History Main / INeedToGoIronMyDog

--->'''Lisa:''' ...Mom, can we go to bed early tonight?\\

* In the [[ChooseYourOwnAdventure Rarity ending]] of the ''WebAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsDigitalSeries'' episode "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsBestTrendsForever Best Trends Forever]]", Rarity awkwardly escapes a conversation with Trixie by claiming "I'm late for... being over there."

Goes hand in hand with ScrewThisImOuttaHere, of course. PrivacyByDistraction is the inverse of this, where the character says something intended to make the hearer leave the room so they talk about something private to another party. When a character is forced to leave the room due to an event or plot point, it's DeusExScuseMe. Can be used to LeaveTheTwoLovebirdsAlone. Compare NotEvenBotheringWithAnExcuse, which subversions of this trope often lead into, and ADogAteMyHomework, another poor excuse... for not doing homework. SteppingOutForAQuickCupOfCoffee applies if the character's ''real'' reason for leaving is to let the others do something he's not supposed to participate in or know about.

** Possibly played with, also in "Boast Busters", when Spike makes a somewhat panicked exit after declaring that Twilight is the most magical unicorn in Ponyville while standing beside his crush Rarity who is also a unicorn, not giving an even remotely reasonable explanation but exclaiming: "Oh, um...*cough* Hey, Rarity...I...MUSTACHE!" immediately before darting off screen.

* ''VideoGame/NoStraightRoads'': To get away from an AbhorentAdmirer, Eve pretends she's going to "check if the editors need [her] input'', which completely goes against her character as a pop-culture abstract artist. He still doesn't get the hint.

* ''WebVideo/AnimeAmerica'': In "Top 10 Lamest Powers in Anime'', one of the entries is about the Chara Nari in ''Manga/ShugoChara''. Megan and Shannan are so off-put by this one, before the explanation for the entry even begins, that they back out and drive away - but not before Megan tells Shannan that they need to go "get some supplies", while Shannan herself also gives the unconvincing excuse that she needs to get her "homework watered" on top of that.

Usually the mundane "Well, I'm off to work," "I think I'll call it a night," "Gotta use the head", "GoingToTheStore" type of comment, rarely related to the plot. When turning down a date, women often say "I have to wash my hair," which is both mundane and implausible (such an act does not take an entire evening). The excuse to not be involved in something might involve a [[PlayingSick fake medical condition]] (if the obvious excuse is a bad leg, it's a ''lame'' excuse both figuratively and literally). The British or TheRoaringTwenties equivalent would be "I have to see a man about a horse (or dog)."[[note]]This was also an UnusualEuphemism for needing to use the toilet.[[/note]]

* Subverted in ''WesternAnimation/Shrek2'', when Shrek and King Harold are about to go at it with each other at dinner.
-->'''Donkey:''' I gotta go to the bathroom.\\
'''Chef:''' Dinner is served!\\
'''Donkey:''' Never mind. I can hold it.

* ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'': Early on in the film Stoick proposes to do one more search for the nest before winter. Everyone tries to come with execuses why that can go on such an expedition. If you listen carefully one of them says they need to do their axe returns.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'':
** Going to the bathroom is pretty much the fail-safe excuse for Harry to go follow somebody/eavesdrop/escape a situation. His friends must be concerned about his bladder problem by now... Finally lampshaded in the seventh book when Hermione and Ron have disappeared with the excuse of a bathroom, leaving Harry to try to figure out their real destination. [[spoiler:He eventually finds them emerging from the chamber of secrets...in the girl's bathroom.]]
** Also, in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix'', when Molly Weasley and most of her children (Bill, Fred, George, Ron and Ginny), along with Harry and Hermione, visits Arthur in the hospital, and Molly finds out Arthur was using Muggle stitches to treat his wounds, Bill and Harry (separately) each say how much they could use a cup of tea, and the others all follow, as they know this presses Molly's BerserkButton.

** A slight aversion in "Starship Mine". Picard was unhappy having to attend the reception of a socially annoying Commander and was looking for any reason to leave. When told that there were horses and riding trails, Picard immediately picked up on that and said he was going back to the Enterprise to get his saddle. Only the Commander believed it. The other Enterprise crew didn't, but he had actually gone to get his saddle.

** In an earlier episode, Bashir learns that he's inadvertently killed Keiko O'Brien's beloved plants. O'Brien suggests that Bashir should go with him to welcome Keiko so he can explain the situation.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' once had Angelica try to swipe some cookies from the kitchen by telling the babies, "I'm gonna check on the babies." It took them about ten seconds to realize that Angelica didn't need to leave the room to check on them.

* Terri Clark's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1ScBNkXaJk I've Got Better Things To Do]] is this mixed with a healthy dose of TakeThat.
-->''I could\\
Wash my car in the rain\\

Not to be confused with MyHovercraftIsFullOfEels, MicrowaveTheDog, or KickTheDog. Compare with IHaveThisFriend, a similarly flimsy hypothetical rather than excuse, and HoldingItForAFriend, where someone else supposedly owns the questionable item a character is caught with. Contrast with SuspiciouslySpecificDenial. A string of these becomes a HurricaneOfExcuses. Subtrope of LookingBusy.

---> '''Strong Bad:''' But I have to go now...and do something completely unrelated to me throwing together the aforementioned local news. Hoight!"

->'''Fran:''' Well Mark, come on. I want to show you that thing I bought.\\

-->'''Fran:''' Well Mark, come on. I want to show you that thing I bought.\\

'''Mark:''' [''Beat''] Oh the '''thing'''. [follows Fran out] Yes, oh yeah, because I'm anxious to see that, yeah.

'''Mark:''' [Beat] Oh the '''thing'''. [follows Fran out] Yes, oh yeah, because I'm anxious to see that, yeah.

'''Mark:''' [[Beat]] Oh the '''thing'''. [follows Fran out] Yes, oh yeah, because I'm anxious to see that, yeah.

* In the ''Series/CornerGas'' episode "Oh, Baby", Wanda asks Brent if he wants to babysit her son. Brent ducks the question by saying, "Ding ding! Oh, someone's at the pumps!" and walking out of the gas station.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'': "Oh, sorry! Can't stop! Got to see a coach about a train!" says Thomas, before fleeing from the station to save himself the embarrassment of having to admit to getting pranked by Percy in the episode ''[[Recap/ThomasTheTankEngineS2E24GhostTrain Ghost Train]]''.

Has nothing to do with MicrowaveTheDog.

Not to be confused with MyHovercraftIsFullOfEels, or with KickTheDog. Compare with IHaveThisFriend, a similarly flimsy hypothetical rather than excuse and HoldingItForAFriend. Contrast with SuspiciouslySpecificDenial. A string of these becomes a HurricaneOfExcuses. Subtrope of LookingBusy.

** If other Sims don't want to visit yours, they'll use rather incredible excuses like "I have to feed my llama" or "My psychic advisor has forbidden me to leave the house today." Strangely, if they're already ''there'' and have to ''leave'', their excuses actually make sense, like "It's getting late."

Goes hand in hand with ScrewThisImOuttaHere, of course. PrivacyByDistraction is the inverse of this, where the character says something intended to make the hearer leave the room so they talk about something private to another party. When a character is forced to leave the room due to an event or plot point, it's DeusExScuseMe. Can be used to LeaveTheTwoLovebirdsAlone. Compare NotEvenBotheringWithAnExcuse, which subversions of this trope often lead into, and ADogAteMyHomework, another poor excuse... for not doing homework. SteppingOutForAQuickCupOfCoffee applies if the character's ''real'' reason for leaving is to let the others do something he's not supposed to participate in or know about. Has nothing to do with MicrowaveTheDog.

Not to be confused with MyHovercraftIsFullOfEels, or with KickTheDog. Compare with IHaveThisFriend, a similarly flimsy hypothetical rather than excuse. Contrast with SuspiciouslySpecificDenial. A string of these becomes a HurricaneOfExcuses. Subtrope of LookingBusy.

Not to be confused with MyHovercraftIsFullOfEels, or with KickTheDog. Contrast with SuspiciouslySpecificDenial. A string of these becomes a HurricaneOfExcuses. Subtrope of LookingBusy.

* [[TheComicallySerious Worf]] pulls a preemptive one in ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' when he learns that Keiko O'Brien is pregnant. Having played the DeliveryGuy during her MaternityCrisis, Bashir suggests that in seven months, he can help out with baby #2.