History Main / SecretWord

[[quoteright:175:[[Creator/GrouchoMarx https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/secret-word-groucho-marx_2230.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:175: Oh, now EVERYBODY knows it!]]

A Secret Word is frequently used in popular culture to provide tension and excitement. A minority of people know it, others don't and everyone is curious whether those who don't know it will find out what it is, or, how long it will take them? In certain stories the secret word may be a TriggerPhrase: once it's said a magic spell or hypnotic mind control device may change everything. In other stories a guard may only let someone enter a room unless the visitor says the secret word. See also ThePasswordIsAlwaysSwordfish, HighlyVisiblePassword (for tropes about obvious secret words) and JoeSentMe (when a secret word has the variation ''"X sent me"''.)

-->'''Grocho!Cosmo'': That's the first time the baby ever sat on the sitter.

-->'''Grocho!Cosmo'': Sorry. The secret word was "pie".

* WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons: In the episode "Marge Gets A Job" Krusty's TV show also turns out to have a "secret word" segment. Unfortunately the word is "loud" and involves a lot of celebration and noise, which alarms the wolf of a zoo keeper being a guest on the show so much that it escapes.
* WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy: The episode "Peter Griffin: Husband, Father... Brother?" has a parody of ''Series/PeeWeesPlayhouse'' in which Peter turns his house into Pee-Wee Herman's playhouse. After Lois calls this "ridiculous" it turns out that was the secret word for today.

* The Dutch radio show ''"Ekstra Weekend" (2006-2013)'' had an item called ''"The Secret Word"'', in which listeners could send their text messages at the moment the ''"secret word"''-jingle was played. When a listener was chosen, he or she receives the secret word off-air. Then a friend or relative of the listener is called. When they pick up the phone, the contestant has to describe the secret word, without actually saying it or mentioning they are on national radio. When the other person guesses the word, instantly the James Last version of the ''"Too Fat Polka (She's too fat for me)"'' is played, while the entire studio goes crazy. Hammering things with trashcan lids or forming a conga line to celebrate the correct answer. At last the prizes the contestant wins are revealed. When the provided relatives or friends can't be reached, Fabienne de Vries was called. She's usually helpful to the contestant and almost always gets the right word.

* ''Series/KeepTalking'': Had the same format as ''"Password"''.
* ''Series/YouBetYourLife'': Some show tension revolved around whether a contestant would say the ''"secret word"'', a common word revealed to the audience at the show's outset. If a contestant said the word, a toy duck resembling [[Creator/MarxBrothers Groucho Marx]] with a mustache and eyeglasses, and with a cigar in its bill, descended from the ceiling to bring a $100 bill. Groucho sometimes slyly directed conversation to encourage the secret word to come up.
* ''Series/PeeweesPlayhouse'': At the start of every show Pee-Wee informed the audience what ''"the secret word for today is"''. He would try to make his guests say it, but they were not always that easily fooled and so sometimes Pee-Wee accidentally said it himself. When the secret word was said all children were allowed to "scream real loud" while in Pee-Wee's house itself an alarm went off.
* ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'': A recurring joke in the show was the segment ''"Secret Word"'' in which two constestants in a game show had to guess hidden words based on clues from their celebrity partners.
* ''Series/RibertAndRobertsWonderworld'': In this children's show three ''"magic keys"'' need to be obtained, after which a secret word is revealed in line with the day's subject.

* Music/FrankZappa introduced a ''"secret word"'' to his audience during all of his concerts. This was usually an inside joke only he and his band members would get, but it would hold the attention of the audience during the show. It's specifically mentioned during ''Music/FillmoreEastJune1971'' and ''Music/TheYellowShark''.

* WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons: In the episode ''"Marge Gets A Job"'' Krusty's TV show also turns out to have a ''"secret word"'' segment. Unfortunately the word is ''"loud"'' and involves a lot of celebration and noise, which alarms the wolf of a zoo keeper being a guest on the show so much that it escapes.
* WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy: The episode ''"Peter Griffin: Husband, Father... Brother?"'' has a parody of ''Series/PeeWeesPlayhouse ''in which Peter turns his house into Pee-Wee Herman's playhouse. After Lois calls this ''"ridiculous"'' it turns out that was the secret word for today.

* Played straight in Literature/TheBible (in Judges 12:5–6 KJV):

* Conspicuous use of certain numbers are callouts and dog-whistles to white supremacist hate groups.
* Gangs and organized crime also frequently use various terms to self-identify that aren't meant to be used by outsiders. For example, a particular brand name might be used to create an acronym that indicates contempt for a rival group, and thus get used as a way to identify a gang.

A secret word is frequently used in popular culture to provide tension and excitement. A minority of people know it, others don't and everyone is curious whether those who don't know it will find out what it is, or, how long it will take them? In certain stories the secret word may be a TriggerPhrase: once it's said a magic spell or hypnotic mind control device may change everything. In other stories a guard may only let someone enter a room unless the visitor says the secret word. See also ThePasswordIsAlwaysSwordfish, HighlyVisiblePassword (for tropes about obvious secret words) and JoeSentMe (when a secret word has the variation ''"X sent me"''.)

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* In TheBookOfHenry, a gun-store owner skirts or breaks the law for those who name-drop Dominic.

* WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy: The episode ''"Peter Griffin: Husband, Father... Brother?"'' has a parody of ''Series/PeeWeesPlayHouse ''in which Peter turns his house into Pee-Wee Herman's playhouse. After Lois calls this ''"ridiculous"'' it turns out that was the secret word for today.

* Gangs and organized crime also frequently use various terms that aren't meant to be used by outsiders.

* ''Film/HorseFeathers'': In this Film/TheMarxBrothers film an entire comedic scene is built around people unable to enter a room unless the [[ThePassWordIsAlwaysSwordfish say the password, which Groucho and Chico unknowingly keep saying]].

* ''Series/YouBetYourLife'': Some show tension revolved around whether a contestant would say the ''"secret word"'', a common word revealed to the audience at the show's outset. If a contestant said the word, a toy duck resembling [[Film/TheMarxBrothers Groucho Marx]] with a mustache and eyeglasses, and with a cigar in its bill, descended from the ceiling to bring a $100 bill. Groucho sometimes slyly directed conversation to encourage the secret word to come up.

* ''GameShow/{{Password}}'': In this game show contestants had to guess a secret word through a series of clues.
* ''GameShow/KeepTalking'': Had the same format as ''"Password"''.

A secret word is frequently used in popular culture to provide tension and excitement. A minority of people know it, others don't and everyone is curious whether those who don't know it will find out what it is, or, how long it will take them? In certain stories the secret word may be a TriggerPhrase: once it's said a magic spell or hypnotic mind control device may change everything. In other stories a guard may only let someone enter a room unless the visitor says the secret word. See also ThePassWordIsAlwaysSwordfish, HighlyVisiblePassword (for tropes about obvious secret words) and JoeSentMe (when a secret word has the variation ''"X sent me"''.)

[[/folder]]

[[quoteright:175:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/secret-word-groucho-marx_2230.jpg]]

[[caption-width-right:175:]]

* Music/FrankZappa introduced a ''"secret word"'' to his audience during all of his concerts. This was usually an inside joke only he and his band members would get, but it would hold the attention of the audience during the show.