# They never found out it was me! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 23, 2015, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-never-found-out-it-was-me/725981 "2015-07-23T19:17:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SeniorCitizen007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8baadc/32.png) [@SeniorCitizen007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeniorCitizen007)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-never-found-out-it-was-me/725981/1 "2015-07-23T19:17:50Z")
Back in the 50s when I was working in a laboratory I came across a recipe for what was described as the smelliest substance known to man. I made some … just a few drops, which I kept in a test-tube on my bench. Someone, thinking it was an empty tube with a bit of gunk in it, flushed it down the sink. The substance only became smelly after being exposed to the air for a while. Above the laboratory were three floors of offices. The odour went up from the drains to the roof guttering then flowed down through the open office windows. The whole building was evacuated! A few days later the chief chemist, as he passed me in a corridor, quietly said: “I know it was you” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-never-found-out-it-was-me/725981/2 "2015-07-23T19:28:27Z")
The Four stages of Denial: I didn’t do it! You can’t prove it! Nobody saw me! The Sheep lie!! I don’t know that I ever got away with much of anything–just was never good at being able to conceal things from anybody looking/asking me about it. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-never-found-out-it-was-me/725981/3 "2015-07-23T19:31:49Z")
> [@SeniorCitizen007](#): > > A few days later the chief chemist, as he passed me in a corridor, quietly said: “I know it was you” But it wasn’t you - it was whoever took it upon themselves to clean up your area. Not that the temptation wouldn’t have overcome you at some point - but at that point in time you were innocent! ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-never-found-out-it-was-me/725981/4 "2015-07-23T19:33:59Z")
Quoth Bart Simpson: “I didn’t do it, nobody saw me do it, you can’t prove anything!” ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-never-found-out-it-was-me/725981/5 "2015-07-23T19:35:42Z")
Now we have a confession, Mr. Poe. ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-never-found-out-it-was-me/725981/6 "2015-07-23T19:46:49Z")
Still waiting for the list of ingredients and instructions from the OP. ---
**Author:** ![SirRay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@SirRay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirRay)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-never-found-out-it-was-me/725981/7 "2015-07-23T19:48:01Z")
> [@SeniorCitizen007](#): > > A few days later the chief chemist, as he passed me in a corridor, quietly said: “I know it was you” So I guess they did indeed find out it was you at the time… ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-never-found-out-it-was-me/725981/8 "2015-07-23T20:27:13Z")
What did it smell like? Skunk? Sewage? Corona? ---
**Author:** ![Randolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Randolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randolph)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2015, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-never-found-out-it-was-me/725981/9 "2015-07-24T01:09:25Z")
Curry, I’m betting. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2015, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-never-found-out-it-was-me/725981/10 "2015-07-24T01:30:46Z")
> [@Honey](#): > > What did it smell like? Skunk? Sewage? Corona? [Corpse, is my guess.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putrescine) ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2015, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-never-found-out-it-was-me/725981/11 "2015-07-24T01:41:26Z")
In the early 70’s I was walking in the woods near a creekbed. I found what appeared the be a suitcase. I opened it up and it was full of electronic type stuff. Tubes, wires etc. When closed the two sides plugged into each other. It also had an electrical cord with a plug. I took the thing home and plugged it in. It blew the power out in a two or three block radius. They never knew it was me. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2015, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-never-found-out-it-was-me/725981/12 "2015-07-24T03:38:28Z")
The Sheep lie? ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2015, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-never-found-out-it-was-me/725981/13 "2015-07-24T04:04:29Z")
“I deny everything, and I promise never to do it again!” I used that line at work once. Yes, really. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2015, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-never-found-out-it-was-me/725981/14 "2015-07-25T00:12:46Z")
“I didn’t do it, Boss, and it’ll never happen again” is how we usually say it. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2015, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-never-found-out-it-was-me/725981/15 "2015-07-25T00:14:48Z")
I’m not sure the statute has run on some of my youthful escapades, so I’ll refrain from posting. But pulling a good caper with no sign of suspicion directed your way later is one of the better feelings known to Mankind. And has probably been the starting impetus on the road to hell for quite a few people. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2015, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-never-found-out-it-was-me/725981/16 "2015-07-25T00:42:42Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > The Sheep lie? I’m assuming it’s a reference to an old joke where a traveler stops at a farm and convinces the farmer he can talk to animals. After convincing the farmer with likely sounding stories from the other animals, the travelers turn to the sheep and the farmer blurts out defensively… “Those sheep lie.” ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2015, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-never-found-out-it-was-me/725981/17 "2015-07-25T00:59:29Z")
I always wondered how the Zombie Apocalypse would start and you have Mr. Romero beat Cold. ---
**Author:** ![CheshireKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheshirekat/32/1207_2.png) [@CheshireKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheshireKat)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2015, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-never-found-out-it-was-me/725981/18 "2015-07-25T01:45:22Z")
It’s funny that this thread came up, because just this week my daughter said to me, “Remember that article in the paper years ago about the big bulldozer and crane that somebody took joyriding around the construction site at night?” Yep. It was her and two of her high school friends. She drove the bulldozer. The construction crew had left the keys in both and they thought it would be fun. There was no damage done, and none of them were ever caught. At the time my daughter was (and still is) barely 5’, tiny, and weighed about 95 lbs. I don’t have any idea how she was able to see to drive, or even reach the pedals of a bulldozer. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2015, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-never-found-out-it-was-me/725981/19 "2015-07-25T04:18:50Z")
> [@DinoR](#): > > I’m assuming it’s a reference to an old joke where a traveler stops at a farm and convinces the farmer he can talk to animals. After convincing the farmer with likely sounding stories from the other animals, the travelers turn to the sheep and the farmer blurts out defensively… > > “Those sheep lie.” Ah. I was thinking it might be along the lines of “The cake is a lie.” ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2015, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-never-found-out-it-was-me/725981/20 "2015-07-25T04:19:04Z")
> [@CheshireKat](#): > > At the time my daughter was (and still is) barely 5’, tiny, and weighed about 95 lbs. I don’t have any idea how she was able to see to drive, or even reach the pedals of a bulldozer. She had to _PEDAL_ it, too??!! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/they-never-found-out-it-was-me/725981.md?page=2)