There is a feeling that I get when I have earned "Brownie Points" for offering to do something for someone but the offer gets turned down for some reason before I need to actually do it. All the reward for none of the effort.
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3I was tempted to say relief but I think you are looking for something more than that.– ChadJul 26, 2011 at 2:17
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Assassin's Creed Wiki, Juan Borgia the Elder: Final words of Ezio: And now you pay for it. Il piacere immeritato si consuma da sé (Pleasure unearned consumes itself).– FumbleFingersJul 26, 2011 at 2:51
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1I feel like there should be some German word for this, like how they have schadenfreude.– simchonaJul 26, 2011 at 5:55
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1@simchona: you'd think so, but no such word comes to my mind (I'm a native German speaker).– Joachim SauerJul 27, 2011 at 6:13
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@Joachim: Good to know.– simchonaJul 27, 2011 at 6:17
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2 Answers
I don't know of a word that encapsulates all of that, but here are a couple of suggestions, depending on the situation. More than likely, an idiomatic phrase will best suit.
1) off the hook: addresses the relief, though it doesn't full capture the credit (or brownie points)
2) absolved: free of duty or obligation. The downside here is the connotation of forgiven sin--not quite what we're after.
3) got/gave a free pass: with enough context, this could work.
answered Jul 27, 2011 at 5:36
I don't think there exists a single word to describe the feeling you're describing, as it's actually two feelings being experienced simultaneously.
The first is relief (oh good, I don't have to lend him money after all), and the second is self-righteousness (but wasn't that great of me to offer?).
We're complex creatures, human beings. More often than not, one word doesn't suffice.