# How would people know you've been replaced by an impostor? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 13, 2016, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-people-know-youve-been-replaced-by-an-impostor/759824 "2016-07-13T17:19:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2016, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-people-know-youve-been-replaced-by-an-impostor/759824/41 "2016-07-14T15:00:57Z")
He wouldn’t be annoying? Or would be annoying in the wrong way. I’ve spent decades getting it just right. With my family of origin we have a secret code. One person simply needs to say “[The antiseptic](http://www.bartleby.com/104/50.html)” and the other will finish it. ---
**Author:** ![BobArrgh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobarrgh/32/2881_2.png) [@BobArrgh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobArrgh)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2016, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-people-know-youve-been-replaced-by-an-impostor/759824/42 "2016-07-14T17:54:44Z")
**TokyoBayer** , that is the first time I have ever seen that poem. Awesome! I am a huge proponent of that kind of challenge for verifying someone’s identity. I will never get caught out by the scam whereby a stranger calls and says, “Grandpa? It’s ‘me’ … I’m in jail and need you to post bail for me.” I have a couple of tongue-twister songs and nonsensical songs and a few songs I have made up. I’d just ask them something like, “What did the hungry snake eat when he met Savannah?” ---
**Author:** ![quiltguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e47774/32.png) [@quiltguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quiltguy)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2016, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-people-know-youve-been-replaced-by-an-impostor/759824/43 "2016-07-14T18:07:18Z")
If I was out for a meal with friends and hadn’t brought along a peppermill, they’d know for sure it wasn’t me. Can the word _pathognomic_ be used in this scenario? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2016, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-people-know-youve-been-replaced-by-an-impostor/759824/44 "2016-07-14T19:34:27Z")
SWMBO would know; she just would. Otherwise, my encylopeadic knowledge of all that is truly useless and trivial would cause an imposter no end of fits trying to remember it all. “Damage a two handed sword does in 2 ed D&D- 2d10” Check “Car Mr.Bean hates.” Robin Reliant Check “What is the resistor code mnemonic? The non-PC one.” "Bad Boys Rape Our Young Girls But Violet Gives Willingly, No Charge. Etc, Etc. ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2016, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-people-know-youve-been-replaced-by-an-impostor/759824/45 "2016-07-14T19:56:11Z")
If my bra and pants aren’t off in 2.5 minutes after I get home from work, it ain’t me. ---
**Author:** ![MacdaddyC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@MacdaddyC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacdaddyC)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2016, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-people-know-youve-been-replaced-by-an-impostor/759824/46 "2016-07-14T20:03:38Z")
If my texts suddenly lose proper spelling and punctuation, sound the alarm. That, and my SO and I have a predetermined, innocuous word to alert the other discretely there is an emergency. ---
**Author:** ![Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mona_Lisa_Simpson)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2016, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-people-know-youve-been-replaced-by-an-impostor/759824/47 "2016-07-14T20:37:56Z")
If my texts don’t appear to have strange verb endings and random g it probably isn’t me. If I salt food automatically it isn’t me. ---
**Author:** ![edwards\_beard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@edwards\_beard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwards_beard)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2016, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-people-know-youve-been-replaced-by-an-impostor/759824/48 "2016-07-14T20:42:31Z")
If you see me, and I fart without running to the nearest fire hydrant and lifting one leg over it like a dog peeing…it’s the imposter. If indoors, I pull the nearest fire extinguisher off the wall ---
**Author:** ![Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mona_Lisa_Simpson)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2016, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-people-know-youve-been-replaced-by-an-impostor/759824/49 "2016-07-14T20:42:36Z")
Hit reply too soon. If I allowed more than 3 colours to sit next to each other out of spectrum order my son would know. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2016, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-people-know-youve-been-replaced-by-an-impostor/759824/50 "2016-07-14T22:07:36Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Did she just kind of shrug? That’s exactly what an impostor would assume. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2016, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-people-know-youve-been-replaced-by-an-impostor/759824/51 "2016-07-14T22:56:56Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > No one would know. Not even me. I may be an impostor replacing one of a long line of impostors. It’s possible there was no original me and I’ve been nothing but impostors all along. Yes, it’s impostors all the way down; or is that turtles? ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2016, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-people-know-youve-been-replaced-by-an-impostor/759824/52 "2016-07-15T00:17:17Z")
> [@BobArrgh](#): > > **TokyoBayer** , that is the first time I have ever seen that poem. Awesome! My mother would recite that poem to us all the time. It was one of the happy memories. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2016, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-people-know-youve-been-replaced-by-an-impostor/759824/53 "2016-07-15T00:20:01Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > Yes, it’s impostors all the way down; or is that turtles? They were pretending to be turtles, who knows what they really were. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2016, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-people-know-youve-been-replaced-by-an-impostor/759824/54 "2016-07-15T16:16:58Z")
I’d be liberal. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2016, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-people-know-youve-been-replaced-by-an-impostor/759824/55 "2016-07-15T17:58:42Z")
> [@Jennshark](#): > > If my bra and pants aren’t off in 2.5 minutes after I get home from work, it ain’t me. Go on… ---
**Author:** ![Lowdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Lowdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lowdown)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2016, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-people-know-youve-been-replaced-by-an-impostor/759824/56 "2016-07-15T19:05:38Z")
If I don’t sit down at the table and begin to critique everything I just cooked. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2016, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-people-know-youve-been-replaced-by-an-impostor/759824/57 "2016-07-16T00:34:54Z")
People would know its not me when I (they) stop drinking beer after a normally _excessive_ amount. > [@HelenGawn](#): > > Buy me a bottled beer with a stick-on label. If I don’t try to peel it off intact, draw your weapon. I don’t know what you look like, but I could be your double! 😃 (And when I’m successful, I stick them to things. Whatever is handy and needs a beer label on it!) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-people-know-youve-been-replaced-by-an-impostor/759824.md?page=2)