Basic Trope: Someone thinks or acts as though it's a special occasion, such as a birthday or anniversary, when it isn't.
- Straight: Alice wishes Bob a happy birthday and hands him a cake. He tells her it's not his birthday.
- Exaggerated:
- The whole neighbourhood plans an elaborate birthday party for Bob, but it turns out to be nowhere near his birthday.
- Alice thinks it's everyone's birthday.
- Downplayed:
- Alice asks "Is it your birthday?" and gets told no.
- While it's not Bob's birthday, his birthday did happen recently or is coming up soon.
- Justified:
- Alice is not very good at keeping track of dates.
- Alice has no idea when Bob's birthday is, but overheard him say it was a "special day".
- Alice misoverheard Bob talking about his "Burdey" (Tropestani for uncle) as him talking about his "birthday".
- Inverted:
- Forgotten Birthday
- Bob is The Undead and Alice thinks it's the anniversary of the day he died. It isn't. It's his birthday instead.
- Subverted: Bob was lying about it not being his birthday.
- Double Subverted: He said he was lying because he appreciated their effort, but he later revealed it wasn't their birthday.
- Parodied: When Bob says it's not his birthday, Alice says, "all right then, happy non-birthday!".
- Zigzagged: Bob is strangely cryptic about whether or not it's his birthday.
- Averted:
- Alice does not wish Bob a happy birthday.
- Alice gets Bob's birthday right.
- Enforced: ???
- Lampshaded: ???
- Invoked:
- Alice knows it's not Bob's birthday but for some reason, she wants to treat him like it is.
- Charlie tells Alice that Bob's birthday is on a date it's not.
- Exploited: ???
- Defied: Bob frequently reminds everyone he knows what date his birthday is on.
- Discussed: "Yesterday, Alice gave me this cake. Thought it was my birthday!"
- Conversed: "Why do these characters always get birthdays wrong?"
- Played for Laughs: Alice refuses to let Bob say that it isn't his birthday, due to interrupting, so she drags him along, with him looking bewildered.
Back to Celebration Miscalculation, and today's the anniversary of This Very Wiki being made by Fast Eddie!
- ...What do you mean it's not today?
