Happy Belated
Birthday/Belated Happy Birthday
When someone has
forgotten your birthday, they’re likely to send you a card reading “Happy
Belated Birthday.” But this is a mistake. The birthday isn’t belated; the
wishes are.
Better-phrased cards
read “Belated Happy Birthday.” This form treats “Happy Birthday” as a phrase
equivalent to something like “Late Congratulations.” (If you sent out your
holiday cards in early January you might wish someone a “Belated Merry
Christmas.”) Even clearer would be “Belated Happy Birthday Wishes,” but most
people seem to consider this too wordy.
___________
The Week's End Extra from the Archives: "Spaces in Family Names"
(June 7, 2011).
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