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- Half-Baked Niceness: At one point, Garfield is harrassed by a recurring heckler, so he asks him to find something nice to say. The heckler isn't interested in praising Garfield, so he praises the fence instead.
- Half-Witted Hillbilly: The Arbuckle family represents a downplayed example: they aren't necessarily stupid compared to any other character, but they do some really backwards things in accordance with the Rule of Funny. For example, Pa Arbuckle brings a live rooster to use as an alarm clock when visiting the city.
- Halloween Episode: The arc that ran the week of Monday, Oct. 23, 1989, in which Garfield imagines himself to be starving alone in a boarded-up house. Or at least he's probably imagining that—the Saturday strip that closes the arc leaves open the possibility that Garfield's happy, well-fed life might be the imaginary one.
- Hands Go Down: Jon and Garfield discussing vacation plans.Jon: Where can we go on vacation this year, Garfield? (Garfield's paw goes up) Aside from a lasagna factory.Garfield: That's a stumper.
- Happy Birthday to You!:
- Garfield sings a variation with him as the birthday cat and the readers as the cake:Garfield: Happy Birthday to meHappy Birthday to meeeHappy Birthday dear GarfieldHappy Birthday tooo meee!
- Jon decides to tease Garfield with a new version.Jon: Happy Birthday to youHappy Birthday to you...Happy Birth-Day, you're for-ty...Happy Birthday tooooo yoooou! (gets cake splashed at his face)And ma-ny mooooore.
- Garfield sings a variation with him as the birthday cat and the readers as the cake:
- Hash House Lingo: Jon asks for a hamburger with extra onions. Irma then turns to the kitchen and yells "BURN A COW AND MAKE HER CRY!" which causes Jon and Garfield to lose their appetites. (But considering what kind of a place Irma's Diner is, this might actually be a literal order).
- Hates the Job, Loves the Limelight: Binky the Clown:Binky (on TV): Heeeey, kids! Wanna see Binky do a magic trick? Well, forget it! I'm not spending another minute in this stupid clown suit! I am an actor! But, noooo... Too short, they said!Garfield: Third time this week. He's lost it.
- Hating on Monday: Garfield may just as well be the Trope Codifier. And it's little wonder he hates the day, because nothing good ever seems to happen to him on that day.
- He also seems to hate certain months, too, such as Feburary.
- Oh yes, and he especially hates Monday the 13th. Especially if that Monday the 13th is on a February.
- Averted earlier in the comic run, where Garfield actually loves Mondays.◊
- Hawaiian-Shirted Tourist:
- In a 1985 story arc, Garfied was diagnosed with "Hawaiian Cat Flu", which resulted in him donning one of these while expressing a desire to surf and luau.
- Garfield was lying down when he decided it was "Vacation time". He remained lying down but with a Hawaiian shirt.
- Garfield sees a "tourist from outer space" whose outfit includes one of those shirts.Garfield: Invader from outer space! (sees how the "invader" is dressed) Okay, tourist from outer space.
- Garfield sees more tourists from outer space.Alien: Take us to your theme parks!Garfield: That explains the Hawaiian shirts and flip-flops.
- Headphones Equal Isolation: Garfield uses earbuds to ignore Jon's speech and his accordion.Garfield: Noise-canceling earbuds. Best. Invention. Ever.
- Heads, Tails, Edge: Garfield flips a coin to decide whether to stay in bed or watch TV. The coin lands on its edge, so he watches TV in bed.
- Hereditary Suicide: Downplayed. Garfield meets a lemming/mouse hybrid, and while none of his family members actually commit suicide, both he and his mother attempt it a lot.
- Here We Go Again!:
- In this strip, when two characters in a show on TV that Garfield watches act like Sickening Sweethearts, Garfield changes channel... only to show two different characters in a different show acting like Sickening Sweethearts, leaving Garfield to Face Palm.
- The February 19, 2023 strip starts with Garfield and Odie lazing around. They zip to the oven after hearing it ding, fully expecting the pizza to be ready... only for Jon to tell them that it'll be ready in 20 minutes. The strip ends with Garfield and Odie lazing around again, waiting for the pizza to be ready for real.
- Heroic Bastard: According to this strip, Garfield comes from a "long line of bachelors."
- Hiccup Hijinks: One arc from 1998 featured Garfield "freestyle hiccuping◊," with the downright silly Written Sound Effects of "hickety," "huc huc" and "hickey" (no, not that kind of hickey).
- Hidden Wire: Discussed. Liz asks what's on Garfield's mind and he asks if she's wearing a wire.
- High on Catnip: Used several times.
- Hoist by His Own Petard:
- Garfield tries to pounce on Odie from the top of a chair, only for his blanket that he's wearing as a cape to get caught in the chair before he manages to touch Odie, leaving him hanging high and dry.
- In this strip, Garfield spots a seagull at a beach and decides to use a slice of bread to lure it close enough for Garfield to attack and eat, only to end up with a flock of seagulls dive-bombing him the moment he takes out the bread before the seagull he intends to bait can even move.
- Holding in Laughter: In this strip, Jon has a blind date with a woman whose name turns out to be Euphemia. When Jon hears it, he tries to hold back laughter but fails and falls under the table, while she gets offended and leaves.
- Homage:
- Some of the barn animals in the April 22, 2001 comic may be familiar: among them are Booker, Orson and Roy from U.S. Acres.
- Related to U.S. Acres: in the August 21, 2022 comic, one of the animals wears Wade's life preserver.
- This strip, made 100 years after the birth of Peanuts creator Charles Schulz, is dedicated to him. Snoopy brings a cake and Garfield asks if he's going to finish it.
- Homemade Sweater from Hell: A Running Gag is that Jon's mom always sends Garfield one of these for Christmas, and they usually have a glaring defect (no neck hole, three arms, etc.).
- Subverted on the December 27, 2012 strip, where the sweater is actually well-made and looks good on him… which troubles both Jon and Garfield, as they feel something's wrong with Jon's mom.
- The December 26, 2021 strip sees Garfield, Jon, Odie, and Liz being the targets of this gag, with each receiving one such sweater from Jon's mother (and they match). None of the recipients likes it.
- Honest John's Dealership:
- Invoked in a 1987 Story Arc where Jon buys a new car:Jon: Honest Ed seems nice enough, Garfield, but there's something about him I don't trust.Garfield: Maybe it's the fact his office is in a pickup truck with the engine running.
- Appears in an early 1990s strip where Jon buys a Christmas tree from "Honest Frosty's."
- Honest Arnie's Used Car Emporium. Arnie's cars are as bad as expected from this kind of dealership but, unlike most examples, Arnie is really honest about them.Honest Arnie: You want cars?! We've got cars!! Here's a sweet 2009 minivan... candy apple red, and only driven off a cliff twice! And how about this little beauty? Just 30,000 miles, and absolutely no, that's right... no brakes! Want an economy car? Look no further! It's a V-8, but only four of them work! Think of the gas savings!! Like folks to know you're coming? The engine in this stunner shrieks like a debutante at a rat convention! So come on down to Honest Arnie's used car emporium, and push one of these bargains off our lot!Garfield: He never sells anything, but he is honest.Honest Arnie: Flat soda and day-old balloons for the kids, too!
- Invoked in a 1987 Story Arc where Jon buys a new car:
- Hope Spot:
- In the February 19, 2023 strip, Garfield and Odie zip all the way to the oven after hearing the ding, fully expecting the pizza to be ready, only for Jon to inform them that it'll be another 20 minutes.
- Jon is the target of this trope in the May 3, 2024 strip when he asks Liz to describe his lips.Jon: How would you describe my lips, Liz? Sultry? Pouty? Kissable?
Liz: About your lips...
Jon: [excited] YES?!
Liz: They ask too many questions.
Jon: [disappointed] Oh.
- Horrible Camping Trip: Garfield has been forced to go an a few of these (though from his perspective, a camping trip can only be horrible).
- Horrible Judge of Character: Garfield considers Liz "a lousy judge of character" for believing he has "the fortitude and inner strength necessary to resist eating that donut".
- Humanlike Foot Anatomy: Strangely, Garfield's feet are still shown to be digitigrade when he's laying down, but turn into humanlike feet when he stands up. They've also gotten progressively bigger over time, as demonstrated in Square Root of Minus Garfield.
- Human Snowman: Happened twice;
- Humiliation Conga: Garfield has experienced several of these.
- Humiliating Wager: Odie once participated in one; if him having to wear a shirt saying he loves squirrels after losing it is anything to go by.
- Hypocritical Humor:
- In this strip◊, Garfield smacks Jon upside the head for turning on a violent TV show, then says, "I don't like violence."
- Jon asks Garfield if he'd like to go for a walk with him and Liz, Garfield decides to stay home, and thinks about how he tried walking once, didn't like it, and how it'll never catch on, before getting up and walking away.
- The August 22, 2020 strip has Garfield trying to put up a dignified appearance, only to abandon it the moment Jon shows up asking if he wants some snacks, at which point Garfield jumps up and down with his arms/front-legs flailing about, all dignities forgotten. Then it ends as shown below:Garfield: (with mouth full of snacks) You didn't see that.
- In the September 22, 2015 strip, Garfield is about to use a rolled-up newspaper to smack a spider due to his hatred of them. Said spider agrees.Garfield: You know what I hate? I hate spiders.Spider: Oh, me, too!Garfield: You ARE a spider.Spider: I mean all the other guys.
- The September 13, 2021 strip starts with Jon announcing that "lunch is ready", with Garfield responding by opening his mouth, not wanting to go where Jon and the lunch are to be fed but expecting Jon to toss his food into his mouth instead.Jon: Not gonna happen.Garfield: What are you, lazy?!
- Garfield chastises Arlene for being late for being late for their scheduled date in the July 8, 2022 strip despite Garfield being late for it himself as well.Garfield: Arlene! You are twenty minutes late for our date!
Arlene: How late were you?
Garfield: Only fifteen.
I
- I Always Wanted to Say That:
- Jon told Garfield "Stop whatever you're doing" and later admitted he "just always wanted to say that".
- Likely the same thing happens in this strip, where Garfield had really, really wanted to make that joke, and Arlene had finally given him the right set-up line.
- Jon YELLS "ROCK AND ROLL!" out of the blue and admits that he "always wanted to yell that". Unfortunately for Garfield, he was drinking coffee when Jon yelled, which causes Garfield to spit out his coffee in shock and spill it all over himself.
- I Am Big Boned: Garfield does it sometimes, a few with the trope name (the page image is the response of his sarcastic bathroom scale).
- In January 29th, 1979, Garfield literally claimed to be big boned. Jon called Garfield "disgustingly, slovenly, sloppy fat" and Garfield said Jon obviously had "disgustingly, slovenly, sloppy fat" confused with "big boned".
- In September 21st, 1979, Garfield stated people under 6'4" who weigh 200 pounds aren't overweight. They're "undertall".
- In November 16th, 2002, a mouse used that excuse to have a hole the size of the dinning table.
- As Garfield said about the scale in January 19th, 2008, "he can dish it out, but he sure can't take it".
- I Am Not Weasel: Garfield is often mistaken for a pig. He's also been mistaken for a fat weasel and an elephant.
- I Ate WHAT?!:
- Garfield gets fed cat food by Jon, then he notices that the cat food package has some labels on it. Garfield is shocked to see the food is entirely processed and made of additives and chemicals. He thinks Jon's trying to dispose of him.
- Garfield didn't realize he ate the fishbowl's castle instead of the fish until Jon showed him the fish.
- Every strip featuring Irma's Diner has the potential to become this.
- Garfield enjoyed his dinner until Jon told him it was "Back-of-the-fridge-bottom-shelf-behind-the-baking-soda stew" and he could "only make it about once every five years".
- Jon liked eating escargots before learning they're snails.
- When Jon and Garfield are eating Chinese food, Garfield is disgusted upon learning he ate an octopus. Subverted because he later decides "it wasn't half bad".
- Jon, Garfield and Odie have this reaction upon learning what "unguah" is.
- Garfield spits the dog food he cheated Odie of once he learns it has indeed been recalled.
- In one strip, Garfield laughs when he seen Jon drinking coffee, because he's unknowingly using Garfield's mug. Then he gets a surprise when a mouse laughs that Jon is drinking out of his hot tub.
- Zigzagged in this strip. The lasagna is fine, but Garfield has swallowed the pan that contains it as well.
- Jon takes a bite out of the hamburger Garfield leaves alone. Too bad it turns out to be one of Odie's squeaky toys.Garfield: Well, I'm afraid Odie's a little disappointed in you.
- Idea Bulb: Sometimes played straight; parodied in one strip where Garfield's Idea Bulb burns out, and in another where Odie (being none too bright) gets a candle over his head instead.
- Identity Amnesia: In the arc beginning February 2nd, 1987. Eventually, Jon starts missing the old Garfield.
- If I Had a Nickel...: Jon said he'd be rich if he had a dollar for every cat hair on his rug. Garfield said he was doing his part.
- If You Die, I Call Your Stuff:Garfield: How about a nice little game of “Stomp The Spider”?Spider: I'm warning you... You'd better not pick on me, cat!Garfield: And what happens if I do?Spider: I'll tell my big brother!Garfield: Fine! Bring him on!Spider: Hey, Rusty! C'mere!Rusty: Yeah?Spider: This big, stupid cat says he's gonna stomp me.Rusty: Can I have your CDs?
- Also:
Jon (talking on the phone):Ellen, if you don't go out with me, I'll die. (Beat) It's just a figure of speech, Ellen. (Beat) No, you can't have my computer!Garfield: Can I have the TV?- In another Jon tells Garfield that he wrote his will and Garfield asks him if he can have the fridge.
- Also, the August 28th, 2016 strip. Odie is asked to get the paper, and runs off. This follows:Jon: He could be most anywhere by now.Garfield: He was a good ol' dog. Dibs on his treats.
- I Fell for Hours: Happens to Garfield in this strip.Garfield: I'm falling from a tree! (takes a quick nap) A really tall tree.
- I Have to Go Iron My Dog: After Jon heard some noise, Garfield claimed Odie tripped and then he presented a piece of paper with some animal paw prints he claimed to be a sworn testimony claiming he was in Bolivia at the time.
- I Have to Wash My Hair: A prominent Running Gag regarding Jon, with most of the lines overlapping with I Have to Go Iron My Dog. (Or "I have to stay home to floss my otter.")
- I Know You Know I Know:Garfield: (holding a rolled-up newspaper) Come a little closer.Spider: Make me.Garfield: Make me make you.Spider: Make me make you make me.Garfield: Make me make you make me make you.Spider: Make me make you make me make you make me.Garfield: Make me make you make me make you make me make you.Spider: Make me make you make me make... um... ummm... Wait a minute. I forgot what we were talking about.Garfield: Come a little closer, and I'll tell you.Spider: Make me.
- I Lied: Garfield claims to be sticking to his diet but, when Jon asks about the missing donuts, he admits to have lied.
- Ignorance Is Bliss: Garfield says dogs are always happy "because they have no idea what's going on".
- Ill-Fated Flowerbed: If Garfield comes across a flower parterre, he will destroy it.
- Illogical Safe: In a Sunday strip, Garfield drops a safe on Odie, which he then exits from. Garfield comments that it always surprises him no matter how many times he sees it.
- I'm a Doctor, Not a Placeholder:
- Jon tells Garfield to do something about a mouse hole. Garfield says "Hey, I'm a cat, not a carpenter!"
- When Jon asks Liz to go out with him, she says "I'm single, not desperate". Later, when Liz tells Garfield to talk to Jon, Garfield says "I'm a cat, not a psychiatrist".
- Impact Silhouette: Garfield has done this to Nermal a few times, through both doors and walls.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: On a slow news day.
- Impossibly Tacky Clothes: Jon frequently wears these on dates.
- Improbable Chopsticks Skill: This strip from January 5th, 1988:Jon: Still haven't mastered those chopsticks, huh, Garfield?Garfield: Mastered? No ... *Holds up the entire contents of the takeout box between his chopsticks* Perfected? Yes ...
- Inconsistent Dub: The Spanish translation usually keeps the characters' names the same, but it has waffled more than once on translating the names of both Doc Boy and Pooky (to "Chico Doc" and "Puky", respectively).
- Indubitably Uninteresting Individual: Many characters see Jon this way.
- Inflationary Dialogue: Garfield didn't believe when his grandfather stated "You kids have it good these days. I remember when I had to walk six miles every day just to chase rats." When Garfield said he didn't buy that, his grandfather asked "Would you believe across the street to spook a chicken?"
- Insistent Terminology: Garfield never forgets. He just has "convenient lapses of memory".
- Garfield is not lazy, he's "sedentary". "Which is classy lazy".
- Garfield won't call it laziness even if he fails to come up with another way to call it.Garfield: Some call this laziness. I call it... whatever another word for laziness is.
- Garfield says "Cats don't scurry. Cats stroll.".
- Garfield didn't lie to Santa about being good. He "embellished". The next panel shows he claimed to have "rescued puppies from a burning orphanage".
- "Some call it yawning", Garfield calls it "sleep warm-ups".
- Garfield doesn't sleep all day, he also "nap, doze, snooze and slumber".
- Instant Humiliation Just Add Youtube: A couple of comics, but especially this one with Jon doing embarrassing poses and gestures in front if his webcam — without him knowing.
- Instant Wristwatch: Happens on February 10th of 2018, completed with a Lampshade Hanging.Garfield: I see by my watch that it's time to... wonder why I'm wearing a watch.
- Insult Backfire: In one comic strip, Garfield tells Odie to act like each other, in an attempt to mock him for being a dog. As Garfield prances and pants mindlessly like Odie, Odie gulps down Garfield's food, and kicks him like Garfield does to him, and lies down and falls asleep.Odie: ZzzGarfield: I've been a dog for less than a minute, and already I hate cats.
- Insurance Fraud: "On today's show, people who don't trust their pets".Pet owner: I walked into the kitchen and found Fluffy at the table... reading my life insurance policy!Garfield: Kinda obvious there, Fluffy.
- Intellectual Animal: Garfield has been seen successfully dialing a phone number, writing on a typewriter, and using a computer.
- The Intern: Biff, Garfield's college intern, appeared in one 1998 arc. He's sent off to scare Jon (unsuccessfully) then never heard from again.
- Interspecies Romance: Suggested in the May 14, 2017 strip. After sitting and listening to Liz reminisce about a cat she had as a child who inspired her to become a vet and help other animals, and how it's good to have a cat in her life again, Garfield thinks to her that "If Jon doesn't marry you, I will".
- In the Style of: This strip's logo box, as confirmed in a compilation, was done in the style of Big Daddy Roth.
- Intimidating Revenue Service: Garfield Once read about a movie titled "The Mummy's Curse" on his TV guide. The synopsis: "Mummy rises only to be hit with five thousand years of back taxes."
- Involuntary Smile of Incapacitation: In one arc, Garfield tries to grab a pie by jumping from a chair to a table, but he just falls to the floor, leading to his Easy Amnesia. He looks up with a dizzy smile on his face.
- I Resemble That Remark!:
- In one Christmas comic, Jon tells Garfield that his excitement for Christmas exceeds the excitement of the children in his acquaintance. Garfield, waiting upside down in the chimney, retorts that he doesn't.
- In another strip, Jon puts Garfield on a diet again, saying he's gotten too chubby. Garfield thinks angrily that he would have beaten the tar out of Jon if he could have scaled the armchair.
- Ironic Echo:
- In this strip, Garfield tells the big dog sporting a sad face: "You look ridiculous." Upon witnessing the dog getting a treat as a result of being seen with said sad face, Garfield decides to get food with the same sad face. Unfortunately for him, Jon's reaction to Garfield's sad-face imitation is, instead of giving him food, telling him "You look ridiculous."
- This strip starts with Liz saying "Bad news. We're out of tofu" without a hint of happiness in her expression. When Jon relays the sentence to Garfield, however, his expression is unmistakably happy.
- Jon describes the joy of decorating for the holiday season in this strip, at one point pointing to his own heart and saying "It gets me right here!". The mailman then shows up and deliver to Jon a Christmas card from his local Homeowners' Association, whose message is... a notice for a $75 fine for Jon's ugly yard Santa.Garfield: (points to his own heart) Gets you right here.
- In the October 10, 2021 strip, Jon tries to lure Garfield into consuming a pill hidden in a treat, so Garfield takes the treat on the plate Jon is not promoting to him, realizing too late that he fell for Jon's trick.Garfield: *takes the treat on the plate and swallows it* I believe I'll have this one instead. Heh, heh, heh.Jon: *with a sly grin* Heh, heh, heh.Garfield: I think I've just been had.
- Is Nothing Sacred?:
- In this strip:Jon: Garfield! You're using my toothbrush!Garfield: Stick around. You can watch me floss.Jon: Is nothing sacred?!Garfield: Where's the mouthwash?
- Garfield utters the line when Jon buys an aluminum Christmas tree, which turns in an electric stand.
- In this strip:
- Is the Answer to This Question "Yes"?:
- In an early strip, Jon asks Garfield, "Did you ever think you could win a cat show?" Garfield responds, "Does a baby go goo?"
- This◊ strip had Arlene ask Garfield if he thinks she's getting fat, to which Garfield responds "Do you think I'm getting stupid?" Lampshaded afterwards, when Arlene tells Garfield, "You answer me first", with Garfield telling her, "I did".
- In this strip, Garfield has a "Christmas nightmare" where Santa's "naughty list" visits him. He asks if he's on it, and it says, "Does an elf eat candy canes for breakfast?"
- Jon gets these responses from Bertha and Garfield.Jon: Ready for dinner, Bertha?Bertha: Is the sky blue?Garfield: Do cats hate dogs?
- This strip.Jon: Hungry, Garfield?Garfield: Is Odie stupid?
- Garfield's response when Jon asks if they should get a new refrigerator is "Do you think air will catch on as a breathing medium?".
- In a 1983 story arc where they go to Hawaii. Jon, buried in the sand, asks "Are you bored, Garfield?" Garfield responds, "Is there sand in your swimsuit?"
- Garfield's response to Arlene wanting to hold paws with him.Arlene: Would you like to hold paws?Garfield: Is there food in your paw?Arlene: (shows clean paw) No. (beat) Well?Garfield: I'm trying to follow your logic.
- I Take Offense to That Last One:Arlene: Garfield, I just don't know what I see in you. You're rude, obnoxious, fat, selfish, egotistical, and totally devoid of any charm.Garfield: I am not egotistical.
- Another time too, but Garfield takes it positively.Old Lady: You are the ugliest little boy I've ever seen.(Garfield looks surprised and glances at the audience)Garfield: You think I'm little?
- Jon described Garfield as "a fat, worthless cat". Garfield said "that fat part was uncalled for".
- Another time too, but Garfield takes it positively.
- Inherently Funny Words: In a 1987 arc where Garfield and Jon order Chinese food:Jon: Some egg foo young, Garfield?Garfield: Sure.Jon: How about some moo goo gai pan?Garfield: Do you know what I love about Chinese food? It's as much fun to say as it is to eat!
- The Internet Is for Cats: The October 24, 2016 strip has Garfield claim that the internet was invented for the purpose of watching cat videos.
- It Came from the Fridge: Several times, Jon's leftovers have become sentient. One even left the fridge because it was no longer wanted.Garfield (referring to Jon): The bacon is grazing on the lettuce, and he asks if the refrigerator needs cleaning.
- It's All About Me: Garfield's standard outlook on life.
- I Want Grandkids: Now that Liz is offically his girlfriend, Jon's mother has been expressing this desire.
- I Want My Mommy!: Jon's school's football team. Before each game, they'd yell their cheer "MOMMY!". Garfield says it "explains the losing season".
- I Was Beaten by a Girl: Jon while arm-wrestling.Jon: My arm is killing me!
Garfield: What happened?Jon: I arm-wrestled my old gym teacher and lost badly!Garfield: Hey, it's not like it's the end of the world.Jon: And I had Miss Bryant right to there!Garfield: Okay, it's the end of the world. - I Was Quite a Looker:
- Jon's aunt Gussie.
- Garfield's grandmother, who had a "body that wouldn't quit." Until it did.
- Jon's mother.
J - L
- Jaw Drop: Lampshaded in one strip where Garfield lists off the ways he's seen Jon express surprise after Garfield claws the couch. "All right! 'Jaw dropping'!"
- "Jaws" Attack Parody: This◊ Sunday strip banner featured a Jaws parody.
- Jaywalking Will Ruin Your Life: In one strip, it was implied that the police were after Jon for trying to redeem expired coupons at the supermarket.
- Jerk Jock: Jon encounters one when he and Liz go to the beach. He kicks sand in Jon's face then tries to hit on Liz, who is clearly unimpressed and tells him to get lost.
- Jumping Out of a Cake:
- Garfield is not amused◊ to find a mouse jumping out of his birthday cake.
- In another strip◊, Garfield gets a cake for his birthday from the mice in the house. He gulps it down, then spits out a female mouse.
- Karmic Injury: Many instances have Garfield kick Odie. However, at least a few times (e.g. one 1995 strip), Odie does the same thing to him.
- Kent Brockman News:
- "The weatherman is losing it."◊
- "Here's the news! ...Uh! Gee, this is small print! Unfortunately, I can't see a thing without my glasses. So here's a song! Feeeeliiiiings..."
- "Kick Me" Prank: Jon came home looking dirty and beaten up, because someone apparently stuck a "Bury Me Alive" sign on his back.
- Kick the Dog:
- Garfield often does this quite literally via kicking Odie (a dog).
- Lyman literally does this in an earlier strip by kicking Odie.
- Kids Prefer Boxes:
- For Garfield's diet, Jon brings a box of fat-free, unsalted pretzel sticks. Garfield would rather eat the box than the sticks.
- In a Christmas Episode on December 25, 2022, Garfield reacts to his present — an empty box — with genuine appreciation that he displays towards Jon, in plain view of Odie and Liz. The strip ends with Garfield happily sleeping in said box.
- Kissing Discretion Shot: In the December 23, 2022 strip, Liz kisses Jon Under the Mistletoe after turning off the light.
- "Kiss the Cook" Apron: One strip shows Jon hoping to amuse Garfield with his "Kiss the Cook" apron. He calls Garfield into the room... only to leave disappointed when Garfield comes in wearing a "Feed the Cat" apron.
- Klatchian Coffee: Garfield's favorite kind.
- Garfield's coffee is so strong, it can even eat a donut... or the spoon(s) he uses to stir it.
- He also likes coffee so thick that after a few seconds of pouring, you can let go of the coffeepot and it won't fall.
- In one strip:Jon: The coffee's strong today.
(it reaches out of the cup and slaps Garfield round the face)
Garfield: Not just strong, but mean!
- Laborious Laziness: Garfield is prone to this sort of thing.
- In the comic that provides the page quote, the lazy cat nails the TV to the ceiling above his cat bed so he can watch it without getting up. Think about how much effort it would've taken to hoist that television up there and then keep it in place while he nailed it there, and then think about how much effort it would've taken simply to get up and walk over to where the TV was.
- Jon, Garfield and Liz were watching TV when the remote control's batteries ran out of power so Jon and Garfield went out to buy new batteries. Liz then pointed out the set was five feet away. Garfield thought "Girls".
- Last Resort Takeout:
- One strip had Jon measure chili powder for a dish. He has a heaping pile in a measuring cup, and asks Garfield if it's enough. Garfield okays it, causing the mixture to explode as the chili powder is poured in. Garfield then tells Jon to ditch it out and order pizza.
- Another has Jon prepare a lasagna dinner for Liz. Off-strip, Garfield, who loves lasagna, gets to it first, so the two decide to eat out.
- The Last Straw: Happens in this◊ Christmas strip, with an ornament.
- Latex Perfection: Not done in the typical spy manner, but Garfield has enjoyed scaring people with rubber masks from time to time (usually Jon.)
- Laughing Mad: Just before he drinks the Blaster Blend from the Bean Me! online game, a clearly jittery and unhinged Garfield emits a deranged laugh that sounds nothing like his usual voice.
- Lawyer-Friendly Cameo:
- Parodied in one strip with "Grafield".
- Marmaduke appears in the title panel of 1991-03-31 - or rather, some unspecified dog whose name just so happens to end in "aduke".
- Laxative Prank: One time Garfield fed laxative-laced bran muffins to Mrs. Feeny's dog. This made Jon very angry, and Garfield tried to calm Jon down.... by offering him a bran muffin.
- Least Rhymable Word: In one strip, Jon is trying to write a love poem. After a Beat Panel, he asks Garfield, "What rhymes with 'wolverine'?" and Garfield suggests "loser".
- Changed to "skunk" in the Spanish translation.
- Leaving Food for Santa: The comic used this a few times during its Christmas strips.
- In one early strip◊, Jon sets a hamburger and a glass of milk nearby the chimney, saying, "And here's something for jolly old Saint Nick." Garfield then rises from a present under the tree and begins eating it, saying, "Ho Ho Ho."
- One strip◊ shows Jon about to have some milk and cookies lying out. He then gets caught in a net booby trap, and Garfield comes over and angrily comments, "Hey! You're not Santa!"
- In another strip◊, Garfield leaves out a T-bone steak and a pot of coffee for Santa, because "A big fat guy who's driving all night doesn't want milk and cookies."
- In the Christmas Day 2001 strip◊, Garfield says that Santa is even nicer then he thought, because he left Garfield a cookie.
- The Christmas-themed book Seasons Eatings has a list of top 10 things Garfield would do if he replaced Santa. Among them is "Order kids to leave out a T-bone steak and curly fries for him instead of milk and cookies."
- The 12-12-2012 strip had Garfield emailing his wish list to Santa and promising to leave out plenty of cookies for him. Jon claims "You can't bribe Santa!", but at the North Pole the big guy is revealed to be excited about the promise...
- Legion of Lost Souls: Garfield ate a fish and tried to hide it by leaving a note at the fishbowl claiming the fish joined the French Foreign Legion.
- Lethal Chef:
- Jon is like this at times. In one early strip, Garfield says that "The only time he knows my dinner is ready is when it sets off the smoke alarm." There are other strips where he turns bacon into "bacon flambé" and otherwise proves a bad cook.
- If the August 29, 2021 strip is anything to go by, many characters, human or not, can't stomach Jon's cooking any more than Garfield can.Jon: Who wants another grilled liver tahini satay kebob?
- If the August 29, 2021 strip is anything to go by, many characters, human or not, can't stomach Jon's cooking any more than Garfield can.
- Irma, or whoever cooks at her diner, is far worse, at times giving this Trope the potential to be literal. She once claimed that the chef was out sick with anthrax. There was also this tamer exchange:Jon: What's good today, Irma?(Irma says nothing)Jon: What's edible today, Irma?Irma: Try the meatloaf.
- Irma's chef may literally be one, given her response to Jon ordering two tuna specials:Irma: (sobs) Sorry, I get emotional... My first husband passed away while eating the tuna special.Garfield: Cheese! I'll have a grilled cheese!
- Jon is like this at times. In one early strip, Garfield says that "The only time he knows my dinner is ready is when it sets off the smoke alarm." There are other strips where he turns bacon into "bacon flambé" and otherwise proves a bad cook.
- Let's See YOU Do Better!: There are many Garfield Comic Creators. Here's two of them.
- Lightbulb Joke: Deconstructed:Garfield: Here's a joke, how many mice does it take to screw in a light bulb?Mouse: Mice don't screw in light bulbs. Light bulbs are much too big and cumbersome, and not to mention that it's much safer for us to pilfer food in the dark.Garfield: That joke took a sobering turn.
- "How many dogs does it take to replace a light bulb? One... if you screw him real tight!". Garfield tells that at a dog-hating club.
- Life of the Party: Jon thinks he’s this.Jon: Hey, it’s never a party until I arrive, pal[.]
- Like an Old Married Couple: Jon and Garfield have moments like this. This strip has Garfield complain the magic has gone out of their relationship.
- Limited Wardrobe: Jon almost always wore a "powder blue oxford shirt", as one strip put it. Averted nowadays both by the colorists being unable to make up their minds, and Jim and co. occasionally drawing Jon in a different style of shirt.
- Literal Ass-Kicking: One of the strip's running gags is Garfield attempting to kick Odie off the table in this fashion.
- Literally Laughable Question: In one strip, when Jon asks Garfield, "Do you think I'm good enough for Liz?", Garfield starts laughing uncontrollably. Jon says, "You're the wrong guy to ask," and Garfield muses, "Oh, I think I laugh for everyone."
- Literal Metaphor: Garfield wants to "put a smile on Jon's face". He draws a smile on it.
- Literal-Minded:
- Believing that "You can't know someone until you've walked a mile in their shoes", Jon's Uncle Forrest had three hundred pairs when they caught him. Garfield said "That's about a seven on the creepy scale".
- When Jon asks Irma what's new on the menu, she describes the new stains on it.
- Jon and Garfield take turn illustrating this trope in this strip.Liz: What do you see in the future for us, Jon?Jon: Dinner.Liz: I mean after that.Garfield: Dessert!
- Literal Soapbox Speech: One strip has Garfield stand on a box of soap to give a speech about how there's a slight loss of weight while sleeping.
- Living Toys: Garfield's teddy bear Pooky, although he can't move.
- Loads and Loads of Loading: Garfield encounters this in a Christmas strip◊.
- Logging onto the Fourth Wall: Dingleball.com◊ and coffeequick.com◊.
- Subversion here◊.
- Logic Bomb:Garfield: Today's the day I do nothing. Unless I'm mistaken. Though being mistaken would be something, not nothing. So if today's the day I do nothing, I can't be mistaken. Unless I'm mistaken.◊
- Look Behind You: Garfield stops chasing a mouse when the mouse uses that trick.Mouse: Look, a banana cream pie!
Garfield: He's gone, isn't he? - Loophole Abuse:
- Jon allows Garfield to have one bite of chicken. Garfield opens his mouth wide enough to eat the chicken whole.Jon: If you swallow, I'll tie a knot in your neck.
- Jon once scolded Garfield for burying Odie in sand at the beach. Garfield defended himself by pointing out that "I only buried him up to his knees." Which would be fine....if he hadn't been buried upside-down.
- "Ah, it says here carrots are on my diet. And this is a "carrot" cake. A loophole!"
- Jon once told Garfield, "I'd better not see you hitting Odie". Garfield covered Jon's eyes with his paw, and hit Odie with his other paw.
- Jon tried to teach Garfield self-control. He left a box of kitty treats in the room Garfield was in, telling him not to take the kitty treats. He left the room, then reentered a short while later. Garfield took everything except the box.
- Even more audacious when Garfield was on another diet and Jon told him "You may have a salad." Garfield promptly helped himself to some pork chops, and when Jon called him out he claimed that no one had ever told him that pork chops were not a salad!
- And once again: "This salad needs something. I think I'll garnish it. With a ham!" *wham*
- Taken up to eleven in one strip where Jon put Garfield on a diet, saying he could eat anything he could sip through a straw. Garfield promptly sucked an entire chicken through said straw. "Well, back to the drawing board," said Jon.
- And in another early strip, he put Garfield on a diet where he was only allowed one drumstick per day. Garfield was somehow able to find a butcher that sold pterodactyl drumsticks.
- When Liz tells Jon he and Garfield need at least one vegetable on their shopping list, Jon writes "onion rings".Jon: Technically a vegetable.Garfield: All right, loophole boy!
- However, Liz gets wise to this in a later strip when she tells Jon that he and Garfield need to eat more greens, and that green sprinkles on a doughnut don't count.
- This strip features Garfield "trying an all-liquid diet". He says "pancake batter is technically a liquid".
- Garfield says carrot cakes technically count "as a vegetable serving".
- Jon allows Garfield to have one bite of chicken. Garfield opens his mouth wide enough to eat the chicken whole.
- Losing Your Head: A headless swamp monster doesn't scare Garfield more than his dish bowl being empty.
- Lost in Character: Parodied.General on TV: Holy bovines, Corporal! There's a giant monster invading the city!
Soldier on TV: That's not a monster, sir.
General: What are you talking about? Call out the artillery!
Soldier: It's just a bad actor in a rubber suit.
General: Oh, it is not! It's a monster!
Soldier: Come on... I can see the zipper.
General: Egad! A zipper monster! That's the worst kind!
Soldier: And that's not a real city.
General: Insolence! I'll have you court-martialed!!
Soldier: These are just tiny little model buildings.
Garfield: General Cordwood seems to have buried himself in the part.
Soldier: See?
General: PUT MY HOUSE DOWN!!! - Loud Sleeper Gag: In one strip, Garfield is snoring loudly, which keeps Jon awake, so Jon puts a muffler on him to drown out the noise.
- Ludicrous Gibs: Mixed with Gory Discretion Shot, had Jon talk to Garfield about an uncle who sold dynamite for a living, while looking at a photo album:Jon: Look, here's a picture of him there! And there, and there, and there...Garfield gives a squicked-out look at the reader.
- Lying Finger Cross: Garfield crossed his toes while making a promise.
M
- The Magazine Rule: Garfield is reading a magazine until he gets too tired to stay awake. Jon says "he can never make it through an entire issue of "napping gazette"".
- Magic Mirror: This strip:Garfield: Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the...Mirror: Wait... before you even get started... you're fat.Garfield: Where's my brick?
- Mailman Vs. Cat: Played with, it's Garfield who harasses the mailman. He even lampshades the trope in an early strip asking "Why should dogs have all the fun?" Sometimes he just pulls harmless pranks while other times he sadistically attacks him or catches him in an elaborate booby trap. However, the mailman will occasionally get his revenge on Garfield. At one point, Garfield gets sick and asks Jon to fill in for him.
- There's a paperboy who is rarely seen who attacks Garfield by just throwing his papers right at him and smacking him in the face. It's taken up to eleven when it's the Sunday paper.
- Make It Look Like an Accident:
- Garfield hired a dog to get rid of Nermal and use the trope. However, the dog found Nermal too cute to be harmed.
- Garfield's "struggle between good and evil": "Should I kick Odie off the table? Or sorta accidentally bump him off the table?"
- The Man in the Mirror Talks Back: Used in this strip. Garfield walks in front of a mirror when his reflection says "Stop right there!" with a demanding tone and then compliments: "You are lookin' great today!" The original Garfield says "Back atcha!".
- Marshmallow Dream: In one 1982 strip, Garfield dreamt he ate a pancake while in the "Land of Large Breakfasts". And when he wakes up, his blanket is gone.
- Marshmallow Hell: Happens to Jon at the end of a blind date with a rather large woman named Bertha.Garfield: How was your date?Jon: I think I made an impression on her.
- Masochist's Meal: Occurs in a strip where Jon and Liz are at a restaurant:Jon: Is your chili spicy?
Waiter: Not really.
Guest: (offscreen) GAAAHH! MY THROAT! MILK! ICE WATER! ALOE VERA!!!
Waiter: Unless you're a weenie...
Jon: Bring it on!Jon: What's the special today?
Irma: You don't want to know.Jon: Gimme the special!Garfield: There's a gambler in the house! - Meaningful Name:
- In a very early strip, Odie had an "accident" inside the house and is punished by Lyman. Garfield snarks that they should have called him "Spot" instead. (That was going to be the name of Odie, but it was changed due to there being a dog called that in Boner's Ark.)
- Jon believes every name has a meaning. Looking his up, he found out it meant "he who gets beat up for his lunch money".
- The Meaning of Life: Jon and Garfield wonder about it sometimes. The September 9, 2014 strip has Garfield ask Odie to demonstrate it, which he does by falling asleep on his feet (which Garfield approves of); similarly, the January 11, 2017 strip has Garfield ask him to "fetch the meaning of life", and is very happy when Odie brings him Pooky.
- Meat-O-Vision: Frequently during Garfield's diets.
- Medium Awareness: All the time.
- Shortly before his 26th birthday: "Is it just my imagination, or is this strip getting longer?◊"
- After being hit in the head with a shoe, the Written Sound Effect "SPLUT!" appears over Garfield's head. He looks off-panel and says, "Wait a minute! Shoes don't go 'splut'!◊"
- After getting a cold in a very early strip: "Loog, eben my thoughts are stuffed ub.◊"
- Davis also has fun with the "Z" bubbles that he uses to indicate sleeping:
- One time, Garfield said that he couldn't seem to wake up, until he realized that the large "Z" was still over his head. He popped the "Z"◊ and promptly woke up.
- Lampshaded at least once: "I eat, I sleep. That's all I do. Do I look like I'm sleeping?◊ Do you see a 'Z' floating over my head?!◊"
- Garfield, unable to sleep, stole the "Z" from above a sleeping Jon's head◊ and placed it over his own.
- Meet Your Early-Installment Weirdness: The page image comes from a 2003 arc in which (then-current) Garfield meets up with his 1978 self. Much lampshading ensued. Jon and Odie have similar experiences by the time Garfield's birthday rolled around during that arc.
- Megaton Punch:
- Garfield has done this to Odie and Nermal, socking - or, more often, kicking both (figuratively) to the moon.
- And literally, Garfield once actually kicked Odie into next week: "I have this nagging feeling I'm forgetting something... (Odie falls on him) ... Oh yes, I forgot I kicked Odie into next week, last week.◊"
- Memorial Statue: On a strip published in November 1988, Jon asked Garfield if he wanted this.
- Merchandise-Driven: The strip itself is designed solely to make money. And boy has it.
- "Metaphor" Is My Middle Name: Garfield when Liz catches him near an empty popcorn bowl.Liz: Garfield! That popcorn was for everyone.Garfield: And "everyone" is my middle name, baby!
- Metaphorgotten:
- "Boy, am I bored. I'm so bored I have nothing better to do than lie here flat as a pancake. A big fluffy pancake dripping with butter and maple syrup... Boy, am I hungry."
- "Life is like a birdbath. It's made of concrete, filled with water, and uh... birds like to splash in it. Boy, that was dumb. Life isn't anything like a birdbath. Life... is like a sock monkey..."
- Micro Dieting: In some strips, Garfield is given tiny amounts of food for his diets, such as a single lettuce leaf.Garfield: I don't think I can eat all of my lettuce leaf. (right in Jon's face) BECAUSE I'M PLANNING TO PASS OUT FROM HUNGER!
- Midnight Snack: Often.Garfield: I wonder if it's time for my midnight snack? [looks at clock] Hmmm... Eight P.M. Close enough.
- Mind Screw:
- The aforementioned Halloween 1989 arc, of course.
- The October 26, 1981 strip had nothing but Garfield sleeping for all three panels, no doubt leaving many readers outright baffled when it first appeared in papers. It makes much more sense when read in the books, where the next day's strip completes the gag.
- Mining for Cookies: This strip has Jon casually going to work in the donut mines. Garfield then realizes he's dreaming.
- Mischievous Body Language:
- This comic, Jon knows Garfield did something bad when he sees him grin, and tries to figure out how big the damage is.
- This comic, Garfield plots to steal Jon's lunch, but then Jon ruins it by revealing he lunched early, prompting Garfield to ask Jon what he's supposed to do now with the sneaky expression he already made in anticipation of his mischief.
- In this comic Jon again knows Garfield is up to no good because he just keeps smiling. He is proven right when Garfield orders an unseen person to release the anvil.
- Miserable Massage: In one strip, Jon ordered an in-home massage and got The Ahnold for a masseuse. Nothing's shown but Garfield hears a loud cracking sound, followed by Jon asking if that was him.
- Misfortune Cookie: Referenced in the April 10, 2002 strip◊.Jon: Still eating, Garfield? Soon your stomach will grow large and you will explode.
Garfield: He's like an evil fortune cookie.- Jon once got a fortune cookie that said, "A runaway hubcap from a speeding car will lodge itself up your nose."
- Mistaken for an Imposter: In the May 6, 1984 strip, Garfield goes to his bed to take a nap, finding what looks like Odie sleeping in it with his nose sticking out from under the blanket. Garfield, thinking that Odie is sleeping in his bed, decides to stomp on him. As he's stomping, the real Odie shows up, and when Garfield realizes this, he looks under the blanket and says "So much for my French bread and olive collection."
- Mistaken for Toilet: In one strip, Jon angrily declares he's never taking Garfield golfing again after what he has done, and Garfield implies that he mistook the sand trap for a litter box.
- Mix-and-Match Critters: Garfield meets a mouse who is half-lemming (and thus constantly trying to kill himself) in a 1983 story arc.
- Moment Killer: Ever since Jon and Liz got together, Garfield and Odie would stop at nothing to do this.
- Monochrome to Color: This◊ Sunday strip shows the titular cat bemoaning Mondays, rendered in black and white. When he gets the paper and discovers that it's Sunday, the last panel regains its normal coloration.
- Moon Logic Puzzle: The tie-in game Garfield: Big Fat Hairy Deal is not very logical. You have to feed a rat a spinach donut and bring seeds to a park so a duck will pick you up and fly you around.
- Moth Menace: This◊ strip has Garfield rudely smacking a butterfly away, only to have it calling out his father, which is a gigantic butterfly with spots shaped like tough anchor tattoos on its wings, probably getting ready to beat the orange cat up.
- Motionless Makeover: In the February 27, 1996 strip, Jon's back gives out and Garfield puts a cloth and potted plant on Jon.
- Motor Mouth: Garfield meets a mime who's this during breaks.
- Mouse Hole: Mice in this comic have these.
- Mugged for Disguise: In order to get some donuts from a bakery that doesn't let cats in, Garfield stole a kid's clothes.
- Mundane Utility: "The computer is a wonderful thing. For instance, if I turn it off I can see an excellent reflection of myself."◊
- Mushroom Samba: One censored comic which only appears as a rough sketch in the 25th anniversary book, features a half asleep Garfield as he watches a periscope emerge from his water dish, followed by a tentacle. Garfield then smiles and says, "Man, that was some gooooooood catnip!"
- Music Is Eighth Notes: A gag involves an Earworm Jon inadvertently gave to Garfield. The Earworm's represented by a single eighth note.
- Mustache Vandalism: Garfield does this to a picture of Jon◊, and when Jon demands for Garfield to fix it, Garfield draws a mustache on Jon's face as well.
- Another example:Garfield: "I just drew a mustache on every picture of Jon in the house!"
Jon (shows up): "I just drew a mustache on my face!"
Garfield: "Troublemaker!"
- Another example:
- Must Have Caffeine: Garfield sure◊ likes◊ coffee◊, and he likes it strong.
- The June 13, 2020 strip shows how he reacts to insufficient amount of caffeine.Jon: How's the decaf?
- The June 13, 2020 strip shows how he reacts to insufficient amount of caffeine.
- My Friends... and Zoidberg:
- Garfield said "The world is filled with many wonders... and Jon".
- This strip features Garfield and Jon discussing Santa.Jon: Santa will be here soon with presents for everyone who's been good.Garfield: And me!Jon: And you.
- My Grandma Can Do Better Than You: A Show Within a Show featured a character mocking a monster's slowness by claiming "My Grandmother could outrun that mon-" "EEEK!" "Um... check that".
- My Life Flashed Before My Eyes:
- In one of the comics the titular cat says, "My life just flashed before my eyes. It looked like a fast food commercial." Not surprising considering all he does is eat and sleep.
- The electronic scale says "If I had eyes my life would be passing through them".
N
- Nap-Inducing Speak:
- Happens frequently when Jon tells stories to Garfield about his boyhood on the farm. During one week of strips Garfield has insomnia and is trying to get to sleep, but can only actually fall asleep when Jon does this. Later invoked by Garfield when he gets insomnia again, he actually goes to Jon and tries to get him to do this.
- When Garfield has a hard time sleeping in the May 2, 2022 strip, he tunes in to a boring program instead of going to Jon to remedy it.Announcer: And now, a 4-hour documentary on the history of certified public accounting.
- Narrative Profanity Filter:
- Jon getting shot down over the phone◊ (June 22, 1979):Jon: "You'll meet me when WHAT freezes over!?"
- In this strip◊, Jon attempts to invite Liz to a party he's having. Since this is roughly 20 years before they started dating, she naturally shoots him down with a comment that prompts the response "Do you mean that literally or figuratively?"Garfield: Literally has my vote.
- "I just learned three new words." ""Unsuitable for a comic strip, no doubt."
- Jon getting shot down over the phone◊ (June 22, 1979):
- Negative Continuity: When it comes to the house the main characters live in; anytime the house is seen from the outside, it is clearly a one-story building. Yet, several comics show the house with stairs and/or at least 1 other floor.
- New Year's Kiss: In this strip, Jon and Liz kiss during a New Year's Eve party just as midnight is announced. Greta asks Garfield if he'd like a New Year's kiss too, but he declines.
- New Year's Resolution:
- Garfield decided not to sleep more than eight hours a day. Upon calculation, he told Jon to wake him up on May 3rd.
- Garfield promised not to do this prank anymore but he's not sure he'll keep the promise.
- Jon promised to brush his teeth everyday. Even if he's not going anywhere.
- Jon and Garfield resolved not to eat donuts anymore. After each one hallucinated a donut asking him to eat it, they decided to break the resolution.
- Jon's resolution: No more thumb-sucking! Except during scary movies.Garfield: That goes without saying.
- Garfield resolves "to stop eating junk food, and to exercise every day, and to curb my incessant lying".
- A spider promises to think before he speaks... and then blows it up by calling Garfield "fatso".
- Garfield makes the same resolution he makes every year. "Not to mess with perfection".
- Three weeks after giving up donuts for her new year's resolution, Liz hallucinates that Jon's face looks like a donut.Liz: Okay, did you see that?Garfield: He usually has sprinkles.
- Garfield doesn't have any resolutions this time because "you can't improve on perfection". He then "thack"s his face on a wall.
- Jon resolves to be less geeky and more sophisticated... and then botches it by blowing chocolate milk bubbles in his Binky the Clown mug.
- Jon asks if Liz has any New Year resolutions. She says she thought about losing weight and asks what he thinks.Jon: I hate these questions.Garfield: Yeah, but I love your answers.
- At the beginning of 2024, Garfield says he decided to exercise more and to lie more.
- No Can Opener: On a camping trip. Variant during a blackout. They have plenty of canned goods and a can opener, but the can opener is electric.
- No Fourth Wall: The fourth wall came crashing down on the first day and never went back up. Here's just a few examples:Jon: Our only thought is to entertain you.Garfield: Feed me.
- One time (in the 1980s) Jon decided Garfield should go on a diet because his weight was causing the comic strip box to dip where he walked.
- The fourth wall is sometimes AWOL in-universe as well:Woman on TV: Come closer... closer...
(Jon moves closer to the TV)
Woman on TV: Uh... that's close enough, dork boy.
Garfield: Et tu, TV? - Another time, a television host yelled at a sleeping Garfield to turn the set off after signing off for the night.
- Noir Episode:
- Babes and Bullets, one of the segments in Garfield: His 9 Lives. Wasn't included in the animated version but was adapted into a stand-alone TV special the following year.
- Parodied in a Sunday Strip — the atmosphere is quickly ruined when Odie appears in a clown suit, and Garfield says "I was this close to making my big dramatic debut."
- No More for Me: In this strip, Garfield pours his coffee right back into the pot upon witnessing a spider he just stomped being taken away by an ambulance.
- No Mouth: Garfield's teddy bear Pooky had one, but as per Art Evolution he lost it (10-6-1981◊ and 2-7-1982◊ being the last strips to depict him with a mouth). Since then, at least two◊ strips◊ relied on the fact that Pooky had no mouth.
- Non-Indicative Name: "Aphrodite" isn't a name that fits a mule that "had three legs, a glass eye, and one tooth".
- Nonsense Classification: Garfield states the four basic food groups are meat, vegetable, dairy and catsup.
- Noodle Implements:
- For some reason, Jon was running inside the house without his pants telling Garfield he needed a belt, a fishbowl and a fire extinguisher.
- "I'd explain this, but it gets kind of technical."
- Noodle Incident: Anything that Garfield himself does to Mrs. Feeny.
- Garfield's New Years Eve parties.
- "You met a ballet dancer and went to a sack race?"◊ "Close enough."
- It's probably for the best that the details of this one are never explained.
- A woman considers Jon "the second most pitiful excuse for a man" she ever met.
- A girl named Ruby was once in prison. The only clue the readers get to her crime is Jon's decision to "hide the potato peeler" once he learns what she did.
- Liz is looking at several pictures of Garfield kicking Odie off the table until she finds one of Odie doing it to Garfield.Liz: What happened there?Garfield: (glaring at a smiling Odie) We don't discuss that one.
- This strip features Jon limping and the only clue to the reason is Jon telling Garfield "just because you see somebody doing something in a movie... doesn't mean you can do it".
- Nose Nuggets: Garfield spends the first panel picking his nose◊. After a Beat Panel, he looks out to the viewer and says, "I'm on, aren't I?"
- Jon's been caught with his finger up his nose twice: The first time, he was assembling a model airplane and got glue on his hands ("I have to go to the hospital now"), while the second saw Garfield, acting as a director, telling Jon to play the part of "a pitiful goofball" — right on cue, Jon's fingers got stuck up his nose.
- Nose Shove: "There appears to be a camera shoved up your nose."
- No Such Thing as Bad Publicity: In-universe, Odie loves any kind of attention as long as it's attention◊.
- Not Allowed to Grow Up: Nermal has been around since the strip's second year, but is still referred to as the "World's Cutest Kitten." Garfield sometimes inquires how he stays the same, and at various points we've learned that he's a midget who's had anti-aging therapy and had extensive plastic surgeries◊. The coffee and cigarettes help too.
- Nothing Can Stop Me Now: Garfield said something like this note when wearing a suit of armor to protect himself on a Monday.
- Nothing Is the Same Anymore: In July 2006, after 27 years of constant failures, Jon finally managed to get together with Liz and they've been in a relationship ever since.
- Not Me This Time: Somebody threw away all of Jon's shirts except one that reads "I (heart sign) cats". Believing Garfield to be responsible, Jon threw him outside. But Odie, wearing a shirt, has a malicious smile.
- Not So Above It All:
- The strip on July 12, 2020 shows the extent of Liz's willingness to join in on some of the shenanigans in which Jon and Garfield get involved.
- June 11, 2021 proves that Arlene can be mean as Garfield when she feels like it.
- Not-So-Innocent Whistle:
- In the December 22, 1980 strip:Jon: Garfield, would you happen to know what happened to the lasagna I fixed for dinner?
Garfield: (whistles innocently)
Jon: I didn't know you could whistle.
Garfield: I'd tap-dance too if it would change the subject. - Odie does it in the May 1, 2022 strip after pulling Garfield by the tail as Garfield is starting to run to Jon for dinner, causing Garfield to fall face-first onto the ground, as payback for Garfield telling him to go away for not being cool enough to stand next to him.
- At one point Garfield whistles while looking away in the May 15, 2022 strip while imitating Odie behind his back for kicks.
- In the December 22, 1980 strip:
- Not-So-Imaginary Friend:
- Clive◊. This is also an example of a Brick Joke, as it came seven years after the week-long arc that introduced Clive.
- Garfield chasing an invisible mouse.
- Note to Self: Jon tries to write himself a reminder but, since the reminder is to "get new pen, because this one is out of ink", he's unable to read it.Garfield: I'm going to go cry now.
- "Not Wearing Pants" Dream: 1991-12-01, where Jon has a dream about adressing the assembly of the United Nations, announcing that he can't get a date to save his life, and he forgot to wear pants.
- Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep: One strip◊ shows Jon starting the prayer, but he stops because he hears Garfield open the refrigerator door.
- Nutritional Nightmare: This◊ strip had Garfield eat a slice of toast with a whole stick of butter on it, much to Jon's disgust.
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- Obfuscating Stupidity: In the April 27, 1989 strip, Odie waits until Jon and Garfield leave the house. Then he wears a robe, smokes a pipe, watches "A Evening With Mozart" on TV, and has a copy of "War And Peace" on the table.
- Obnoxious In-Laws: From this strip:Spider: Hey! Are you the guy who squished my brother-in-law?!Garfield: Yes.Spider: Thanks.
- Obvious Object Could Be Anything: In a 1995 Christmas themed strip, Odie is shown shaking a wrapped bone, then wondering what it could be.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
- In the Abandoned House Nightmare arc, Garfield wants to wake up because of the nightmare he's having.
- A much more lighthearted version of this trope involve the Homemade Sweater from Hell made by Jon's mother that turns out to be... perfectly fit and tasteful. Jon and Garfield feel worried as the result, with Jon deciding to check up on her with a phone call.
- Another version regarding a Homemade Sweater from Hell takes place in the December 27, 1994 strip. Jon's incessant praises about it only serves to convince Garfield that something is off.note Jon: And it's 100% cow.Garfield: There must be a catch.
- Given Garfield's tendency to abuse Odie, it's notable when, on rare occasions, Garfield actually expresses sympathy for Odie, as the November 18, 2020 strip demonstrates:Garfield: Can't say that I have. It must be tough being a dog. *turning to the viewers* He shut the car door on his tail.
- In the May 10, 2022 strip, Garfield tells Nermal he got a hat for Nermal, who wonders why Garfield would get a hat for him since Garfield hates him. The hat in question turns out to be big enough to cover Nermal's entire body.
- Oddball in the Series: In general, the daily strips were carefully designed to have at least 3 panels, occasionally more (i.e. the later strips of the Halloween 1989 arc). The four exceptions are an original strip at the end of Garfield at Large, an original strip at the beginning of Garfield Gains Weight, the 2014-08-02 strip, and the 2014-12-23 strip.
- Offstage Villainy: Garfield's constant harassment of his neighbors.
- Oh, Crap!: Garfield gives this facial expression a lot. See the "zippers" strip above as an example.
- "Oh, Crap!" Smile: Garfield can make these, like after he attacks the wrong mailman.
- Oh Wait, This Is My Grocery List:
- Jon mistakes Garfield's shopping list for a poem he wrote for Liz.
- It happens again in this comic, though this time Jon realizes the mistake before he starts reading the list.
Garfield: Read it slowly.Jon: Although this appears to be a shopping list.Garfield: [smiles] And with feeling. - Older and Wiser: Garfield believes he's getting smarter as he gets older until he sees Jon asking why people don't make cars out of cardboard and wonders if the others are getting dumber.
- The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Garfield likes to stomp spiders and hates when Jon beats him to it. However, when Liz did it, he told Jon to marry her.
- Operators Are Standing By: On November 15, 2004, Garfield is watching TV and sees the phrase "Operators are standing by to take your order!" He goes to the phone to tell the operators that he won't be buying anything... but as a cat, they can't actually understand him.
- Or Was It a Dream?: In this strip, Garfield has a dream in which he's about to kick Odie off the table, only for Odie to snap at him "Don't even think about it!". Then Garfield wakes up, sees Odie and goes to kick him for real... only for Odie to turn around and glare at him.
- Out-of-Context Eavesdropping:
- In the October 4, 1981 strip, Jon calls the garage to bring in his car for a checkup, and then describes what he wants: "You'd better flush out his system... Tighten his hoses. Replace all the worn parts. Oh yes, and have him reupholstered." Unfortunately, Garfield just heard "I'd like to bring him in for a checkup." and everything afterward, and assumed Jon was speaking to the vet about him. In the final panel he's hitchhiking to Abu Dhabi.
- In the April 21, 2000 strip, Jon's been sawing something, then Garfield hears him say "Oops. Boy, I hope that can be sewn back on." By the time Jon comes over with the button he's lost, Garfield's fainted, presumably assuming Jon had accidentally cut off a body part.
- Out of Focus: The comic used to have a large ensemble cast, but since the late 1990's, many of the side characters have been pushed to the background. Even more since Jon and Liz became a couple. These days, any character that is not Garfield, Jon, Odie or Liz is barely seen anymore.
- Overly Long Gag:
- Many Sunday strips are padded out to the maximum seven panels, when they could just as easily work in three.
- This strip is an In-Universe version of this trope, though Garfield doesn't find it funny.
- Overly Long Name: Betty-Jo Bobbie-Sue Mary-Jane Anna-Lee Becky-Lou Wanda-June Ed. According to Jon, "she was named after her six aunts and one uncle".
- Overly Long Scream: Jon does one in a 1992 strip that takes up the top of every single panel. In the last panel, we see it's because he had enough Christmas lights to decorate the entire outside and inside of the house, but ran out of cord inches before he could plug it in.
- Overly-Long Tongue:
- Sometimes Odie's tongue is shown to be lengthier than his body.
- One strip reveals Garfield's got a long tongue.
- Overly Narrow Superlative:
- Garfield describing Jon in this strip:Garfield: Jon is the most interesting guy I know.Jon: I just sorted my socks!Garfield: He's the only guy I know.
- Inverted in this strip. Garfield eats a cookie and describes it as the best one he's eaten that day. As Garfield says and the pile of empty boxes shows, "the competition was fierce".
- This strip has Garfield declaring June 19th, 2020 as his best birthday ever and acknowledging he's "forgotten all the other ones".
- Garfield describing Jon in this strip:
- Overly-Nervous Flop Sweat: Happens to Jon in one strip after Liz tells him whatever he decides to get her will be just perfect.