9 phrases guys never want to hear
We all know that saying “I love you” can strike fear into the hearts of men. But do you know the other expressions that make them quake in their boots? I talked to several guy friends to discover the phrases that freak them:
1. You’re not serious.
“I get this when I ask for her number, put a move on her or invite her back to my place,” says Bob, a fraud investigator in Boston. “Girls can add to the fright factor by wearing a furrowed brow or withering look.”
2. In your dreams.
“This is a quick, yet effective, brush-off that no man wants to hear,” notes Patrick, a law student in Palo Alto, Calif.
3. Meet my boyfriend?
“This is never a good thing to hear, especially if she gestures toward a burly guy with a menacing look or tattoos,” says Nigel, a radiologist in Kansas City. “Unless I’m really drunk, I’ll probably be too scared to put any more moves on you.”
4. You want what?
“If she says this to you, you know you’ve crossed some line of good taste or rational thought,” says Bob. “It’s never a good sign.”
5. I’m leaving you.
“This one’s awful, not only because it spells the end of a relationship,” Nigel remarks, “but because it makes you start thinking about all your shortcomings. No woman says this without giving you a list of every single thing that’s wrong with you.”
6. Is that you?
“This is generally in response to an offensive smell and accompanied by a pinched nose, wrinkled brow or a quick dash from the room,” Bob explains. “At least for me.”
7. Let’s be friends.
“This one’s sure to cause trepidation,” Pat posits, “especially if she’s the girl of your dreams.”
8. Who are you?
“This one’s really horrible the morning after,” Bob allows. “But I'm not sure whom it reflects more poorly on — you or her.”
9. Not tonight, honey.
“Perhaps the second most frightening phrase you can say to a man after ‘I love you,’” Nigel notes.