History Main / DiggingYourselfDeeper

* Brilliantly done in an episode ''Series/TheOfficeUS'' wherein a) Michael manages to accidentally imply to a superior that the office runs better when he is absent, b) tries to cover that up by saying that it runs much better when he is around after earlier stating that he is ''frequently'' away during work hours and c) trying to cover ''that'' up by then implying that he his presence or absence has absolutely no meaningful effect on business at all.

* [[Webcomic/{{Lackadaisy}} Mitzi]], realizing that Rocky has been saying that she might've hired him to off her husband, tried to reassure Wick that's not the case, but ends up making a lot of joking remarks about offing Rocky.

* Creator/FrancisEDec, after being found guilty by a court, sent an appeal letter where he mentioned repeatedly his grand conspiracy theory, accusing the judges of being Gangster Government's puppets. Understandably, the court dismissed the appeal.
* The founder of the ''Papa John's Pizzas'' restaurant company, John Schnatter, criticized black NFL players, who out of protest kneeled while the national anthem was played, for which he had to resign as CEO. In an effort to avoid any other racist controversy again, a media-training company was hired, but during a role-playing exercise conference call, he complained that KFC's Colonel Sanders used to call black people the N-word without being criticized for it. He then [[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/papa-johns-pizza-founder-john-schnatter-racial-slur-n-word/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab7e&linkId=54164675 had to resign as chairman of the board.]]

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Tyrion's efforts to convince Shae he's not interested in Sansa fall comically short in "Dark Wings, Dark Words".

* Digging Yourself Deeper is often a consequence of following the SunkCostFallacy.
* It is possible to do this to oneself in an argument, especially if you're using [[TheWarOnStraw straw men]] in the first place.

* SomeOfMyBestFriendsAreX
* Sometimes, a lack of action can cause the digging-deeper feelings, resulting in a MortonsFork -- either speak up and actively dig yourself deeper, or stay silent and feel like you're digging yourself deeper by not even attempting to defuse the awkward situation. The saying is "It is better to stay silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."

* Pretty much any time anyone engages in UsefulNotes/VictimBlaming toward [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil rape victims]], even [[InnocentlyInsensitive unintentionally]], and sticks to their guns rather than [[ShuttingUpNow just apologizing and dropping it immediately when called out on it]] counts as this.

* Defied by John in ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption'' when talking about Bonnie to his jealous wife. He wisely stops digging and starts complimenting his wife instead.
--> '''John Marston''': When you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging.

In a SitCom, often a character will say something that's just meant to be a [[ComplimentBackfire friendly little remark]], and [[ThatCameOutWrong it will come out wrong]], possibly sounding crazy or offensive; they'll try and clarify it (whether they really need to or not), but just make things worse, and dig themselves deeper and deeper into the crazy/offensive pit. Exceptionally deep and/or frequent excavations are commonplace in {{Cringe Comed|y}}ies.

Not to be confused with DugInDeeper (where someone pursues something because they're told they're great at it, even though they're not), DugTooDeep (which is about physical digging) or DiggingToChina (same). Nor DigYourOwnGrave, for that matter.

-->'''Ratchet:''' No, wait, please listen to me. You can't do this to me. This job is my life! It means everything to me! You don't know what I've done to get here. The lies I've told! The lives I've ruined! Wait... this isn't helping me!

* In ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'', Doc Scratch, "an immortal entity with a large cue ball for a head, and no biological means of reproduction", [[http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=005527 explains to Rose]] that he doesn't like her ''that'' way after being MistakenForPedophile:

'''Joker''': ''(originally written [[MotorMouth without spaces]])'' She was really worried about a fellow classmate because of rumors that she was seen at the Red Light District so she asked for my help and we found out she had a boyfriend who was also a club host so she asked me if we could pretend to date so we could go on a double date and investigate him!\\
'''Sae''': ''(DeathGlare)''
* Averted in the ''Fanfic/FacingTheFutureSeries'', where [[WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom Danny]] would make a comment that would upset Sam, but would always follow up with a nice recovery. Sam once accused him of enjoying that.

'''Adrien''': It doesn't happen only when I'm here. It happens all the time, whether you're here or not. (''realises how that sounded'') I-I mean, not that- not that you don't cause- It's different! I mean, sometimes it is because of you! But not all the time! Some- sometimes it is. But I don't do anything about it! I don't think about you like that! (''realises she's a little offended'') I-I mean, I don't think about those things at all! Not about you, anyway. Haha. Wait, no! (''{{Facepalm}}s'') I don't think about anyone when it comes to those things! Like, doing things when I'm alo- I don't- Never! That's not- sometimes! Sometimes I do! But never about anyone else other than- But not- Shit. Uh, I do- I do sometimes. But only you! And not often! Oh god! (''realises he just admitted to [[ADateWithRosiePalms masturbating while thinking about her]]'') It's really not that often! Like, not that I don't think about you a lot- but I have- It's not-\\

* Played more seriously in another ''Miraculous'' story, ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/7088386 Red For Fortune]]'', when Marinette confronts Adrien about a fashion spread in Mᴏᴅᴇ, which despite being supposedly inspired by Chinese New Year, was put together by his father and only had white models in {{yellowface}}, including Adrien himself.
-->'''Marinette''': (''throwing the magazine down on his desk'') ''This'' is what’s going on in here, Adrien. This racist pile of crap that your father helped produce.\\
'''Adrien''': (''glances at the magazine and recognises the photos, before turning back to Marinette'') You’re upset over a fashion spread in Mᴏᴅᴇ? I don’t see what the big deal is; I mean, none of it is lewd or anything. I guess this collection isn’t my father’s best work...\\
'''Marinette''': Oh, it’s an awful collection; completely uninspired and cliché. But I wouldn’t be half so upset if an Asian designer had been behind a shoot supposedly inspired by an Asian holiday.\\
'''Adrien''': There probably weren’t any Chinese designers that were high profile enough.\\
'''Marinette''': Do you honestly believe the words coming out of your mouth? I can name three Chinese designers off the top of my head that have been members of Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. There are tons of other Chinese designers that participate in Paris Fashion Week. One of them, Ms. Min, even puts out a collection every year in honor of Lunar New Year. The Met Gala, you know, the premier fashion event in the world? It was teeming with work from Chinese designers last year - four of whom were featured in the exhibit! ''Your father'' has never caused such a sensation as Guo Pei’s fox fur gown, and he sure as ''hell'' has never been featured in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Gabriel doesn’t make art; if this is anything to go by, all he makes is racist garbage.\\
'''Adrien''': (''stands up and glares at her'') It’s not like he could control who Mᴏᴅᴇ asked to do this spread. They chose the person they thought had the best collection for what they wanted to portray.\\
'''Marinette''': Gabriel Agreste could have easily turned them down if he had the decency to see that what Mᴏᴅᴇ was doing was wrong. Of course, that would require him to realize that his collection was racist trash and that Mᴏᴅᴇ clearly wanted to portray racist trash. (''turning the pages over, with PunctuatedPounding'') How. Else. Can. You. Explain. This? (''finishes on a shot of Adrien'') It wasn’t enough that they whitewashed my culture, was it? They also had to deck their white models in yellow face. (''glaring into his eyes'') What made you think that this was in any way okay? How can you claim to be my friend and do something like this?\\
'''Adrien''': He’s my father; I couldn’t just say no.\\
'''Marinette''': Your relationship to him is precisely why you were the only one who ''could'' say ‘no’.\\
'''Adrien''': (''bitterly'') You really have no clue about how wrong you are there.\\
'''Marinette''': I know that any other model or member of the production crew would have committed career suicide if they confronted him. Just as your father was in a position to turn down Mᴏᴅᴇ without consequences, you were in a position to call him out without ruining your future career.\\
'''Adrien''': You’re crazy if you think I wouldn’t have faced consequences, Marinette.\\
'''Marinette''': What, you’d be grounded? Lose your video game privileges? No sweets for a month? Do you really care more about some petty personal comforts than doing the right thing?\\
'''Adrien''': ‘The right thing’? This isn’t some grand moral conflict. You’re overreacting.\\
'''Marinette''': Spoken like a truly privileged white man. Your father must be so proud.\\
'''Adrien''': Don’t act like such a martyr, Marinette. It's not like you're some oppressed minority - heck, your skin is even paler than mine.\\
'''Marinette''': (''lets out a harsh and bitter laugh before cutting it off and continuing to glare at him'') You were right, Alya; white faves will ''always'' disappoint you in the end.
* For [[RuleOfThree another excellent]] ''[[WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug Miraculous]]'' [[RuleOfThree example]], there's ''FanFic/LeaveForMendeleiev''. As in {{Canon}}, Adrien/Chat lies to Ladybug about why Theo became Copycat; however, this catches up to him when Nadja brings Theo in as 'proof' of their supposed relationship. Ladybug immediately ends the interview and confronts him about it, only for Chat to keep trying to ChangeTheUncomfortableSubject and insist that they're meant to be together and that [[YouCantFightFate she should stop denying it]]. At no point during the confrontation does he ever ''apologize'' for lying, and his responses only serve to upset her even further.
* In ''FanFic/LadyBugOut'', Alya's attempts to dodge around admitting that she ''knows'' Ladybug isn't happy about a photo she posted to the Ladyblog only serve to rile up most of her classmates further. Including Marinette, who's none too pleased that her 'best friend' is putting her 'big scoop' over Ladybug's express wishes.
** Lila also ends up painting herself into a corner with her lies and losing all the respect she'd gotten from her classmates as a result. When she attempts to regain some of it by claiming that she [[spoiler:was Rena Rouge]], that only serves to isolate her from her two remaining allies, as Alya and Nino realize that she's lying since [[spoiler:that was ''Alya's'' old identity]].

* ''FanFic/InfinityTrainBlossomingTrail'': When Chloe calls out Goh for how his obsession with Mew led to him drifting away from her, Goh shoots back that at least he ''has'' a GoalInLife, claiming that she doesn't have any dreams of her own. Even Ash recognizes that he's DramaticallyMissingThePoint, and is only driving the wedge between them deeper this way.

* Referenced in ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles2''. After Bob gets berated by the police for the additional damages caused by their attempted heroics at beginning of the movie, Agent Dicker stands up from the corner.
-->'''Dicker''': You wanna get out of the hole? First you gotta put down the shovel.

----

'''Steve''': 'Keep digging, we can still see you.

* After Music/TinaTurner's autobiography ''I, Tina'' revealed that ex-husband Ike Turner was physically abusive, he responded by saying "Yeah I hit her, but no more than the average guy beats his wife." Then when the book was made into the film ''Film/WhatsLoveGotToDoWithIt'', which destroyed his reputation once and for all, he responded saying "Sure, I've slapped Tina. We had fights and there have been times when I punched her to the ground without thinking. [[NeverMyFault But I never beat her]]."

Not to be confused with DugInDeeper where someone pursues something because they're told they're great at it, even though they're not, or DugTooDeep or DiggingToChina, which is about physical digging. Nor DigYourOwnGrave, for that matter.

* A scene in Robert Asprin's ''[[Literature/MythAdventures Myth-ing Persons]]'' has Guido doing this to himself with his employer Skeeve; he only belatedly informs Skeeve that they're being followed, and then tries to defend himself by saying that the follower is [[IncrediblyObviousTail so obvious]] that any idiot could tell they were there. Fellow employee Massha cheerfully invokes this trope.

* ''Literature/{{Victoria}}'' has main character Captain John Rumford, USMC, launching a relatively innocuous anti-feminist prank. But when called before his CO to explain himself, he handles himself poorly: rather than faking contrition, he attempts to justify himself by [[PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad denouncing feminism in the Corps]]. That goes about as well as might be expected, which is why he spends most of the story as a ''former'' Marine.

* Pretty much any time anyone engages in ''UsefulNotes/VictimBlaming'' toward [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil rape victims]], even [[InnocentlyInsensitive unintentionally]], and sticks to their guns rather than [[ShuttingUpNow just apologizing and dropping it immediately when called out on it]] counts as this.

* There's an old story about a German mayor who didn't want people let their dogs run unleashed in the local forest, so he had put up a sign stating: "Anyone who'll let his dog run unleashed in the forest will be shot!" When someone remarked that this could be read as if the ''owners'' of the dogs were shot, the mayor had it "improved" to: "Anyone who'll let his dog run unleashed in the forest will be shot, the dog!" ("Dog" being a somewhat outdated insult.)

%%* Any sitcom involving [[Series/TheOfficeUK Ricky]] [[Series/{{Extras}} Gervais]].

** In a later episode, a panicked Andrew runs into Willow, who knows he was an accomplice in the killing of her girlfriend:

* The opening skit of the 2006 Emmys had host Conan O'Brien wandering onto the set of several TV Shows. The final bit had him walking into an empty house, only to find himself confronted by ''Series/{{Dateline}}'''s Chris Hansen and in the middle of another edition of "To Catch A Predator", at which point every legitimate excuse he gave only made things worse. In particular, claiming that "it's my second time" (he also hosted in 2002), and "I did it once and I liked it and thought I should do it again", prompting Hansen to declare, "Of all the predators I've met, you are by far the creepiest."

** Buffy and Xander also get another good one in "Doppelgangland":

'''Willow''': That's Old Yeller!\\