Easily-Overheard Conversation

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In fiction, it doesn't matter how quietly you speak, people in the other room can still hear you. For example, if Alice and Bob are in the kitchen discussing plans for Aerith's birthday gift, with hushed voices, then Aerith, who's living in the apartment across the hall will mention she doesn't want the gift they were talking about.

For some reason, in the world of fiction, overhearing conversations through a closed door is easy, but through five feet of empty space? Impossible.

Not to be confused with Stage Whisper, which is about conversations being easily heard only by the audience.

Examples of Easily-Overheard Conversation include:

Live Action TV

• A running gag on Benson is that whenever Benson says something negative about Kraus, no matter how quietly he says it, or how far away Kraus is, she will yell out, "I heard that!"
• On The Big Bang Theory, it's called Sheldon's "Vulcan Hearing". One example is when Raj whispers into Howard's ear about Sheldon, and they both laugh. Then Sheldon walks back into the room and announces that he heard them. Cue guilty looks and Howard muttering, "Damn his Vulcan hearing."

Film

• Short Circuit has the head scientist 20 meters away from the bureaucrat and calls him an idiot.

"I heard that!"

• In Young Frankenstein we have an oddly-specific (and non-human!) example: the horses of Castle Frankenstein can hear the name "Blucher" when it is spoken anywhere in the castle, and whinny in response.