"Blaming the Mice"

"Blaming the mice" is a common response to someone who either refuses a compliment, or refuses to accept gratitude for doing a favour for someone. When one acts too humble, this is jokingly interpreted as genuine, and the generosity of the act is attributed to the mice. This is typically viewed either as a joke, or a way to reinforce the compliment without having someone appear too arrogant.

Person 1: "Thank you very much for the cake, it's delicious!" Person 2: "Oh, you're welcome, but it's not my best work." Person 1: "I disagree! The mice must have made it taste so good when you weren't looking"