History Main / MetaphoricallyTrue

** In Volume 7, James Ironwood asks Ruby Rose what Ozpin told them about the Relic of Knowledge. She states that Ozpin said the Relic can answer three questions every one hundred years, but they're all used up. Ironwood accepts that answer, not realising that Ruby used the [[ExactWords exact wording]] of his question to lie with the truth. [[spoiler:Although Ozpin did say that, their later discovery that he lied about two remaining questions causes them to use one to find out what he's hiding. Ironwood really wants the current situation, but his wording is about what Ozpin told them; Ruby exploits that to hide the remaining question and the truth about Ozpin and Salem, leaving the heroes worried that she's doing to Ironwood what Ozpin did to them.]]

** In a flashback, a very young [[WellDoneSonGuy Uryuu]] asks his [[HeroicNeutral father]] why he [[CursedWithAwesome hates]] being a quincy so much. [[IJustWantToBeNormal Ryuuken]] replies there's no money in it. When Uryuu asks [[OldMaster Souken]] if Ryuuken's telling the truth, Souken [[OlderAndWiser mulls it over]] and then says that, if viewed from the angle that being a quincy doesn't put food on the table and Ryuuken has a son to look after, what Ryuuken said can indeed be viewed as the truth. Souken indicates that Ryuuken's actually [[BlatantLies lying through his teeth]] and when he realizes Uryuu can't see that, goes on to tell Uryuu that [[YouAreNotReady one day]] he will understand Ryuuken's [[MysteriousPast secret]].

** In a flashback, a very young [[WellDoneSonGuy Uryuu]] asks his [[HeroicNeutral father]] why he [[CursedWithAwesome hates]] being a [[ArcherArchetype quincy]] so much. [[IJustWantToBeNormal Ryuuken]] replies there's no money in it. When Uryuu asks [[OldMaster Souken]] if Ryuuken's telling the truth, Souken [[OlderAndWiser mulls it over]] and then says that, if viewed from the angle that being a quincy doesn't put food on the table and Ryuuken has a son to look after, what Ryuuken said can indeed be viewed as the truth. Souken indicates that Ryuuken's actually [[BlatantLies lying through his teeth]] and when he realizes Uryuu can't see that, goes on to tell Uryuu that [[YouAreNotReady one day]] he will understand Ryuuken's [[MysteriousPast secret]].

* Disney's ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'' used this in the direct-to-video conclusion of the series, ''WesternAnimation/AladdinAndTheKingOfThieves''. An oracle tells Aladdin that his father, Cassim, is trapped within the world of the Forty Thieves. Well, he is. It's just that Cassim is not only there voluntarily, he's their leader, and that he's trapped by is his own greed.

** As he parts ways with Ichigo following the first Vandenreich invasion, [[BigBad Yhwach]] addresses him as "his son born in the darkness". It takes [[BumblingDad Isshin]] coming clean about [[MysteriousPast his own past]] before Ichigo understands the meaning of Yhwach's words: [[spoiler:as the progenitor of all Quincies, Yhwach's blood flows through all of his descendants, including Ichigo himself. In this manner, all Quincies can be considered his children. As for the "darkness" part, it's a not-so-subtle nod to Ichigo not knowing about his mother's Quincy heritage.]]

This trope occurs when a statement is [[BlatantLies clearly false]] -- at least according to the most obvious meaning of the words -- but in a non-literal sense it could be considered true. The justification for calling it 'true' generally hinges on a shaky technicality which most people would not consider valid (e.g., the statement "Japan conquered the world" is clearly false in any literal sense, but Japanese culture is very popular worldwide, which one could say is a form of conquering). One way to make this trope work is to play with the ExactWords, but particularly bad cases may require a PersonalDictionary or outright InsaneTrollLogic.

This is most commonly used by oracles who are trying to create a ProphecyTwist but haven't sufficiently mastered the art of [[DoubleMeaning double meanings.]] Instead of taking advantage of a non-obvious but [[AmbiguousSyntax genuine]] [[ExactWords ambiguity of phrasing]], or relying on [[FauxSymbolism elaborate symbolism]], the oracle takes an unambiguous statement and tries to pretend that there was another valid meaning. It is also what separates a LiteralGenie from a JackassGenie, as the latter stretches the interpretation of the wish beyond the bounds of credibility just to screw over the wisher. Also often used by TheFairFolk and others who CannotTellALie. It can be a ([[LoopholeAbuse questionable]]) way to TakeAThirdOption when faced with ToBeLawfulOrGood in the form of whether to tell the truth if it causes harm.

This is also likely to come up in a LifeOrDeathQuestion, where it may be that this is the answer that a particularly sadistic or unfair questioner wanted. Often, someone will mention this unfairness, but it usually won't change the outcome.

Contrast ProphecyTwist, in which the alternative interpretation is not anticipated by the characters (and hopefully the audience), but makes sense when revealed. Also contrast MotivationalLie, where a lie or partial truth is seen as justified because it spurred the hero on to success.

* The ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' fic "[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/49588561/Dinner for Three]]" features Black Cat becoming part of Peter and Mary Jane's relationship. In order to deter the idea that Black Cat is still involved with Spider-Man, during a later raid on an arms deal between Hammerhead and the Owl Felicia tells Hammerhead to pass on the message that she's now involved with two people she met through Spider-Man and others should be aware that her lovers are off-limits because Felicia will come after anyone who threatens them. This serves to create a division between Black Cat's occasional team-up with Spider-Man and Felicia's relationship with the Parkers, even as Felicia avoids saying anything to reveal that Peter and Spider-Man are the same person.

* One recurring gag in ''Frank and Earnest'' is how Ernie explains that the ridiculous descriptions in his classified ads are correct: for example, he calls a boat with an engine that always overheats "the hottest thing on the lake".

* ''Manga/OnePiece'': In a flashback in the Fish-Man Island Arc, Arlong claims to the Marines that Fisher Tiger died because humans refused to give him a blood transfusion that would have saved his life. This isn't really true, Fisher Tiger ''himself'' refused a transfusion of human blood because the hatred for humans in his heart ran so deep he forbid his crew-mates from putting their blood in his veins, even when he logically knew it didn't actually matter. Jimbei and Aladine say that Arlong's report might as well be true, because [[MadeASlave humans enslaving Fisher Tiger]] in his past [[TragicBigot is what solidified the hate in his heart]] (and the fact Arlong did not want to sully his former captain's honour by admitting he was once a slave).

Compare DistinctionWithoutADifference, DoubleSpeak, FalseReassurance, LoopholeAbuse, KeepingSecretsSucks, BothSidesHaveAPoint (or contrasting, depending on the circumstances), StealthPun, VisualPun, PragmaticVillainy, BlueAndOrangeMorality, IgnoranceIsBliss.

%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1595848263068038900
%% Previous thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1408812059066754000

[[quoteright:198:[[ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_930306.png]]]]

* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' has Doctor Strange, who never, ''ever'' lies... but as is repeatedly and irritably observed, never tells the whole truth, either. For instance, he is telling the literal truth when he says that the ring he's giving Carol in the finale of Book 1 is magical and will help protect her. He just omits to mention that [[spoiler:it's Alan Scott's old Green Lantern Ring]]. Death of the Endless notes that he "always tells the truth and almost never tells the whole truth."
* ''Fanfic/CodeGeassPaladinsOfVoltron'': Lelouch gives one to Allura when [[spoiler:he decides to return to Earth]], saying it is because [[spoiler:he wants to make sure his sister Nunnally is safe from his father]]. Unlike most examples, everything he says is ''completely'' true, but he leaves out that he has ''other'' reasons to [[spoiler:head back to Earth - namely, that he wants to overthrow Britannia to prepare the planet for when the Galra arrive]].
* ''Fanfic/KyonBigDamnHero'':
** Kyon tells a Yakuza that his PDA is custom,[[note]]Yuki made it from Asakura's junk data remnants[[/note]] and says that he got Akasaka's picture because if you do it right, people just look right through you.[[note]]He made himself invisible[[/note]]
** [[spoiler:Achakura]] invokes this in order to get [[spoiler:Nonoko]] to bring Kyon his gear after he [[WeHaveForgottenThePhlebotinum left it behind at home]].

* In ''Fanfic/FateStarryNight'', Ritsuka convinces Shirou to let him stay at the Emiya household by coming up with a story that he's homeless after his parents died three years ago in a fire. It sounds plausible enough, though it leaves out the very important detail that they were [[ApocalypseHow incinerated with the rest of humanity]] before being killed again by the [[AlienInvasion Alien God]] after history was restored.

This trope occurs when a statement is [[BlatantLies clearly false]] -- at least according to the most obvious meaning of the words -- but in a non-literal sense it could be considered true. The justification for calling it 'true' generally hinges on a shaky technicality which most people would not consider valid (e.g. the statement "Japan conquered the world" is clearly false in any literal sense, but Japanese culture is very popular worldwide, which you could say is a form of conquering). One way to make this trope work is to play with the ExactWords, but particularly bad cases may require a PersonalDictionary or outright InsaneTrollLogic.

This is most commonly used by oracles who are trying to create a ProphecyTwist but haven't sufficiently mastered the art of [[DoubleMeaning double meanings.]] Instead of taking advantage of a non-obvious but [[AmbiguousSyntax genuine]] [[ExactWords ambiguity of phrasing]], or relying on [[FauxSymbolism elaborate symbolism]], the oracle takes an unambiguous statement and tries to pretend that there was another valid meaning. It is also what separates a LiteralGenie from a JackassGenie, as the latter stretches the interpretation of the wish beyond the bounds of credibility just to screw the wisher over. Also often used by TheFairFolk and others who CannotTellALie. It can be a ([[LoopholeAbuse questionable]]) way to TakeAThirdOption when faced with ToBeLawfulOrGood in the form of whether to tell the truth if it causes harm.

* Disney's ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'' used this in the direct-to-video conclusion of the series, ''WesternAnimation/AladdinAndTheKingOfThieves''. An oracle tells Aladdin that his father, Cassim, is trapped within the world of the Forty Thieves. Well, he is. It's just that Cassim is not only there voluntarily, he's their leader, and what he's trapped by is his own greed.

* An [[http://www.snopes.com/politics/humor/horsethief.asp urban legend]] has a politician's horse-thief ancestor being described with this sort of language on Website/{{Snopes}}' "family" section.

* In ''LightNovel/TheIrregularAtMagicHighSchool'', someone asks Tatsuya if he's part of the Ten Master Clans. Tatsuya replies that he's not, which is 'true' because the Clans are both a political group ''and'' a biological one, and Tatsuya was essentially abandoned by his Clan a long time ago. So Tatsuya is, biologically, descended from the Clans (and he does mercenary work for them sometimes) but politically he has no part in their hierarchy.

* ''LightNovel/RebuildWorld'':

* Most things said by Xelloss in ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'' is technically true in manner in which he phrased it, though not always in the manner in which the listener chooses to hear it. For example, he introduces himself as "Xelloss, the mysterious priest!" After that statement, the "mysterious" part is in no way questioned. As to "priest", in the mazoku hierarchy Xelloss' rank is ''actually'' "priest". Mazoku Lords are typically served by a priest and a general. Xelloss claims the former title although he is the sole representative of his Lord. He is using ExactWords to [[DoubleSpeak tell people]] that he is one of the top ten mazoku in the entire world in terms of power. Played for laughs when it turns out [[TheDitz Gourry]] actually got this, and [[TooDumbToFool thought it was so obvious]] he assumed that everyone did.

* In ''Anime/Danganronpa3TheEndOfHopesPeakHighSchool'', during the ''Future'' arc, Kazuo exclaims to Munakata that the traitor within the group (who kills someone after every time limit) is [[spoiler:everyone, because despite their attempts to hold onto hope, they're still capable of falling into despair. With his death trigger being [[CannotTellALie telling a lie]], it later turns out the victims were brainwashed into commuting suicide unwillingly]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lion King|1994}}'', after the infamous stampede scene that kills King Mufasa, Scar tells Simba, "if it weren't for you, [Mufasa would] still be alive." This is not technically ''untrue'', as Mufasa was killed trying to save his son from the stampede [[spoiler:(though he would have survived if Scar himself had not thrown him off a cliff into the raging herd)]], but Scar's words make poor Simba think that he was somehow ''responsible'' for his father's death, which, Scar being the ManipulativeBastard that he is, is precisely what he desires.

* In the first scene of ''Anime/LuckyStar'', episode 12, Konata asks Miyuki if she wants to go to a certain festival with her. Kagami steps in and explains that the actual event is Comiket, a a FanConvention. Not only is the episode itself titled ''Let's Go to the Festival'' (although it also refers to [[NewYearHasCome another festival]]), but Konata responds with this line:

** In the ''World of Remnant'' mini-episode "Schnee Dust Company", [[LemonyNarrator Qrow notes]] that, from a certain point of view, Jacques' assertion that he was the best man to take over the SDC was truthful; under his leadership, the company has expanded into a global megacorporation with a near-total monopoly on Dust mining, processing and sales. However, he has sacrificed the company's soul by using unethical means such as slave labor and dangerous working conditions to reach the top, leaving the Schnees' good name in rather murky waters.
** In Volume 7, Ironwood asks Ruby what Ozpin told them about the Relic of Knowledge. She states that Ozpin said the Relic can answer three questions every one hundred years, but they're all used up. Ironwood accepts that answer, not realising that Ruby used the [[ExactWords exact wording]] of his question to lie with the truth. [[spoiler:Although Ozpin did say that, their later discovery that he lied about two remaining questions causes them to use one to find out what he's hiding. Ironwood really wants the current situation, but his wording is about what Ozpin told them; Ruby exploits that to hide the remaining question and the truth about Ozpin and Salem, leaving the heroes worried that she's doing to Ironwood what Ozpin did to them.]]

** In Volume 7, Ironwood asks Ruby what Ozpin told them about the Relic of Knowledge. Ruby cautiously states that Ozpin informed them that the Relic can answer three questions every one hundred years, but they're all used up. Ironwood accepts that answer, not realising that Ruby used the [[ExactWords exact wording]] of his question to lie with the truth. [[spoiler:Although Ozpin did tell them that, their later discovery that he lied about two questions remaining causes them to use one to find out what he's hiding. Although Ironwood really wants the current situation, his wording is about what Ozpin told them; Ruby exploits that to hide the remaining question and the truth about Ozpin and Salem, causing her group to later worry that she's doing the same thing to Ironwood that Ozpin did to them.]]

** In Volume 7, Ironwood asks Ruby what Ozpin told them about the Relic of Knowledge. Ruby hesitates, then tells him that Ozpin informed them that the Relic can answer three questions every one hundred years, and that all three questions have been used up. Ironwood accepts that answer as the truth, not realising that Ruby used the [[ExactWords exact wording]] of his question to lie with the truth. [[spoiler:Although Ozpin did tell them that, their later discovery that he lied about two questions remaining causes them to use one to find out what he's hiding. Although Ironwood really wants the current situation, his wording is about what Ozpin told them; Ruby exploits that to hide the remaining question and the truth about Ozpin and Salem, causing her group to later worry that she's doing the same thing to Ironwood that Ozpin did to them.]]