History Main / RightInFrontOfMe

* ''Anime/TheHeroicLegendOfArslan'':

* In ''Series/TheTenthKingdom'', when Virginia has to defend Wolf at his [[KangarooCourt trial]] and decides to make a [[CourtroomAntic desperate claim]] that the man at the festival wearing the wolf mask the night before is the real killer, the Judge tells her that role always goes to "an unimpeachable member of our society." [[WhatAnIdiot Not seeing the warning signs]], Virginia really warms up to her accusation, calling the mask-wearer all sorts of nasty names--only to be told by the Judge that ''he'' was the one wearing the mask.

* ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'': Luke's patience is tested to the breaking point by a little troll who turns out to be Jedi Grand Master Yoda. Luke is nothing but respectful towards Master Yoda while talking about him (although the latter is a bit upset about the "great warrior" description), but his lack of patience with the apparent simpleton does nothing to impress.
* Something similar happened in ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'', too, with Padme dressing up as one of her handmaidens. It's complicated by ambiguity over when Qui-Gon figured it out; it may be a straight example or he may be messing with her.
-->'''Padme:''' The queen will not approve.\\

* One episode of ''Series/Nurses2020'' revolved around a rich woman who checks herself into the local hospital and [[AnnoyingPatient demands the royal treatment]], running the nursing staff ragged. The head nurse eventually gets fed up and tells the woman off; it is later revealed that the woman is the hospital's new Administrator.

* PlayedForDrama in ''Fanfic/TheLionTheWitchAndTheFairysTail''. When [[Manga/FairyTail Happy]] first heads to [[Literature/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe Narnia]], he meets a cold woman who tricks him with fish into telling him about his human teammates, including how Lucy was saved by Mr. Tummus from the wicked White Witch. Later, after Happy and the rest of the team learn about the White Witch from the Beavers, Happy flies off to warn the woman he meet earlier about the witch. It's only after she locks him in a cage that he realizes that ''she's'' the White Witch everyone was talking about.

-->'''Daniel''': Jonathan Lundy, General Manager, owner? ''[Lundy nods]'' I'm Daniel Hillard, former employee.

-->'''Isidro''': They say he killed a hundred- no, a thousand soldiers all on his own!\\
'''Guts''': (muttering) That's exaggerated...

** After being imprisoned by Arislan's forces, Estelle/Etoile confides in the guard assigned to bring her food that she has heard that Arislan is evil. He responds by feeling the top of his head. When she asks him why, he replies that he's checking to see if he has horns. [[DontExplainTheJoke Because]] he ''is'' Arislan.

** In a Silver Age ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} comic, two girls wonder about Supergirl's secret identity as Linda Danvers -a. k. a., the aforementioned hero- walks with them.

* ''ComicBook/RobinSeries'': Bernard discusses his conspiracy theories about ComicBook/{{Robin}} with Tim Drake, including the one where he figures the latest Robin is dead, unaware that he's talking to the person he is presuming to be deceased.

* In ''Literature/MoribitoGuardianOfTheSpirit'', one of the main characters, Balsa, and the group she is traveling with and protecting, is being pursued by authorities. While having lunch, she runs into a man who, upon being questioned, tells her about her alleged demise at the hands of the search teams looking for her. He then goes on to make up a story about how he met her in the mountains, and despite her great skill with the spear, managed to fight her to a draw. Balsa seems to take this humorously and with good spirit, most likely because in his version, it took a thousand men armed to the teeth to kill her.

* SOE agent Elaine Madden, of Australian-Belgian ancestry, was assigned to escort a 'Monsieur Bernard' during World War 2. She made so bitter comments about the Belgian royal family unwillingness to become involved in resisting the Germans, unaware that she was speaking to Prince Charles of Belgium (who fortunately found it ActuallyPrettyFunny when Elaine said the Prince was probably drunk in a brothel somewhere).

* SOE agent Elaine Madden, of Australian-Belgian ancestry, was assigned to escort a 'Monsieur Bernard' during World War 2. She made so bitter comments about the Belgian royal family unwillingness to become involved in resisting the Germans, unaware that she was speaking to Prince Charles of Belgium (who fortunately found it ActuallyPrettyFunny).

'''Guts''': ''[muttering]'' That's exaggerated...

* In ''Anime/MyOtome'', this happens to Mashiro on a few occasions while she's going incognito, such as when she meets up with the similarly disguised Prince Takumi, or with Mimi [[spoiler:while fleeing Windbloom with the other refugees]]. Both those instances show how much the people hate her, and lead to her CharacterDevelopment and becoming a better ruler.

* In ''Anime/TheHeroicLegendOfArslan'', after being imprisoned by Arislan's forces, Estelle/Etoile confides in the guard assigned to bring her food that she has heard that Arislan is evil. He responds by feeling the top of his head. When she asks him why, he replies that he's checking to see if he has horns. [[DontExplainTheJoke Because]] he ''is'' Arislan.

* In a Silver Age Comicbook/{{Supergirl}} comic, two girls talk up Supergirl and wonder about her secret identity as Linda Danvers -a. k. a., the aforementioned hero- walks with them.
* ''ComicBook/{{Robin|Series}}'': Bernard discusses his conspiracy theories about Robin with Tim, including the one where he figures the latest Robin is dead, unaware that he's talking to the person he is presuming to be deceased.

* ''LightNovel/TheTwelveKingdoms'':

* In ''Anime/MaiOtome'', this happens to Mashiro on a few occasions while she's going incognito, such as when she meets up with the similarly disguised Prince Takumi, or with Mimi [[spoiler:while fleeing Windbloom with the other refugees]]. Both those instances show how much the people hate her, and lead to her CharacterDevelopment and becoming a better ruler.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* In ''Literature/MovingPictures'', Ginger complains to Victor on their first meeting about the indignities of being a clicks star, including performing opposite "some kid probably with bad breath and hay in his hair and a forhead you could lay a table on". When she adds that she's missing lunch for this, Victor replies "You could always eat it off my forehead."

* Some job interviewing techniques can backfire badly because of this trope, as one [[TooDumbToLive job-seeker]] found out [[http://notalwaysright.com/inter-screwed/8762 the hard way]].

* Inverted in [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic MLP]] fanfic Nobility and Royalty, when Raven complains that most of being Princess Celestia's secretary is "looking after ''that foal''", and points at one of the ponies in the room:

-->'''Wilma:''' Um, ''Fred'', something tells me you've said enough.

* ''Film/AntMan''. One character dresses as a security guard during TheCaper, only to be confronted by another security guard when he enters a secure area. So he claims that "the boss" sent him. Unfortunately, he's talking to the security chief who retorts, "''I'm'' the boss!"

* In ''Anime/MoribitoGuardianOfTheSpirit'', one of the main characters, Balsa, and the group she is traveling with and protecting, is being pursued by authorities. While having lunch, she runs into a man who, upon being questioned, tells her about her alleged demise at the hands of the search teams looking for her. He then goes on to make up a story about how he met her in the mountains, and despite her great skill with the spear, managed to fight her to a draw. Balsa seems to take this humorously and with good spirit, most likely because in his version, it took a thousand men armed to the teeth to kill her.

* ''Franchise/{{Discworld}}'':
** In ''Discworld/UnseenAcademicals'', Glenda tells Countess Margalotta's librarian exactly what she thinks of the way the Countess treated Nutt. It's only after the woman's left that Glenda suddenly thinks "did she ''look'' like a librarian?"
** In ''Discworld/{{Mort}}'' the wizard Cutwell babbles nervously to his client about how his housekeeper says the new Queen is a real terror. Princess Kelli decides its probably kinder not to tell him who he's talking to until she has to.
** In a middle-class variation, the lodgers at Mrs. Arcanum's place in ''Discworld/TheTruth'' voice all sorts of misguided assumptions about who's writing the ''Ankh-Morpork Times'', never suspecting that they're sharing a meal with its founder. Subverted in that, while they're suitably startled to learn this at the end, they're more curious about the ''Times''' stupid filler-stories than its genuine news.
** In ''Discworld/FeetOfClay'' Mr. Catterail, a previously mentioned UpperClassTwit who writes angry letters to the Watch about how dwarves shouldn't be patrolling his street, complains about a golem that smashed a treadmill and wrote rebellious slogans on the wall. He has no idea that the watchman he's complaining to is actually Vimes, so he tries saying he's "a friend of your commander." This does not go well at ''all''.