Have you ever been told to “Say less”? We can probably all guess what the phrase means. We may even have heard or used this phrase. This phrase has two meanings we know and we will look at both of them in this article and how we can respond to the phrase.
“Say less” can sound rude. However, it may just be a simple acknowledgement, meaning ‘I understand’.
“Say less” is just another way of saying ‘Say no more’. When a person says ‘Say no more’ to you, it means he or she already understands what you mean from the little you’ve said and you don’t need to explain further.
“Say less” can also simply mean ‘Stop talking about this’. It would be referring to whatever topic you are discussing with the speaker at the moment. When he or she says “Say less” while you are still talking, it means ‘Change the topic. I don’t want to hear that anymore’.
20 Responses To “Say less”
- I trust you.
- Don’t mess it up, please
- Are you sure?
- I understand
- Great.
- Do your magic.
- Alright. Good luck.
- I got it
- It’s what you said the last time.
- You understand?
- Let’s move on then.
- I’m not talking about this anymore.
- No. Now or never.
- That’s not all.
- Well, I’m not done talking.
- Do as you please.
- I’ve played my part.
- I’m done talking anyway
- Would you listen for once?!
- Yes. Let’s talk about something else.
I trust you.
You can simply say you trust a person who has asked you to “Say less”, that is if you feel that way.
This response should be considered if “Say less” has been used to mean ‘Say no more’. When the person tells you to “Say less”, he or she has cut you off in the middle of your explanation, claiming that your half explanation is already clear to him or her.
Saying you trust him or her means you accept to say no more and you believe he or she will do a great job.
If you don’t think you have given enough explanation for him or her to get what you are describing, then it is necessary to be worried about what the person will do.
- “I want to have this haircut with a….”
- “Say less”
- “Alright. I trust you.”
Don’t mess it up, please.
You may just want to emphasize the importance of the project you ar assigning to this person. You wouldn’t want him or her to mess it up after all that show of overconfidence.
If a person tells you to “Say less” while you are giving an explanation, you can say this to let the person know you don’t trust him or her totally. This tells the person that you have minor doubts on how he or she will perform. It will also work simultaneously as a challenge to him or her as he or she must not fail to please you, at least not after shutting you up in the middle of your explanation.
You may want to even emphasize this further if you think you did not give the full explanation for the person to get exactly what you want.
If there are some details which you believe the person may not think of adding, you can decide to tell him or her that there are some special parts you need to add which the person may not get correctly if you don’t explain.
- “Can you make this hairstyle for me with a…..?”
- “Say less”
- “Don’t mess it up, please… I also want to add a…”
Are you sure?
Although this question is quite annoying, you may want to consider how important what you need is and just do what you have to do. It would only be one pathetic story if the person messes up an important project after telling you that he or she understands what you have asked for.
Asking this question tells the person that you are not sure the person will get what you have described so easily. This is a suitable response if the person has used the phrase to express his or her understanding of what you were saying.
This is also suitable if the person is asking you to change the topic. Asking this question would mean you find it important to the person and you think it should be discussed. After asking if the person is sure, you can say why the topic should still be under discussion.
- “He had a long scar on his left cheek and a….”
- “Say less”
- “You already know him? Are you sure?”
- “Say less”
- “Are you sure? You will have to answer those questions tomorrow.”
I understand.
You can simply show that you understand what the person has requested of you and you can do as he or she has said. In some cases, the phrase “Say less” is considered rude but that depends on the topic being discussed and how important it is to the two people discussing.
Saying you understand implies that you are not offended by the abrupt way you have been shut up. However, you understand why the person will not be willing to continue the discussion.
If the discussion at hand is a personal issue that the person can deal with alone, you can say you understand, then leave the person to deal with the issues.
This response will not work as a response to ‘Say no more’ since the phrase alo means the speaker understands.
- “Say less”
- “I understand. We shouldn’t talk about it.”
Great.
A one-word response may be just the greatest option you have in this case. While one-word responses often sound dismissive and rude, they may also denote trust in a case where a person has demanded your trust.
Saying ‘Great’ as a response to someone who has asked you to ‘Say no more’ is perfect and will show that you trust him or her. The fact that you have chosen not to say anything further about it means you surrender to the person and you are sure he or she will perform greatly.
In an argument or discussion, saying Great in response to ‘Say no more’ can make you seem angry about the rude order. If you find it inappropriate for you to be angry at the person, you can change the topic immediately.
- “I want to look like a…”
- “Say less”
- “Great.”
- “Say less”
- “Great… would you like a cup of tea?”
Do your magic.
This phrase suggests that you have surrendered. It is something you could even say without giving any explanation to the person who is meant to work on the project. In that case, this would imply that the person already knows what to do and you will be satisfied with it. However, if you have to give an explanation, that is fine.
Telling the person to do his or her magic shows that you expect the person to perform extremely well, even if you didn’t give all necessary explanations.
You shouldn’t say this if you don’t think it’s something the person is already aware of, unless you will be okay with accepting whatever the person does, irrespective of whether it fits your description or not.
- “You should put the badge on the left chest and make it look like…”
- “Say less”
- “I trust you. Do your magic.”
Alright. Good luck.
‘Alright’ is a nice word for acknowledgement. It works for the both situations where “Say less” can be used. We can compare this to simply saying ‘Great’ since it is equally short and expressing total trust.
Saying this will show that you trust the person to deliver a great job. This is if the phrase has been used to mean ‘Say no more’.
If a person tells you to change the topic or stop talking, this response will sound like you are angry.
- “I want it to look like a…”
- “Say less”
- “Alright. Good luck.”
- “Say less”
- “Alright. Good luck.”
I got it.
This is another statement for acknowledging what a person has said or what a person means.
If a person tells you to “Say less” during an argument or a Personal discussion, saying this will mean you have heard and you understand. You can keep.mute after this or avoid the awkwardness by changing the topic.
- “Say less”
- “I got it. I went to the field and I saw…”
It’s what you said the last time.
It often sounds unfair to rub a person’s mistakes in his or her face. Saying this implies that the person has told you to “Say less” once before as a show of understanding but failed to deliver as expected.
While this will make the person want to pay better attention to your project, it may also make the person feel bad that you are dissatisfied.
When a person tells you to “Say less” during an argument, you can give this response also if you think it’s not right to keep avoiding the topic.
- “I want the shirt to have a..”
- “Say less”
- “It’s what you said the last time… please, do this right.”
- “Say less”
- “It’s what you said the last time. For how long will you avoid this?”
You understand?
Sometimes, we just may have to confirm if we are getting a message right. I don’t know if you’ve been in this situation when a person starts agreeing with your story from the beginning but stops in the middle.
Saying this may imply that you don’t think the person should understand yet, probably because you haven’t gotten to the important part of your description.
- “I want it to have a…”
- “Say less”
- “You understand? What do you think I was going to say?”
Let’s move on then.
This response is suitable when you are asked to “Say less” during an argument.
Saying this implies that you agree to leave the topic behind. It may be a quarrel between the two parties involved in this conversation.
- “Say less”
- “Alright. Let’s move on then.”
I’m not talking about this anymore.
This will sound like a threat when a person keeps telling you to skip a particular topic which you think is important for both of you to discuss.
Saying this implies that you won’t be raising the topic after that particular moment if you don’t discuss it immediately.
- “Say less”
- “I’m not talking about this anymore. Let’s end it here, right now.”
No. Now or never.
This is similar to the response above. You are threatening that you won’t be taking part in a discussion on that topic if it happens later.
You are responding to a person who has asked you to skip a topic which you find important or urgent.
- “Say less”
- “No. Now or never.”
That’s not all
When a person says “Say less” before you end your explanation, it is not always safe to trust the person.
Saying this implies that there is still more for the person to take note of. You can mention the parts that the person has to add.
- “I want the bottom rounded.”
- “Say less”
- “That’s not all. The edges need to be…”
Well, I’m not done talking.
This is a response to someone who wants to skip a topic.
Saying this implies you will talk about the issue whether the person likes it or not.
- “Say less”
- “Well, I’m not done talking.”
Do as you please.
This is a correct response for someone who’s refusing to listen to your advice.
Saying this implies that you no longer care to discuss about the issue anymore.
- “Say less”
- “You know what? Do as you please.”
I’ve played my part.
This is something you can say to acknowledge how much you have tried to get a person to listen or discuss a topic with you.
Saying this implies you won’t be initiating the discussion again and the consequences will not be your fault.
- “Say less”
- “Alright then. I have played my part.”
I’m done talking anyway.
You can say this if the person tells you to “Say less” while in an argument or a discussion about the person.
Saying this means you didn’t even intend to say anything more and it’s up to him or her to adhere.
- “Say less”
- “I’m done talking anyway.”
Would you listen for once?
This sounds like forcing a person to hear you out but sometimes, it is just your responsibility to look after the person in question.
Saying this implies that it is important for the person to hear you out and take your advice.
- “Say less”
- “Would you listen for once?”
Yes. Let’s talk about something else.
This is you agreeing to skip the topic, just as the person has requested.
Saying this implies that you think the topic should be skipped at the moment too.
- “Say less”
- “Yes. Let’s talk about something else.”