History Main / CouldSayItBut

* ''[[Fanfic/WhatYouKneadNaruto What You Knead]]'':
** While the Sandaime's orders prevent him from telling Naruto ''directly'' about his parentage, he's allowed to share stories about his old team leader and his eventual wife. When Naruto finally starts suspecting something, Kakashi then uses this to let him know that he's right on track, as well as warn him that Sarutobi was responsible for his inability to reveal everything outright.

* Wiki/SCPFoundation: This occurs with a scientist who helps [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-105 SCP-105]] (scroll to Addendum 3) escape the organization. [[spoiler: It, unfortunately, doesn't last.]]

* ''LightNovel/AscendanceOfABookworm'': The protagonist eventually ends up with a noble identity named Rozemyne, who is officially a different individual from Myne, the commoner identity to which she was born; the fact that the two are one and the same hence needs to be kept from as many people as possible. Benno, a merchant with whom she has many business dealings, is in the loop out of necessity. The morning after Rozemyne is brought into existence, Benno is asked to get an outfit altered so its fits Rozemyne. Upon handing the outfit over to his seasmtress sister Corinna, who has made an outfit for Myne in the past, Benno tells her that the order is for a noble girl named Rozemyne, but also tells her to reuse Myne's measurements.

** For his part, when Bob is being dressed down and asks his boss if he's saying that they ''shouldn't'' help people, Mr. Huph answers, through clenched teeth, "The law ''requires'' that I answer 'no'." These kinds of people are very common as in real life, insurance companies will try everything they can to avoid having to pay out an insurance claim.

* ''[[VideoGame/{{Borderlands2}} Borderlands 2]]'''s Dr. Zed gets in on this a bit as well, similar to the ''Dragon Age'' example. He is in no way dropping large amounts of money into your hands in exchange for bits of wildlife that he most certainly did not ask you to acquire for him, and is disgusted and appalled at the concept. Honest.

* In ''Literature/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.

* This is sometimes used in [[{{UsefulNotes/Judaism}} Jewish funerals]]. Normally, one is not supposed to give an in-depth eulogy if the funeral service occurs during or shortly after a major holiday, since the joyous nature of the holiday trumps the sorrowful nature of the mourning service. (A short eulogy focused on remembering the deceased for his/her virtues is acceptable, but one should avoid grieving too much because otherwise one might begin to associate the holiday with the person's death.) A common way around this is for a mourner to say something like, "But if I ''could'' give a full eulogy, here's what I would say..." and then proceed to give the full eulogy.

* In ''Film/NineteenFortyOne,'' Creator/DanAykroyd's character has to leave an antiaircraft 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 (accidentally firing through his own house in the process).

'''Nick:''' Tom. ''[waves his hand in front of the victim's fac])'' Everything is fine right now.\\

* In ''Film/{{Zodiac}}'', Inspector Toschi shares privileged police information with Robert Graysmith in this way.

->''"Alright, listen closely. I'd '''like''' to help you [hands his client a notepad and pen], but I '''can't'''. I'd '''like''' to tell you to take a copy of your policy to Norma Wilcox on -- [taps notepad urgently] 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-2475 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."''

* ''Series/{{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."

%%
%%
%%
%% This list of examples has been alphabetized. Please add your example in the proper place. Thanks!
%%
%%
%%
%%
%%
%%

[[folder:Fanfiction]]
* After [[Literature/HarryPotter Sirius Black]] is freed from Azkaban in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/21056867 The Shower Slip]]'', Dumbledore denies him access to Harry due to Petunia's hatred of magic. After thinking about where he should live after being healed, Professor [=McGonagall=] mentions that Surrey, specifically Privet Drive, would be a good place to raise children. Sirius catches on almost immediately.
* In the ''Series/{{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.
-->'''Nurse:''' If this person weren't breathing, they may have to intubate, but that's hopefully not the case in this hypothetical situation, especially since he was breathing on his own in the ambulance. Hypothetically.
* {{Subverted|Trope}} by [[Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers 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."

* 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."
* Professor Colbert in ''An American Geek In Halkegania'' is required to be professional and impartial towards the other teachers at all times, even when he's previously disproved said teacher's claims of Air being superior by soundly defeating him: "It does not do, of course, to observe that a fellow professor is a bore, a windbag, or an insufferable ass, especially in front of students, so I shall decline to comment."

* In the Bleach fanfic ''Important Insignificance'', Ukitake cleverly does this for Ichigo and one of his friends when they needed to go to Hueco Mundo for a rescue. (Not ''that'' rescue, a different one.)
-->''I wish I could just let you go down to the courtyard on your left down these stairs and out the last door on the left. And I wish I could tell you that they're going to have the first team with Kira and Hisagi dispatched in three minutes out there, both of whom are waiting for directions to the hideout. And I wish I could tell you that they were alone and that there would be no one else around for the next ten minutes while they prepare, but I just can't. I hate to have to stop you both. I really don't want to. What I would rather do is look out this window for the next, oh, I don't know, thirty seconds or so.''
* ''[[http://jeconais.fanficauthors.net/This_Means_War/5__A_Day_In_The_Life_Of_A_Prankster/ This Means War]]'':
-->'''Harry:''' On a completely unrelated side note, I would definitely not think about placing some Aurors in Mr Shacklebolt’s office. I probably wouldn’t reserve Court Number One today either. Oh, and I’m sure that a Daily Prophet reporter won’t be turning up.
* One of the "Texts from Superheroes" features [[http://i.imgur.com/roxgThD.jpg a conversation]] between Wonder Woman and Batman in which they discuss how Lex Luthor managed to get off easy due to the fact that confessions from the lasso of truth are inadmissible in court and how as a being created from magic WW legally does not exist. When asks if this means that she can't be arrested for crashing her invisible jet into his house, Batman has this to say:
-->'''Batman:''' Officially, I can't condone that. Unofficially, the skies are clear and his address is 647 Front St.

* In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/21867307/chapters/52192075 Hawk Moth is...]]'', [[WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug Marinette and Juleka]] are assigned to create a fake tabloid as part of a school project, and proceed to take advantage of it by using their project to accuse [[BitchInSheepsClothing Lila]] of being [[BigBad Hawk Moth]] (with some pretty convincing, [[EntertaininglyWrong if incorrect]], evidence). When Lila tries to call out the duo for accusing her, Marinette and Juleka claim that [[BlatantLies it's just part of the project and they don't mean anything by it]].

* Creator/DonaldTrump
** In one quite amazing moment of the 2016 presidential election, Trump [[https://archive.is/pdJDh tweeted the following statement about reporter Megyn Kelly]]:
--->I refuse to call Megyn Kelly a bimbo, because that would not be respectful. Instead I will only call her a lightweight reporter!
** Trump enraged North Korea after [[https://archive.is/74NWB tweeting]]:
--->Why would Kim Jong-Un insult me by calling me "old," when I would NEVER call him "short and fat"?

->''"Alright, listen closely. [grabs notepad and pen] I'd '''like''' to help you [hands his client the notepad and pen], but I '''can't'''. I'd '''like''' to tell you to take a copy of your policy to Norma Wilcox on -- [taps notepad urgently] 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-2475 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."''