Basic Trope: Somebody says something, only for something to happen that instantly proves it wrong.
- Straight: Alice tells her husband, Bob, that they need an electrician because the lights have been flickering. Bob says, "We don't need any electrician!", only for the light to instantly turn off in a shower of sparks.
- Exaggerated:
- Bob says that he and Alice don't need an electrician, only for every appliance in the house to start sparking.
- Bob doesn't even finish his sentence and is stopped by a light shortage darkening the house.
- Downplayed: Bob says that he and Alice don't need an electrician, only for the lights to flicker again.
- Bob says that an electrician is unnecessary, and then the lights flicker after seven seconds.
- Justified: Alice and Bob do need an electrician, but...
- Bob is stingy and doesn't want to spend money on one.
- Alice is typically paranoid about when things need to happen, but as the saying goes, even a stopped clock is right twice a day.
- Bob is a Neat Freak and believes the house to be a mess, so he'd be embarrassed if an electrician showed up.
- They both have a habit of Tempting Fate.
- Inverted: As soon as Bob says, "We don't need any electrician!", the lights stop flickering.Bob: "There, what did I tell you?"
- Subverted:
- Alice tells Bob they need an electrician for the lights flickering. Bob says, "We don't need any electrician!", but Alice says, "Just you wait. Now that you've said it, the light bulb is sure to explode!". They wait a while, but nothing happens.
- Bob says he can handle it, only to be presented with something that seems outright impossible. However, Bob actually does manage ultimately to handle it.
- Double Subverted: ...But when Bob turns the TV on, remarking, "See? I told you we didn't need an electrician!", the TV starts sparking.
- Parodied: Bob randomly shouts, "The sky is blue!", only for the sky to turn purple.
- Zigzagged: Alice tells Bob they need an electrician. Bob says that they don't need one and Alice expects the light to blow but it doesn't. Bob says, "I told you so!" and turns the TV on, only to get static, but when he hits it, the TV starts working.
- Averted:
- Bob says, "We don't need any electrician!". Nothing happens and nothing was expected to happen.
- Bob agrees that he and Alice need an electrician.
- Enforced: "What jokes could we make in an episode about Alice and Bob needing an electrician? How about we start it with Bob denying they need one only for something to short out?"
- Lampshaded: "I feel like the universe is laughing at me!"
- Invoked: God deliberately causes the lights to short out right when Bob denies needing an electrician because He is bored.
- Exploited:
- Defied:
- Discussed: "...And he was like, 'We don't need any electrician!', but then the light exploded!"
- Conversed: "Haha, the old 'instantly proven wrong' joke! An oldie but a goodie!"
- Implied: Bob denies needing an electrician and we hear a zapping noise offscreen.
- Deconstructed:
- Reconstructed:
- Played for Laughs:
- Played for Drama: Bob denies needing an electrician, only for sparks to come out of the light. One lands on Bob, leading to him being hospitalised.
- Played for Horror: Bob denies needing an electrician, only for great big lightning bolts to come out of the light, instantly burning both Bob and Alice into very dead crisps.
Back to Instantly Proven Wrong.
