What do you do when you want to say “goodbye” to something (or someone), but don’t really want to include the good part of that sentiment? Without being outright rude, it can be tough to achieve. Unfortunately, badbye isn’t a real word yet (to learn more about how to make that happen, ). But, that’s not going to stop us from exploring the most surprisingly negative farewells you’ll ever hear. 1. Bye, FeliciaThis internet-famous farewell comes from the 1995 film Friday.
In the scene, the two main characters flippantly dismiss another character, named Felisha, whom they consider irritating and unimportant. It’s shorthand for “You’re not worth the time or energy it takes to deal with you. Just go away.” Likewise, IRL-usage (“in real life”) of this phrase tends to carry the implication that whomever you’re saying it to is someone you consider irritating and unimportant as well.
We Don't Say Goodbye
And, as it became more popular, it also became more white-washed and the spelling changed from “Felisha” to “Felicia.” Either way it’s spelled, the very act of using the name Felicia in place of the person’s actual name shows you don’t even have the time to address them correctly. 2. AdieuWhile it may sound pretty benign, literally translates as “to god.” This means it has a sense of finality, like “I won’t see you again until after we’re both dead. Goodbye forever.” Not so charmingly continental now, is it?
So, if you want a subtle, under-the-radar way of saying “I’d rather not see you again until I’m dead in the grave” consider adieu. 3. I’m sorry, I can’t, don’t hate meThis is the “It’s not you, it’s me,” of farewells. A little more sad than some of the others, this one does have a more sincere sense about it though. Or at least, it can sound more sincere (unless it’s written on a sticky note). At best, this is a genuine expression of remorse (e.g., “I’m so sorry to miss lunch with you.
I have to visit my grandma that day”). At worst, it’s feigned sincerity: a way of gently letting someone down (“I’m so sorry to miss lunch with you. I just don’t want to go”). How do you know which side of the coin you’re on? Vocal and facial cues are your friend in this case. So is past behavior. 4. Don’t call us, we’ll call youIf you hear this at the end of an interview, your chances are.
The key phrase here is don’t call. It’s a sneaky way of saying “We don’t want to hear from you, or have contact with you again.” Ouch. Sometimes, it’s even more vague than that. We’ll be in touch is a variant of this that sounds super promising, but really means nothing. Maybe they will be in touch.
Maybe they actually will call you back (or email since it’s no longer the 1970s). Then again, maybe not. Of course, it’s not always a job-interview situation. Bad date you want to let down gently?
I’ll text you. (don’t text me). 5. You should leaveThis sounds like a request, but it’s not. It could also sound like a suggestion, but it’s definitely not. You should leave is a polite way of saying “You need to leave right now.” The person saying this doesn’t want to see you for one more second.
They might say it in a sweet voice or a sharp one. Either way, they want you to go away.
There’s no nuance to this, so it’s no use trying to find a loophole to slip through. If someone’s telling you to leave. You done f’d up. So, it’s best to just walk away. 6. You haven’t seen the last of me, right? This classic cartoon-villain outro rarely leaves people with a good feeling in the pit of their stomachs.
Here’s a tip: If you can imagine Snidely Whiplash, the Joker, or your reality TV baddie-of-choice saying this, it probably doesn’t have the most positive connotations. Of course, sometimes you’ll hear this one ironically. Like when your work bestie is leaving the company. They might say, “Don’t worry, I’ll still be in the area. You haven’t seen the last of me.” In this case, they probably mean you’ll still be able to meet up for lunch.
Not “I’m going to get my revenge on you!” 7. F.%k this. I’m outThis one is as angry as it sounds. In contrast with you should leave (which indicates you’re being kicked out), this is something someone says when they decide to leave. It’s a burst of frustration, and a way of saying they’ve had enough.
Do you need the expletive? It’s not totally necessary, to be honest, but it does drive the point home.
If you are super opposed to swearing, that’s cool. Screw this is a decent substitute. And, if you really want to offend (or give ’em a glimpse into your true feelings), you can use this classic version from the movie Half Baked: “F.%k you, f.%k you, f.%k you, you’re cool, f.%k you, I’m out.” 8. Last callLast call is what they say at bars when they want you to order your last drink, settle up your tab, and go home. It’s the end of the night, and the bar is about to close. So, in terms of farewells, this one is more of a slow, gradual badbye. For the people working at the bar, last call might sound heavenly. If you’re out having a good time with your friends though, hearing these words means the party’s over.
9. Hate to cut this short, but.Nine times out of ten, this one is code for “I really need to end this conversation right now.” Maybe, you’ve been rambling on about football stats for just a little too long? It’s sort of along the same lines as “Oh no, I couldn’t eat another bite,” or “I really shouldn’t watch another episode.” You can easily imagine them adding a silent “but I will.” 10. Show’s overCue early 2000s Rihanna with this one. We all know what happens when a show or movie ends. The audience hangs out in their seats, watching and expecting more, right? When a show is over, that means it’s time to go home. And, when someone metaphorically says show’s over, that means it’s time to go away.
At the very least, it means it’s time to stop watching whatever it is that is going on.(Read this part in your best Ferris Bueller voice.) There’s no more. Go home.Want to learn some other. Check out our recommendations here.
Just out of curiosity really. I'm not talking about hanging up on someone in mid conversation (there is no question that that is rude), but how you'd end an average phone call, particularly in business (as it's only the place I've noticed this happen).I was always taught that it's polite to say 'bye' or something similar at the end of the phone conversation, to inform the other person that the conversation was over. My family and I always do this, the same with my friends.I've worked in a few places now and it seems the standard protocol for this varies from place to place. The first time I came across a place where everyone seemed to hang up without any signal the conversation was over prior to the 'click' was in the Preston temple in the UK, where I did a stint of work. I obviously don't take it personally, as it just seemed the norm there, even though I didn't copy them as I think some people could mistake it for being intentionally rude.Since then, I've only come across certain people who do this, as opposed to an entire organisation.Have you ever done this?
Is it normal in the US? I say something to signal the end of the conversation. It isn't always 'bye' mind you, it can be something like 'talk to you later', 'I'll catch you later', 'Well, I gotta get going.' , 'I'll let you go now', quite a lot of them. Now I wouldn't use them in an anonymous business situation, I'd probably go with either the safe goodbye/bye or something such as, 'Thank you for calling' or 'I'll get started on that right away, have a good day.' I'll signal the end of the conversation in a face to face situation too (most times). I hate phones, I don't think I'd last long in call center work.Ditto.
I don't have much of an issue taking calls, but I dislike making them for some reason. I will go out of my way to find an alternative method of contact for the person or company in question (e-mail is a preferred alternative). I think that's because with e-mail, I can respond in my own time, after I've had time to analyze all their points/questions and think out a reasonable response to each one of them, without being pushed because they are waiting on the other end of the lineAnd I hate getting e-mails saying 'can you give me your number so I can call you.?' Lol why not just type what you were going to say on the phone in this e-mail? Just out of curiosity really. I'm not talking about hanging up on someone in mid conversation (there is no question that that is rude), but how you'd end an average phone call, particularly in business (as it's only the place I've noticed this happen).I was always taught that it's polite to say 'bye' or something similar at the end of the phone conversation, to inform the other person that the conversation was over.
My family and I always do this, the same with my friends.I've worked in a few places now and it seems the standard protocol for this varies from place to place. The first time I came across a place where everyone seemed to hang up without any signal the conversation was over prior to the 'click' was in the Preston temple in the UK, where I did a stint of work. I obviously don't take it personally, as it just seemed the norm there, even though I didn't copy them as I think some people could mistake it for being intentionally rude.Since then, I've only come across certain people who do this, as opposed to an entire organisation.Have you ever done this? Is it normal in the US?If it is business I will end the call with the standard 'Bye'.If it is friends or family I will most likely use one of the'Talk at'cha later' or just 'Later'.If it is not frends or family, It most likely is 'Bye' and Imost likely will not see them again, as 'Bye' to me means just that.They are going off on a sailing ship across the sea or flying off into space:-)I do plan on seeing friends and family again so I will let them gotemporally with 'Later':-).
You know what's crazy - my dad will not say Bye, Good-bye, or any variation of bye. This is the exact same reason he doesn't buy life insurance. For some crazy reason my dad thinks that if he says bye or buy's life insurance he's going to die or something like that - heralding the last of his days.I've gotten used to him just hanging up on me.But, other than my dad, I've never encountered anybody just hanging up without some form of conclusion like bye. Now that I think about it, I don't think I know of anybody just saying 'talk to you later' without 'bye'. Usually it's 'okay, bye' or 'talk to you later, bye' or 'love ya, bye', etc.Have you ever said 'Love ya, bye' to the helpdesk?