Basic Trope: Pretending you're asking for a friend when really you're talking about yourself but are too embarrassed to admit.
- Straight: Alice says to her father, Bob, "My friend has a crush on a boy", when it's actually her who has a crush on Charlie.
- Exaggerated: Alice creates a whole family, personality, backstory, and appearance for this "friend", who she names Diane and who allegedly has a crush on Charlie when it's really Alice.
- Downplayed: Alice wants advice for her crush on Charlie, as well as for her friend Diane for her crush on Edward.
- Justified: Alice is an Easily Embarrassed Youngster who isn't above lying. Furthermore, a lot of her friends are indeed straight girls who are awkward about crushes, so it's plausible.
- Inverted: Alice's friend Diane has a crush on Charlie and tells Alice to ask Bob for advice because she's too shy to ask her own parents. However, Alice, wanting to protect Diane's privacy, claims that it's she who has the crush.
- Subverted: Alice is seen telling Bob that her friend has a crush on a boy. Bob is suspicious despite Alice insisting that it's not her. Eventually, Diane says, "So what did your dad say I should do about Charlie?".
- Parodied: Bob thinks Alice is lying even though it's obvious the friend isn't her.Alice: My friend has a crush on a boy but he's nervous because he's gay and isn't sure his crush swings his way. In addition, my friend's father is going through a hard time because he's recovering from a car crash.
Bob: (who has never been in a car crash) Your friend? Come on, sweetie, you don't have to lie to me. - Zigzagged: Both Alice and Diane have crushes on boys, so when Alice says, "My friend has a crush on a boy", it's hard to tell if she's talking about herself and Charlie or Diane and Edward.
- Averted: Alice just outright says, "I have a crush on a boy."
- Enforced: The writer adds this in because she told the same lie when she was Alice's age.
- Lampshaded: "Your friend? You expect him to believe that?!"
- Invoked:Alice: But I'm too nervous to ask my dad for love advice.
Diane: Just tell him it's your friend who has the crush. - Exploited:
- Defied: "I'll just tell the truth. Honesty is the best policy."
- Discussed: "Do people actually tell the 'it's for a friend' lie non-jokingly anymore?"
- Conversed: "That character is such a Bad Liar! 'It's for a friend'? Seriously?"
- Played for Laughs: Alice awkwardly says, "If... hypothetically,.... I had this friend who... kind of..." and Bob says, "I know it's you. Cut to the chase."
- Played for Drama: Alice has superpowers and asks Bob, "My friend has superpowers. What would you do if it was me?". Bob says that he'd disown her.
Back to I Have This Friend.
