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Opposite Day

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Revision as of 05:31, 6 April 2010 by 128.54.216.90 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) This article is about the game. For the upcoming 2009 comedy film, see Opposite Day (film). For the parliamentary mechanism, see Opposition day.
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Opposite Day, also known as Opposites Day, is a word game where speech is modified so that meaning is inverted. Once Opposite Day is declared, statements mean the opposite of what they usually mean. Usually, a person would say, "After this phrase is over, it will be officially opposite day," and then Opposite Day will be officially started. Opposite Day can also be declared retroactively (after a statement) to indicate that the opposite meaning of what was said should be inferred. Opposite day games are usually played by schoolchildren. Opposite day usually occurs on April 28th.

In the sense that opposite day "excuses" untrue statements, it is similar to the notion that crossed fingers automatically nullify promises. Play has been compared to a children's "philosophy course", and the game has been used as an educational aid and suggested as preparation for "standardized testing".

Opposite Day in popular culture

Opposite Day sometimes appears in children's television shows and comics in which one character proclaims today to be "Opposite Day" and all the other characters attempt to figure out how to behave on such a day.

  • In Bill Watterson's comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, Opposite Day was the gag of one Sunday strip.
  • An episode of SpongeBob SquarePants, called "Opposite Day", featured Squidward's use of Opposite Day in an attempt to make sure he gets SpongeBob out of the way. But, he fails.
  • A Whitest Kids U' Know sketch called "Opposite Day Lawyer" features the lawyer of a hopelessly guilty murder suspect declaring Opposite Day just before the jury went to deliberate.
  • Steve's letter to Roger American Dad! in "Can't Stan You" (2007) references Opposite Day when Steve tricks Roger leaving him stranded in Mexico.
  • Homer makes a reference to Opposite Day in the episode The Wife Aquatic of The Simpsons.
  • In an episode of The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy titled "Opposite Day", Billy and Mandy trick Grim into doing all their chores declaring that it's opposite day, in the end Mandy reveals that she used the Opposite Day.
  • In an episode of "Robot Chicken" titled "Dear Consumer" (2009), a character asks if it's Christmas Day or Opposite Day, and then cuts to a calendar with Monday, December 21st circled as Opposite Day, and Friday, December 25th circled as Christmas Day.

See also

References

  1. Shelton, Sandi Kahn (2001). Preschool Confidential. Macmillan. pp. 232–234. ISBN 9780312254582.
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