Never deceived the wife (never had to - we have two separate economies, share joint expenses), but I have a Breuer story: I was in law school, read about one, found it in a SF shop, 3,000 miles away. The shop had two locals competing for it, sold it to me to avoid pissing off a local customer. I installed it, put on a record, called my gf (now wife), who asked it I had gotten a new cartridge. I asked why. She said "I know that record, and the string bass sounds stringier." Over the telephone. 25 years ago.
