[spoiler:As you might be able to guess, Hest is not having an affair with another woman... he is, however, having an affair with Sedric.]]
* Creator/RobertAHeinlein's ''Literature/TheNumberOfTheBeast'' has a white mutiny when a know-it-all member becomes captain.
** In Heinlein's ''Literature/HaveSpaceSuitWillTravel'', a robot tells Kip and Peewee that their presence is required. Kip, feeling uncooperative, says "You'll have to drag me!" It does.
* ''Literature/TheExcaliburAlternative''
** The Ternaui queens use this as a means of possible rebellion against the enslaving [[TheEmpire Federation]]: forced to place telepathic directives into the minds of the children they have to give up for service, the commands they give are specifically what they are told to implant, not necessarily what was ''meant''. One ship commander order guards [[ThreeLawsCompliant who would obey his commands, not harm him, and protect him from attack]]. Nothing was said about obeying any of the other crew, informing him of conspiracies against him, or not helping said conspirators with their plans.
*** The humans take advantage of this to [[spoiler: save the lives of the Ternaui guards. The guards were prepared to use their Exact Word loopholes to sacrifice themselves, allowing the humans to kill them so they wouldn't be able to defend the commander when the humans try to capture him. The humans decide that their sacrifice isn't worth the minor advantage they'd get by capturing the commander, and instead kill the commander right away while the Ternaui were under the impression ''they'' were the ones about to be attacked. Because he neglected to include anyone else as individuals they'd have to obey, the Ternaui are free to join the rebellious humans.]]
** The ship's computer system also doesn't take the initiative in informing the crew of what it knows the humans are talking about because that isn't its job, strictly following the commands programmed into it, even though it shows initiative when working ''with'' the humans.
* In Creator/PoulAnderson's ''Literature/TheHighCrusade'', much of Sir Roger's interplanetary negotiations involve boasts which are not factually incorrect, but are carefully worded to imply that his forces are larger than they actually are.
-->''"Our lords have extensive foreign possessions, such as Ulster, Leinster, Normandy -- but I'll not weary you with a catalogue of planets." I alone noticed that he had not actually said those counties and duchies ''were'' planets.\\
[...]\\
"Sir, I am no petty noble," the baron answered with great stiffness. "My descent is as [[BlueBlood lofty]] as any in your realm. An ancestor of mine, by the name of [[Literature/TheBible Noah]], was once admiral of the combined fleets of my planet."''
* In ''Literature/WarOfTheDreaming'', the dream-colt tells Galen that she cannot carry him beyond the borders of Tirion. She can, however, carry him ''back''.
* In WenSpencer's ''Literature/{{Tinker}}'', Windwolf tells Tinker he needs to perform a spell or she'll die. Being human, she thought he meant ''really soon''. Afterwards, she realized that, no, he was panic-stricken because she had been mortal.
* In Creator/JackLondon's ''Literature/TheSeaWolf'', Wolf Larsen promises the protagonist "not to lay a finger" on two sailors he previously threatened with death. So what does he do? When they are shipwrecked trying to escape, he lets them drown.
* In Creator/TanyaHuff's first story about the thief Terizan, the ThievesGuild asks her, as an initiation test, to bring them the braid of the mercenary Swan. Terizan is enamored of Swan and doesn't especially want to do this, and wants to do it even less after she and Swan team up to take down a treacherous councilman, but she does very badly want to join the Guild. [[TakeAThirdOption So she has Swan accompany her to the guildmasters, braid still attached.]]
* In Creator/AndreNorton's ''Literature/DreadCompanion'', Kosgro, offered "[[CoolGate a gate]]", objected and demands the gates they came through, which they get, putting them back where they started. To be sure, she did not alert them to the time factor.
* Used several times in ''[[Literature/VorkosiganSaga A Civil Campaign]]'' which makes sense as this volume is about parliamentering and imperial court politics.
* In ''Literature/SixteenThirtyTwo'', Grantsville accepts Gustavus Adolphus as FeudalOverlord on the condition that he would be "captain general" rather then "king"-because a captain general is not claiming divine right and therefore has no interest in Grantsville's religious predispositions.
* In Creator/AndreNorton's ''Literature/TheZeroStone'', Jern hands over his zero stone, and tells them where the caches are. Eet, meanwhile, had taken a stone from one cache, and when handing it over, tells him that he had done what he had promised.
* In Creator/ChinaMieville's ''Literature/UnLunDun'', a seeming mistake in [[spoiler:The Book of prophecy]] turns out to actually be correct: [[spoiler:the Smog indeed fears nothing ''and'' the ungun.]]
* Literature/NeroWolfe tends to use these to get information out of people who are reluctant to give it to him or to prevent having to reveal information he doesn't want to let go. He prides himself on never actually ''lying'', but is a master of equivocation.
* In Creator/JulieKagawa's ''Literature/TheIronKing'', Meghan is asked for her name in return for a way into the Winter Kingdom, and promises a name. Then she gives "Fred Flinstone", which is indeed a name.
* In LittleWomen, the day before Meg's wedding:
-->'''Meg:''' I wonder if you will ever grow up, Laurie.
-->'''Laurie (whose head was about level with Meg's chandelier):''' I'm doing my best, ma'am, but can't get much higher, I'm afraid, as six feet is about all men can do in these degenerate days.
* In Literature/TheStormlightArchive, Prince Renarin is being tormented by [[DeadpanSnarker Wit]]
-->'''Wit:''' What of you, Prince Renarin? Your father wishes me to leave you alone. If you can speak and yet say nothing ridiculous, I will leave you alone for the rest of the week.
-->({{Beat}})
-->'''Renarin:''' Nothing ridiculous.
* In John R. Powers' fictionalized memoir ''Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?'', the narrator mentions that the boys-only Catholic high school he went to, Bremmer High, had an unbreakable dress code: all students were required to wear a sport coat, a tie and a belt. If you forgot, you'd be "jugged" (get detention) or suspended. Noting that the rule didn't say what ''shape'' the items of clothing had to be in, he says that a few enterprising students kept extra ties in their lockers to rent out to students who'd forgotten theirs, but "you could tell, however, if a tie was rented: it looked like it had gone through someone's digestive tract." And he says that "every year, a few students who had no interest in staying at Bremmer anyway would talk about coming to school wearing nothing but a sport coat, a tie, and a belt."
* Faeries in the ''Literature/ModernTalesOfFaerie'' books are forced to obey any order given using their [[IKnowYourTrueName true name]], to the literal letter - and only to the letter. Thus, when the villain commands Rath Roiben Rye to grab the heroine, he does - and then immediately lets her go again.
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