Damien on… Ending A Phone Conversation
In England, people do this in one of two ways.
Usually, one person gives out a NERVOUS LAUGH – like the other just said something funny – but which is actually their way of saying they wish to END the conversation ASAP.
Failing that, they have to resort to something like: well, anyway… yeah, okay… I s’pose I’d better get on… righto… I’ll talk to you later… okay… right… talk to you later, then… byeee… byeee… byeee… you hang up… no, YOU hang up… [this can go on for hours]
Americans are more direct: Hi, Mom… Your father died… yeah? What of?… Cancer… [klunk, klunk.]
I wish I could think of an END for this bit… [klunk]
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I once had the pleasure of speaking to Doctor Patrick Moore, the astronomer and broadcaster. I delivered my message. He listened to me. I finished. He said: Thank-you, Goodbye. [klunk]
Cy Quick - November 26, 2011 at 9:58 pm
HAH! That sounds like him! I remember him decrying the pronunciation of Halley’s comet as in Bailey. He said, “That’s a pop group (present tense, despite this being in the late Seventies!) – it should be pronounced HALLey’s” (as in Albert Hall).
Vincent - November 27, 2011 at 7:55 pm