History Main / ParentheticalSwearing

* In the first ''SisterAct'' movie, Sister Mary Clarence says "Bless you" in a way that makes it clear the word she would use if she wasn't in a nun habit and surrounded by nuns actually begins with an F.

->''"Why is it that whenever someone says '[[WithDueRespect with all due respect]]', they really mean 'kiss my ass'?"''
-->-- '''Ashley Williams''', ''MassEffect''

* Penn illustrates this trope in the ''PennAndTellerBullshit'' episode on profanity, by growling I love you, dog!" in a clearly hostile manner. The point of this exercise is to show the viewers that the dog react's to the human's tone of voice, not to what words he says.

* One issue of MarvelUniverse Secret Wars II has Phoenix (the Rachel Summers variety) express sympathy for The Beyonder's hurt feelings, while her fce makes it clear she'd kill him if she could. (By the way, the reason his feelings got hurt was that she wouldn't let him manipulate her into destroying the universe.)

* * In TheEmpireStrikesBack, we get this exchange. Han's reply is basically a shout.

* ''Perversion For Profit'' hs the man character say "Come join the fun!" in a way that makes one think he really said "[[GoshDangItToHeck Darn]], I just stepped in a huge pile of dog-poo."

* Penn illustrates this trope in the ''PennAndTellerBullshit'' episode on profanity, by growling " I love you, dog!" in a clearly hostile manner. The point of this exercise is to show the viewers that the dog react's to the human's tone of voice, not to what words he says.

* A recent episode of {{Supernatural}} has Rufus, one of the boys' allies, mutter, "I'm too old for this." [[LethalWeapon Four guesses]] as to what everyone heard at the end of the sentence...
* Babylon 5 has Bester's name treated like this. Anyone who has spent five minutes in the same room as Bester and is NOT a telepath would understand completely.

* "The gnome was muttering to himself, too, in a low, unpleasant manner. He didn't so much curse as deliver each word as if he were cursing, so that 'Butter and bedknobs!' came out sounding like something you'd use to send a demon back to the abyss." - [[http://www.webcomicsnation.com/uvernon/littlecreature2/series.php Little Creature and the Redcap]] by Ursula Vernon.

<<|{{Dialogue}}|>>

--->'''Han Solo:''' "I can arrange that. [[YouNeedToGetLaid He could use a good 'kiss'!]]"

[[folder:ComicBooks]]
* ''Mandatory Retirement'', the last XWingSeries comic, has one of Wedge Antilles's Rogues die while rescuing a defecting Sate Pestage, the Imperial who'd been shakily running the Empire since Palpatine was killed. Pestage complains about being transported in the same shuttle as "animal filth" - the [[FantasticRacism nonhuman]] dead Rogue - and Wedge [[NeckLift hoists Pestage up by the collar]] and says "Don't make me go Vader on you." It's an unremarkable speech balloon, without [[BoldInflation bolding]] or unusual text, but it ''feels'' like this or a ThisIsSparta moment. BewareTheNiceOnes, indeed.
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* When Anakin reveals Sidious' identity to Windu, the latter has "[[SnakesOnAPlane Sick of these motherkriffing Sith on this motherkriffing planet]]" written all over him.
** In TheEmpireStrikesBack, we get this exchange. Han's reply is basically a shout.

** Don't forget Bones's [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar "Are you out of your]] [[UnusualEuphemism VULCAN mind?!"]]
*** Which Bones did say in the [[StarTrekTheOriginalSeries original series]], though with slightly less inflection. Though given they weren't allowed to even say [[BeamMeUpScotty dammit]] you can kinda see why.
**** Kirk is the only one to actually swear ('hell' and 'bullshit', fyi) but [=McCoy=] still manages to seem like he swears both profusely and often.

* ''MrsDoubtfire'': "Don't '''fuss''' with me."
* ''FantasticMrFox'' uses "cuss" as a universal replacement for profanity.

* [[SuzumiyaHaruhi "Tell them to go suck it."]]

** ''Discworld/TheTruth'' has Mr. Tulip and his habit of saying "--ing". There's also a similar gag in an earlier Discworld book where someone says "I hate --ing wizards" and someone else says "You shouldn't -- them then", [[LampshadeHanging effortlessly pronouncing a row of dashes.]]

** Once someone said "Tzetzas" like that and Suzette Whitehall said, "Watch your language."

* Similar to the Samuel L. Jackson example above, a recent episode of {{Supernatural}} has Rufus, one of the boys' allies, mutter, "I'm too old for this." [[LethalWeapon Four guesses]] as to what everyone heard at the end of the sentence...
** "You fudgin' touch me again, I'll fudgin' kill ya."
* A surprising ''PowerRangers'' example comes from ''PowerRangersRPM'', when Tenaya 7 says "That backstabbing little..." The inflection on the beginning of the first syllable had [[http://www.rangerboard.com/showthread.php?p=3227761 many fans raising a mental eyebrow]] until she finished the sentence.

* ''TheDailyShow'' showed a clip of Catholic activist William Donohue complaining about how "every! single! Lenten! season!" American Catholics are plagued by historians speculating about the real life of Jesus and the possibility that he had a family, etc. Jon Stewart remarked that for a devout Catholic, Donohue sure makes "Lenten" sound like a swearword.

[[folder:{{Music}}]]
* "Don't Phunk with My Heart", by the {{Black Eyed Peas}}. Okay, yeah, it's completely grammatically incorrect...and sounds close enough to the real word that the radio edit changes the line to "don't ''mess'' with my heart".

[[folder:NewMedia]]
* [[http://www.flickoff.org/ FLICK OFF]]!

[[folder:StandUpComedy]]
* I think this was referenced by Dane Cook in his ''Vicious Circle'' special:
-->I said, "God bless you"... but it kind of sounded like "Cover your fucking mouth." Incognito.
** PEACE OFF!
* Oddly enough Sam Kinison, who normally had no problem [[ClusterFBomb bombing the neighborhood]], used one when describing his second ex-wife: "God bless 'er!" delivered in a jaw-clenched tone that clearly implies an alternate meaning.

[[folder:VideoGames]]
* In ''MarioAndLuigi 3'', towards the end of the game, Bowser (quite rudely) asks Starlow to find something in his memory. Her refusal pulls this trope ''so hard'' that it's difficult to remember what she really said-- just that she was clearly thinking "go fuck yourself".
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[[folder:{{Webcomics}}]]
* "The gnome was muttering to himself, too, in a low, unpleasant manner. He didn't so much curse as deliver each word as if he were cursing, so that 'Butter and bedknobs!' came out sounding like something you'd use to send a demon back to the abyss." - [[http://www.webcomicsnation.com/uvernon/littlecreature2/series.php Little Creature and the Redcap]] by Ursula Vernon.
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[[folder:WesternAnimation]]
* In one episode of ''XMen'', Wolverine infiltrates an anti-mutant hate group, the Friends of Humanity, by posing as a trashy, mutant-hating bigot. He plays the role to the letter, down to growling "''mutant''" like a swear word.
* In ''{{Gargoyles}}'', just about any time Goliath says "Xanatos."
** Gargoyles fanfic frequently has Xanatos comment on this.
* ''[[PixarShorts BURN-E]]'' only emits a robotic buzz when his attempt to change the lightbulb fails for the second time, but the viewer can very distinctly [[PrecisionFStrike identify what he said]].
* Despite its very family friendly tone, A Charlie Brown Christmas has one.
-->'''Charlie Brown''': Man's best friend...
*** my ass.
** "Don't you know sarcasm when you hear it?"
* ''AvatarTheLastAirbender'' has one in the second season:
-->'''Aang''': I've been training my '''arrow''' off!
** And in the third:
-->'''Aang''': '''M'''onkey '''F'''eathers!
* ''TeenTitans'' Aftershock pt II-- After Terra turns on Slade and starts hurling rock all over Slade shouts "you ungrateful little..." and he doesn't even need to say "bitch".
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* ''{{Angel}}'' example: There is a moment in the third season where Cordelia is forced to overhear a part of Angel's Epic Rage against the way ThePowersThatBe treats Cordelia. She only hears the part: "She is a ''rich girl'' from Sunnydale who likes to play Superhero. She doesn't have what it ''takes!''" Considering Cordelia's reaction, h may as well have said "A ''Spoiled Bitch''..."

* In one of the "earlier" ''StarWars'' movies, Mace Windu says, "This party's over." Every person ThisTroper knows heard SamuelLJackson say "Motherfucker" at the end of that sentence.
** Though, you could say the same about most every sentence said by Samuel L Jackson.
** When Anakin reveals Sidious' identity to Windu, the latter has "[[SnakesOnAPlane Sick of these motherkriffing Sith on this motherkriffing planet]]" written all over him.

** When Nero's plan is foiled by Spock near the end of the film, he screams "SPOOOCK!" Twice, though the first time ''Spock'' is not what this troper (and her mother) hears when the line comes along.

* In one or more of the ''Shannara'' series by Terry Brooks, ThisTroper recalls characters using the word "shades" in place of a curse word.

* ''{{Angel}}'' example: There is a moment in the third season where Cordelia is forced to overhear a part of Angel's Epic Rage against the way ThePowersThatBe treats Cordelia. She only hears the part: "She is a ''rich girl'' from Sunnydale who likes to play Superhero. She doesn't have what it ''takes!''" Considering Cordelia's reaction, This Troper always remember his rant as "A ''Spoiled Bitch''..."

** ''Discworld/TheTruth'' has Mr. Tulip and his habit of saying "--ing". There's also a similar gag in an earlier Discworld book where someone says "I hate --ing wizards" and someone else says "You shouldn't -- them then."

* In ''HarryPotter and the Order of the Phoenix'', McGonagall refers to [[TheUmbridge Umbridge]] as "headmistress", and the author notes that she "pronounced the word with the same look on her face that Aunt Petunia had whenever she was contemplating a particularly stubborn bit of dirt".

This language trope is most common to family fare: A character's spoken line contains no profanity whatsoever, but the tone and phrasing used by the actor is so obvious that the audience will hear the intended profanity just the same. Related to StealthInsult. Closely related to PrecisionFStrike.

* "Don't Phunk with My Heart", by the Black-Eyed Peas. Okay, yeah, it's completely grammatically incorrect...and sounds close enough to the real word that the radio edit changes the line to "don't ''mess'' with my heart".

* The character of Tzetzas in DavidDrake and S.M. Stirling's TheGeneral series is usually pronounced as if it were a curse.