History Main / SuspiciouslySpecificDenial

When TheMafia uses it, it's the LegitimateBusinessmensSocialClub. If you insist that you'd NEVER make a Suspiciously Specific Denial (while doing so), then it's IllNeverTellYouWhatImTellingYou. This is not comparable to BadLiar; a character who invokes this trope could certainly be a bad liar, but when used alone it's not indicative of BadLiar.

* This is not the origin of the non-Chinese proverb "no three-hundred taels [not even close to fifteen kilos] of silver beneath this ground":
-->Some guy digs a hole behind his house and put all his life's savings in it. Not feeling particularly secure, he scribbles a message on the wall: "''No three-hundred taels of silver beneath this ground''". His neighbor Wang gets the message, harvests the ground -- and then wrote: "''This is not stolen by your neighbor Wang''".

[[quoteright:304:[[Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gunnerkrigg_court_549_denial.jpg]]]][[caption-width-right:304: This caption has definitely been here the whole time]]

[[quoteright:304:[[Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gunnerkrigg_court_549_denial.jpg]]]]

A FalseReassurance works because the speaker is being vague and non-specific enough to pull the wool over someone's eyes. A Suspiciously Specific Denial, on the other hand, fails because the speaker is SayingTooMuch. This may be unintentional, such as when the speaker is panicked, is a BadLiar, or perhaps just a little stupid. Often used to establish that you're MostDefinitelyNotAVillain.

This is a favored tactic of a {{Tsundere}} who got caught being dere -- in fact MemeticMutation has made this the motto of the {{Tsundere}} ("Stupid [love interest]! I-it's not like I'm [doing something affectionate] because I like you or anything!")

Characters who are LawfulStupid (or ObliviousToLove in the case of the {{Tsundere}}) may take the statement at face value.

A suspiciously specific denial can also be part of a GilliganCut (eg, "You'll never get me to wear a pink polka-dotted tutu with a blue sweater and purple high-heels"), DescriptionCut ("It's not a run-down house with holes in the roof, broken windows, and blood-stains on the kitchen walls"), et cetera.

* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial/PuppetShows

[[folder:Podcast]]

->"My 'Not involved in human trafficking' T-shirt has people asking a lot of questions already answered by my shirt.
-->--'''Mike Ginn''

->'''Helmet:''' Did you see anything? \\
'''Sandurz:''' No, sir! I didn't see you playing with your dolls again!
-->-- ''Film/{{Spaceballs}}''

[[DescribeTopicHere Certainly no one is describing Suspiciously Specific Denial here, so that people will understand what the trope is about.]] [[SelfDemonstratingArticle And this sure isn't an opening gag to preface it.]] [[OverlyLongGag And this surely isn't an unnecessary prolongation of the gag to make it, supposedly, funnier]].

* This is not the origin of the non-Chinese proverb "no three-hundred taels of silver beneath this ground":

-->''Announcer:''' It's definitely an improvement. Totally not a lateral move.

Contrast FalseReassurance, BlatantLies, ImplausibleDeniability, and HoldingItForAFriend.

Contrast FalseReassurance, BlatantLies, and ImplausibleDeniability.

Sometimes, this is used [[InvokedTrope more deliberately]], such as when the speaker is [[CouldSayItBut definitely not trying to give out information that they shouldn't but doesn't want to be too obvious about it]] (OrSoIHeard may follow). TheTrickster may also use it as the misdirecting component of a BatmanGambit, an InfractionDistraction, or KansasCityShuffle; by making an oddly specific denial that is actually ''true'', the mark may be led to believe that the denial is false. (For example: the mark is told that there ''aren't'' [[Literature/InterestingTimes 2,300,009 invisible vampire ghosts]] -- so the mark believes there ''are'', when in fact there are ''no'' invisible vampire ghosts at all.) In rare cases, the speaker may be telling the truth and have no intent to deceive, but it just [[ThatCameOutWrong comes out wrong]].

Compare OverlyNarrowSuperlative, NightmareFuelStationAttendant, SayingTooMuch, INeverSaidItWasPoison, OrSoIHeard, and ItsForABook.

Sometimes, this is used [[InvokedTrope more deliberately]], such as when the speaker is [[CouldSayItBut definitely not trying to give out information that they shouldn't but doesn't want to be too obvious about it]] (OrSoIHeard may follow). TheTrickster may also use it as the misdirecting component of a BatmanGambit, an InfractionDistraction, or KansasCityShuffle; by making an oddly specific denial that is actually ''true'', the mark may be led to believe that the denial is false. (For example: the mark is told that there ''aren't'' [[Discworld/InterestingTimes 2,300,009 invisible vampire ghosts]] -- so the mark believes there ''are'', when in fact there are ''no'' invisible vampire ghosts at all.) In rare cases, the speaker may be telling the truth and have no intent to deceive, but it just [[ThatCameOutWrong comes out wrong]].

* In ''Podcast/{{Sequinox}}'', when Yuki asks Sid where she transferred from, she states she used to live "in a city in a state that exists". She's also never killed a person, like a normal person. Later in the Gemini Arc, Shannon explains that the sitcom world's opening titles say ''"Sequinox"'' in "a font". Because they're in a television show, with a budget and made by people.

* In ''Podcast/{{Sequinox}}'', when Yuki asks Sid where she transferred from, she states she used to live "in a city in a state that exists". She's also never killed a person, like a normal person.
** Later in the Gemini Arc, Shannon explains that the sitcom world's opening titles say ''"Sequinox"'' in "a font". Because they're in a television show, with a budget and made by people.

* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial/WebAnimation

* "The Blogs of Doom" in ''Magazine/DoctorWhoMagazine'' #356 {{Lampshades}} the example from "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS4E7TheMacraTerror The Macra Terror]]". When Medok first tries to tell the Pilot about the strange crab-like giant insects, and the Pilot snaps "There is no such thing as the Macra!", a confused Medok replies "They're called the Macra!?"

* "The Blogs of Doom" in ''Magazine/DoctorWhoMagazine'' #356 {{Lampshades}} the example from "[[DoctorWhoS4E7TheMacraTerror The Macra Terror]]". When Medok first tries to tell the Pilot about the strange crab-like giant insects, and the Pilot snaps "There is no such thing as the Macra!", a confused Medok replies "They're called the Macra!?"

Characters who are LawfulStupid may take the statement at face value.