History Main / CouldSayItBut

I'm not calling you a thief... but don't steal from me,

->''"I'd'' '''''like''''' ''to help you, but I can't. I'd'' '''''like''''' ''to tell you to take a copy of your policy to Norma Wilcox on [Hands his client notepad and pen] - Norma Wilcox, W-I-L-C-O-X - on the 3rd floor, but I can't. I also do'' '''''not''''' ''advise you to fill out and file a WS-2574 form with our legal department on the 2nd floor. I would not expect someone to get back to you quickly to resolve the matter. I'd like to help, but there's nothing I can do."''

* In his review of ''WesternAnimation/{{He-Man|AndTheMastersOfTheUniverse}} and ''WesternAnimation/{{She-Ra|PrincessOfPower: [[ChristmasEpisode A Christmas Special]]'', WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic uses a counter for the gay jokes he could have made but didn't.

* In ''MalcolmInTheMiddle'', Reese's CO in basic training really wishes he could tell Lois where her son was deployed, but the information in the specific folder in a drawer that he's opening up is classified. He then leaves the drawer open and turns away to stare outside a window for a good five minutes or so to reflect on just how ''unfortunate'' it is that he can't simply tell Lois where to find Reese...

*** Furthermore, it is ''not'' BBC policy to get easy laughs with words like 'bum', 'knickers', 'botty' or 'wee-wees'.

** There's an old baseball story about a player who actually pulled this on an umpire after the umpire made a call he didn't like. Predictably, the umpire threw him out of the game.

* ''TheWhitestKidsUKnow'''s "The Never Song" sketch starts out straightforwardly telling what kind of behavior that gets you in trouble with your parents and the school, before the third verse which, well...
-->''Never take cough syrup and mix it up with Iodine and Lye''\\
''Never take cough syrup and mix it up with Iodine and Lye''\\
''Never take the strike pads off a match book,''\\
''Or go to a hardware store and then look''\\
''Near paint thinners for Muriatric Acid,''\\
''Or bring a pot into a rapid''\\
''Boil or get hydrogen peroxide''\\
''Never go to a farming store and then buy''\\
''PH strips and PVC pipes''\\
''Those fuel cans that make outdoor grills light''\\
'''Cause'' '''''THAT'S HOW YOU MAKE CRYSTAL METH!'''''

-->''Never take cough syrup and mix it up with iodine and lye''\\
''Never take cough syrup and mix it up with iodine and lye''\\
''Never take the strike pads off a match book''\\
''Or go to a hardware store and then look near paint thinners for Muriatric Acid''\\
''Or bring a pot into a rapid boil or get hydrogen peroxide''\\
''Never go to a farming store and then buy PH strips and PVC pipes''\\

* Francis Urquhart, or Underwood in the American remake, uses this as his CatchPhrase in ''Series/HouseOfCards'': "You might very well think that. I couldn't possibly comment." In the American series, this is later used by his political rival, eliciting an expletive from Underwood. [[PrecisionFStrike THE only real expletive]] Underwood uses in the entire show, no less. In RealLife British politics, [[{{Defictionalization}} saying what you want to say by saying you couldn't possibly say it]] is known as "Urquhart's Avoidance".

* In an episode of ''SerieséCovertAffairs'', Annie's superiors are investigating someone she knows under the assumption that they're a spy. Annie disagrees with the approach, as she's sure they're innocent. Auggie's advice:

* This occurs with a scientist who helps [[TheSCPFoundation SCP]]-[[http://www.scp-wiki.net/interview-105-f 105]] escape the organization.

!![[BrickJoke ...but I'd get in trouble if I did.]]

TruthInTelevision, technical term is "paralipsis" or "praeteritio".

TruthInTelevision. Technical terms for this include "paralipsis" and "praeteritio".

-->-- '''Bob Parr''', ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles''

[[folder: Can't say this is Anime or Manga ]]

--->'''Forbesii:''' "Someone you know, Eustoma?"
--->'''Eustoma:''' "No, just thinking she looked like someone I knew who passed away."
--->'''Forbesii:''' "What a coincidence, I was thinking the same."
--->'''Eustoma:''' "If she ''were'' alive, I would want to apologize at least once."
--->'''Forbesii:''' "Yeah, I feel terrible about what happened to her."

* The comic book series of [[TheXFiles The X-Files]] had an example of this combined with SteppingOutForAQuickCupOfCoffee. Scully was doing an autopsy on a person who died under seemingly miraculous circumstances. A woman and her crippled child came to the hospital and asked to see the body of the "saint."
--->'''Scully:''' I can't let you in. However, I am going for coffee in a few minutes, and, well, maybe I'll ''forget'' to lock the door.

* In the ''{{Glee}}'' fic [[http://archiveofourown.org/series/8386 Story of Three Boys]], when [[OriginalCharacter Casey]] is in the hospital following his [[DrivenToSuicide suicide]] [[TearJerker attempt]], a nurse tells Dave, Kurt, Puck and Finn that she can't let them go to Casey or tell them anything specific about his condition because they aren't his parents or legal guardians. She ''can'', however, tell them what would generally happen if some hypothetical patient tried to commit suicide in the way Casey did.

* [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] by [[Manga/AxisPowersHetalia Austria]] in the second chapter of [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7222164/2/ this]] FanFic: "I could make a very cruel remark right now.... In fact, I believe I shall."

--> ''I could lie and say I walked out of there, walked away from her and her crazy death fetish. I could lie and say the sex we did have wasn't fantastic. I could lie and say the next morning when I woke up and she was pressed up against me, that I wasn't as disgusted in myself as I was in her.''
* In the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fanfic ''To Be A Better Stallion'', Rainbow Dash has a run in with Amethyst, an old friend of Prince Blueblood who happens to be married to one of the Wonderbolts. Amethyst decides to quell Rainbow Dash's disappointment that she's just there on personal business and there's not going to be a Wonderbolts show by telling Rainbow "There's a non-disclosure agreement forbidding me from telling you that you're being considered for a Wonderbolts tryout. So I'm not going to tell you. Because that would be wrong.”

* ''TheIncredibles'',

** For his part, when Bob is being dressed down and asks his boss if he's saying that they shouldn't help people, he answers "The law requires that I say 'no'."

[[folder: Not allowed to say this is for Films of the Live Action variety ]]

* Adrian Cronauer (RobinWilliams) does this in ''GoodMorningVietnam'' with a non-approved news report, and is yanked off the air for doing so.
* Spock's response to the ''Enterprise'' being decommissioned in ''Film/{{Star Trek VI|the Undiscovered Country}}'': "If I were human, I believe my response would be 'go to hell'. If I were human."
* In ''TheParentTrap'' (the original with Hayley Mills), the Evers' housekeeper, a flagrant busybody, would often conclude her gossip with "But I'm not saying a word, not one single word".

* In ''LifeIsBeautiful'' Guido declares his affection to Dora:

-->'''Guido''': That I want to make love to you - not just once, but over and over again! But I'll never tell you that. I'd have to be crazy to tell you. I'd even make love to you now... right here for the rest of my life.
* In ''Film/IronMan2'', Tony's speech at Stark Expo amounts to "I'm not saying that '''I'M TOTALLY AWESOME.'''"
* In ''Film/{{Outbreak}}'', MorganFreeman's character gets on the mike and tells DustinHoffman's character exactly how to interrupt a live bombing run, under the guise of telling him the dire consequences of doing so.
* In ''[[NineteenFortyOne 1941]],'' Dan Aykroyd's character has to leave an anti-aircraft gun at a civilian location. He then proceeds to tell the family in ridiculously specific detail every single thing they should ''not'' do, and the specific order they should ''not'' do it in. This may be a subversion, given his character--he may have been genuinely telling them what not to do. In any event, Ned Beatty uses the steps in the warning later in the film on to fire on a Japanese sub.
* In ''TheGodfatherPartII'' - Tom Hagen and Frank Pentangeli have a hypothetical conversation about what happens to people that try to upset the balance of power, which in no way is a reference to [[spoiler: Frank entering witness protection and about to testify about the Corleone Family activities to a Senate committee, then balking when he sees a member of the Corleone family walk into the hearing with Frank's brother, who ''was'' still in Italy...]]
--> '''Tom Hagen''': "When a plot against the Emperor failed... the plotters were always given a chance to let their families keep their fortunes. Right?"
--> '''Frank Pentangeli''': "Yeah, but only the rich guys, Tom. The little guys got knocked off and all their estates went to the Emperors. Unless they went home and killed themselves, then nothing happened. And the families... the families were taken care of."
--> '''Tom Hagen''': "That was a good break. A nice deal."
--> '''Frank Pentangeli''': "Yeah... They went home... and sat in a hot bath... opened up their veins... and bled to death... and sometimes they had a little party before they did it."

--> '''Secretary:''' I've been ordered to take you back to Washington, where the DOD will label you as a rogue extremist and hang the Kremlin bombing on you and your team. Unless, you were to escape somewhere between here and the airport, having assaulted Mr. Brandt and me.
--> '''Brandt:''' [looks at the Secretary] Sir?
--> '''Secretary:''' You would then illegally scrounge whatever material you could from a backup supply cache that I've overlooked. The same cache where your team are waiting for further orders.
--> '''Brandt:''' Sir, you may want to...
--> '''Secretary:''' You will then disappear, and this conversation never having taken place, your intentions would be unclear.

[[folder: I could say this is Literature, but I won't ]]

--> "Do not use the weapons in the antiques cabinet-- no, not that one, the other one."

** Except, however, in Discworld/{{Thud}}, when Vimes goes to Ridcully for assistance in catching up with the bad guys (who have fled town). Maybe he's finally got the hang of it.
--> "We certainly would not be able to help you if you were to leave your coaches around the backside of the University at, say, eight o'clock?"

--> "He says he's just going to get the books and pile them up here, ok? And then he's going to leave the room and you're not to look at them while he's gone, because he won't know you're doing it. And if he coughs before he comes back in it'll just be because he has a cough and not for any other reason, ok?"

-->'''Cassie:''' Nothing! Not. One. Word.

* Trumpkin in Creator/CSLewis's ''Literature/PrinceCaspian'', conceding defeat to Susan in the archery competition. "I know when I'm fairly beaten. I won't even say that the scar of my last wound catches me a bit when I get my arm well back..."

* A book published by HaveIGotNewsForYou had a dig at MP Rupert Allason: "...given Mr Allason's fondness for pursuing libel actions, there are also excellent legal reasons for not referring to him as a conniving little shit". Allason did indeed sue for libel, and lost.

* In L. Jagi Lamplighter's ''[[ProsperosDaughter Prospero Lost]]'', Theo gives them advice on an Ouiji board down to using it on Wednesday if they can't wait for a high holy day -- not that he would know.

* [[LemonyNarrator Lemony Snicket]] sometimes does this when narrating in ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents.

--> "God bless me, gentle (or it may be plebeian) reader, how eagerly must thou be looking forward to this preface, expecting to find there retaliation, scolding, and abuse against the author of the second Don Quixote--I mean him who was, they say, begotten at Tordesillas and born at Tarragona! Well then, the truth is, I am not going to give thee that satisfaction; for, though injuries stir up anger in humbler breasts, in mine the rule must admit of an exception. ''Thou wouldst have me call him ass, fool, and malapert, but I have no such intention;'' let his offence be his punishment, with his bread let him eat it, and there's an end of it."
* Happens on occasion in Literature/TheDresdenFiles

--> "... I'm rather sorry we agreed to keep clear of personalities, because I should have liked to say that, if ever they have a skunk-show at Madison Square Garden, you ought to enter — and win the blue ribbon. Still, of course, under our agreement my lips are sealed, and I can't even hint at it. ..."
* Late in ''[[AuntDimity Aunt Dimity: Detective]]'', there's a meeting to sort out the events around Prunella Hooper's death. After Sally Pine insults her paganism for the second time during that meeting, local witch Miranda Morrow says, "I'll never tell a soul that I saw you that morning, ''coming out of Crabtree Cottage''." Said cottage was the site of Prunella's death.

[[folder: I'd never say it's Live Action TV ]]

** The Draconians in ''Frontier in Space'' uses this to get around ordering anything illegal. They want to get hold of the Doctor and his companion who are inprisoned by the humans who they are ina cold-war type conflict with.
-->'''Aide:''' Prisoners have been known to escape, your Highness. \\
'''Prince:''' Not without help. And that would be a grave act of hostility. I could not possibly countenance such a plan. \\
'''Aide:''' But should two escaping prisoners seek sanctuary in this Embassy, it would be uncivilised to turn them away. \\
'''Prince:''' (pause) I must not detain you longer. No doubt you have duties demanding your attention?

* Monica in the ''{{Friends}}'' episode "The One With The Butt": "Oh, um, Chandler? Y'know, the old Monica would remind you to scrub that Teflon pan with a plastic brush... But I'm not gonna do that."

* Played for drama in ''BostonLegal'', Alan Shore mentions to a suspect that he "can't advise him to leave the country, even though it's his only way to freedom". He is later defended by Denny for saying that, as Denny claims he "covered his ass".

* ''Series/TheDailyShow'' obviously couldn't stoop so low as to cover Paris Hilton's imprisonment in 2007 - but mentioned that if anyone ''else'' wanted to, a good headline for them to use might be "Shawskank Redemption".

** A similar one with Colbert, when he reviewed the 2004 Oscars in song: "Oh, are you saying it was a tedious exercise in void-filling, Jon? An industry-wide circle-jerk televised for the wanking convenience of a billion drooling wannabes? The one night people in this town pretend quality matters when each and every one of them devotes the better part of their lives to trying to figure out a way [[DwayneJohnson to make The Rock a movie star]]? 'Cause you know what, Jon, you know what, I'm sorry, I don't have a ''song'' for ''that''!" [beat] "Though 'Ice Ice Baby' might work."
** In Series/TheColbertReport, Stephen announced that Viacom had defeated his first attempt at forming a PAC [[http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/382013/april-14-2011/viacom-ruins-stephen-s-pac-dream in this way]]:

* On ''TopGear'', Jeremy Clarkson did this as a way of sneakily previewing a car (an Aston Martin V8 Vantage) he wasn't technically allowed to announce yet. The other two presenters played along with a chorus of "I would have really like to hear that" and "Oh, I wish you could have told us that."

* Francis Urquhart, or Underwood in the American remake, uses this as his CatchPhrase in ''HouseOfCards'': "You might very well think that. I couldn't possibly comment." In the American series, this is later used by his political rival, eliciting an expletive from Underwood. [[PrecisionFStrike THE only real expletive]] Underwood uses in the entire show, no less. In RealLife British politics, [[{{Defictionalisation}} saying what you want to say by saying you couldn't possibly say it]] is known as "Urquhart's Avoidance".
* ''TheUnit'': the lawyer played by Rebecca Pigeon tells Molly that "I cannot" advise Molly to secretly tape someone to use for blackmail, "as that would be illegal."
* A ridiculous example from ''{{Neighbours}}'', in which Toadie, a lawyer, has to get a message to a friend whose ex-girlfriend has told him not to tell him about her plan to regain custody of their son. He ends up revealing it explicitly with "I can't tell you that..." tacked on. Ridiculous because, a) he hadn't agreed to represent her yet (and made it clear that he wouldn't once he learned who she was) and b) had he actually needed to get around lawyer-client confidentiality, this wouldn't have been enough to get away with it.
* Taylor Swift likes writing songs about [[TheJonasBrothers douchebags]] who cheat on her and writing their names into songs so they're ashamed to go in public. But she's not gonna talk about that in her [[SaturdayNightLive SNL]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qr99-Hcaziw monologue.]]
* On an episode of ''HomicideLifeOnTheStreet'', a hotel clerk tells the detectives everything they want to know about a guest in one of her rooms by explaining, at length and with not a hint of irony, exactly what it is she's not allowed to tell them.

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer:''
** Giles uses this to deliver stinging reprimands several times, most notably in ''Revelations'': "I won't remind you that the fate of the world often lies with the Slayer. What would be the point? Nor shall I remind you that you've jeopardized the lives of all that you hold dear by harboring a known murderer."
** Buffy and Willow also plan to steal books from Giles' office in this manner in ''Halloween'':
--> '''Willow:''' It's too bad we can't sneak a look at the Watcher diaries and read up on Angel. I'm sure it's full of fun facts to know and tell.
--> '''Buffy:''' Yeah. It's too bad. That stuff is private.
--> '''Willow:''' Also Giles keeps them in his office. In his personal files.
--> '''Buffy:''' Most importantly, [[AndThatWouldBeWrong it would be]] ''[[AndThatWouldBeWrong wrong.]]''
* ''{{Scoundrels}}'': Cheryl asks Hope what her sister is up to. Hope indignantly protests that Wests don't rat each other out... then, when Cheryl gives in, adds, "Which is why I can't tell you to check her underwear drawer."

-->"[[AC: You might very well think that I'd already thought of that, but I couldn't possibly comment.]]"

* On ''PeepShow'', Mark is trying to drop his rival in it with the girl he likes; "Oh, oh no, I've said too much... Just talk to Jeff. Ask him about what happened. At the pub. By the fruit machine. With the girl. And the lips." He walks away wondering if he's been too subtle.

* In an episode of ''CovertAffairs'', Annie's superiors are investigating someone she knows under the assumption that they're a spy. Annie disagrees with the approach, as she's sure they're innocent. Auggie's advice:

* Panelists on ''{{QI}}'' sometimes try to escape forfeits this way - it works ''sometimes'', mostly determined by RuleOfFunny.

[[folder: I'd say this has Music, but I'm not saying anything ]]

* ''ThePresidents'' by Jonathan Coulton. Ends with "''I don't like to make political statements...''" [[spoiler: and subverts it by remaining silent for the last few beats.]]
** In a 2008 performance in Seattle (while promoting John Hodgman's ''More Information Than You Require''), scant days after BarackObama won the presidency, he used that space for a cheer celebrating Obama's victory.

** Starts off as an innocuous list of things that aren't Paris ("Jimmy Carter, baseball, Sno Cones") and ends up as a rant ("Money, privilege, spoiled rotten")

[[folder: Never said this is New Media ]]

*** In before in bef[[RealityBreakingParadox OH SHI-]]

* In his review of ''WesternAnimation/{{He-Man|AndTheMastersOfTheUniverse}} and [[WesternAnimation/SheRaPrincessOfPower She-Ra]]: [[ChristmasEpisode A Christmas Special]]'', WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic uses a counter for the gay jokes he could have made but didn't.

[[folder: If I told you this was {{Radio}}, I'd never forgive myself]]

[[folder: This could be Theater, But ya Didn't hear it from Me]]

* ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}''
** Polonius has a few speeches where he goes on and on about the things he's not going to waste breath saying.

[[folder: Video Games? How would you know? ]]

* There's an entire plot line in the BioWare RPG ''JadeEmpire'' that's kicked off with a speech exactly like this. Minister Sheng can't possibly send anyone to close the Great Dam while there are still Lotus Assassins searching the ruins of the drained lakebed - it would be bad for his career to let them drown! - so he very unsubtly stuffs a key to the gate into the Spirit Monk's pack.

* During one sequence in KnightsOfTheOldRepublic II, while controlling a protocol droid, you can (and eventually must) convince another droid that it has already violated its "ethics programming". The following ensues:

* In PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor, TEC gives Peach a quiz. The first few questions are of things Peach and the player know already, but soon, he starts asking about Grodus' EvilPlan as a roundabout way of telling her about it without telling her.

--> '''[[GeniusBruiser Kat]]:''' As a soldier in the field I couldn't possibly have access to those kinds of resources- that said, a good place to look might be... I don't know, [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial the nearest nonexistent launch site in the nonexistent Sabre Program, dismissed by three administrations as preposterous rumor... And in which our newest member was certainly never a pilot.]]
--> '''[[BloodKnight Emile]]:''' You're scary, you know that?

* In SuperRobotWarsZ 2, Ozma Lee (who is a member of legitimate organization that's been taken over by a corrupt government) allows Setsuna (who's an old friend of their's from a previous war, but is technically a terrorist according to their new corrupt bosses) to escape by firing a near miss and loudly ordering his men (who also are old friends and don't really support their boss either) to "Not allow the Gundam to reach the unguarded escape route at point A". Setsuna promptly heads to said unguarded escape route.

[[folder: Who told you this has Webcomics? ]]

* A variant can be seen [[http://penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/8/16/ here]] on PennyArcade

[[folder: Did I say Western Animation? Nope. ]]

* ''TheSimpsons'', "Bart Star": Milhouse to Bart (paraphrased): "If I wasn't your friend, I'd say you suck."
** Another Simpsons incident that could be argued as a subversion: "Legally, I can't officially promise you a big cash settlement... but off the record, I promise you a big cash settlement."

--->'''Leela''': Are you saying I'm going crazy?
--->'''Farnsworth''': No, no, no, no one's saying that. But I'm certainly thinking it loudly.

-->'''Tintin''': "But why are you asking about Alcazar? What's he done?"
-->'''Thompson''': "What's he done? My dear friend, if you imagine we tell you that ''he's smuggling aircraft'', you're much mistaken..."
-->'''Thomson''': "... or that we'd tell you that General Alcazar is ''mounting a counter revolution'' after General Tapioca re-deposed him..."
-->'''*both at once*''': "You can forget it!"

* There is a phenomenon (which may merit its own category) called "Kidding on the Square", in which you [[JustJokingJustification "jokingly"]] insult or attack someone in a manner which nonetheless makes it clear that you actually mean it. Popularized by Creator/AlFranken who coined the phrase "Kidding on the Square" among others.

* The notoriously cheap president of the Florida Marlins baseball team, David Samson, savagely criticized the Seattle Mariners for signing their star outfielder, Ichiro Suzuki, to a five year, $90 million dollar contract extension, claiming that it would be the death of baseball's salary structure. (This despite the fact that Ichiro's contract was not the most expensive in the sport either in terms of yearly salary or lump sum; that Ichiro was by far the most talented, popular, and marketable player on Seattle's squad; and that Ichiro would have almost certainly received even more had he hit the open market with more bidders to drive up his price.) Bill Bavasi, the general manager of the Mariners, replied to Samson in the papers:

* During the 2008 primaries, candidate Mike Huckabee showed a group of reporters a negative ad targeting one of his rivals, and announced that he had decided not to air it. The ad probably got much more attention than if he'd just run it normally.

* "I never comment on referees and I’m not going to break the habit of a lifetime for that prat" – Ron Atkinson

* In ''HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire'', Mad-Eye Moody would like to tell Harry how to win the first challenge in the Triwizard Tournament, but Dumbledore would frown upon it, so he just gives Harry some "good, general advice" that helps Harry figure out how to win.

* In ''TheIncredibles'', Bob circumvents his insurance company's obstructive attitude by using this method to help his customers, as demonstrated by the page quote. He even whispers "Pretend to be upset" to the old woman as she leaves.

*** In before in bef[[DivideByZero OH SHI-]]

* Francis Underwood's CatchPhrase in ''HouseOfCards'' was "You might very well think that, I couldn't possibly comment ". This is later used by his political rival, eliciting an expletive from Underwood. [[PrecisionFStrike THE only real expletive]] Underwood uses in the entire show, no less.

* There was an episode of ''MalcolmInTheMiddle'' wherein [[spoiler: Reese ran away from home and joined the army with the help of a fake ID]]. When Lois goes to fix the problem ([[spoiler: i.e. forcibly bring him back]]) she is basically informed that that's impossible. She is told this by [[spoiler: Reese's drill sergeant]] who sympathizes with Lois's desire to protect her child (in her own trademark, sadistic way) and so he offers up this gem:
-->'''Drill Sergeant:''' I wish I could help you. I wish I could just open this drawer up ''[opens drawer]'' and show you the information you need. But I can't. ''[gets up to go to the window]'' It's got me so frustrated that I just want to stare intently out this window for, oh, say, a hundred and twenty seconds.

** Likewise way back when Franks located the location of the killer of Gibbs's family before he was working with him, he stated that he certainly couldn't tell Gibbs this, before leaving the folder on his desk and heading to the bathroom. Sure enough the killer was mysterously already killed by a sniper round when the FBI tried to arrest him.
* Francis Urquhart's CatchPhrase in ''HouseOfCards'' was "You might very well think that, I couldn't possibly comment ". This is later used by his political rival, eliciting an expletive from Urquhart. [[PrecisionFStrike THE only real expletive]] Urquhart uses in the entire show, no less.

* In [[GilbertAndSullivan The Mikado]], Nanki-Poo and Yum-Yum are in love, but cannot kiss because Yum-Yum is engaged to Ko-Ko. Instead, they sing "Were you not to Ko-Ko plighted", in which they demonstrate, physically, precisely what it is they won't do.

-->-- '''Bob Parr''', ''TheIncredibles''

* Francis Urquhart's CatchPhrase in ''HouseOfCards'' was "You might very well think that, I couldn't possibly comment ". This is later used by his political rival, eliciting an expletive from Urquhart. [[PrecisionFBomb THE only real expletive]] Urquhart uses in the entire show, no less.

!![[CallBack ...but I'd get in trouble if I did.]]