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"Thanks for your favor" means that you don't need it, but here actually you would like to take what is being offered but you are not at all satisfied and would like to resign yourself to what is being offered.

Please also tell me a word, in the opposite case, that you would not like to take the offer, and show off a bit of anger. A phrase other than - "thanks for your favor, I don't need it".

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16 Answers 16

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13

If you want to sound angry then you can say

Thanks for nothing.

This phrase is uttered when what someone has done for you has not produced satisfactory results, or has made your life worse. It can also be used in the situation where someone offers you something you don't want.

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  • The phrase, IMHO, does not quite show enough contempt for the offer, but +1 for the promptest and closest answer.
    – user14070
    Commented Apr 25, 2012 at 20:31
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    I would say the opposite. I feel quite offended when this is said to me and isn't something I'd say unless I wanted to hurt the other person (as opposed to merely making my displeasure known). -1for not emphasizing this.
    – emragins
    Commented Apr 26, 2012 at 15:03
  • I agree with @emragins “Thanks for nothing.” is dripping with contempt.
    – ghoppe
    Commented Apr 26, 2012 at 15:27
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Verbally, I would say "forget it" to indicate that I don't want the offer and that I'm in a bit of a snit about it, with the right intonation, though.

For written communication, I cannot think of an idiomatic way of expressing a slight "bit" of anger. Anything you write could be (over)interpreted in a way that makes you sound like a boob...IMO it's best to explicitly state your reason for dissatisfaction, rather than depend on a phrase or idiom to express it.

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10

An offer that you are resigning yourself to:

  • That'll have to do
  • A compromise
  • Oh you shouldn't have ( more informal, requires a sarcastic or negative tone, else it can be used in more positive situations sometimes, varies from place to place culturally, also try Oh you shouldn't have, no, really, you shouldn't have bothered )

For an offer that is insufficient, is not good enough:

  • Thanks but no thanks
  • An unacceptable offer
  • A laughable offer

If you really want to show anger/disdain:

  • Are you taking the piss?
  • Don't insult my intelligence
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    "Oh you should not have" does not disparage the object or favor which is received. Unless you're a comedian and you add, "No, I mean really: you should not have!". :)
    – Kaz
    Commented Apr 25, 2012 at 20:00
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    Hence the brackets immediately afterwards warning that it has other meanings depending on context, tone of voice, or locality. Try imagining it with a hefty dose of sarcasm =p
    – Tom J Nowell
    Commented Apr 26, 2012 at 9:16
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To convey that you scornfully decline to accept an offer...

spurn - to reject with disdain or contempt.

For example, "He spurned the offer", "She spurned his advances".

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  • Again, this isn't something you'd say to the person who made the offer you're rejecting.
    – Marthaª
    Commented Apr 25, 2012 at 15:01
  • @Martha: I don't know why you say that - "I spurn your offer" is perfectly normal English.
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Apr 25, 2012 at 15:06
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    In a novel, maybe. If it had particularly stilted dialogue. But in real life?
    – Marthaª
    Commented Apr 25, 2012 at 15:08
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    @Martha: In real life we don't usually "show off a bit of anger", but OP specifically wants to do this. It's an odd context, because we usually want to be conciliatory when rejecting offers (witness the answers suggesting things like "Thanks, but no thanks") but OP is quite specific in what he wants to convey. Of course, if we're going for the lowest common denominator here, OP could always say "You can take your offer and stick it where the sun don't shine" - but he didn't ask for street slang.
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Apr 25, 2012 at 15:25
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    "I spurn your offer" is Vulcan, not English. :)
    – Kaz
    Commented Apr 25, 2012 at 20:01
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There are a lot of informal responses that essentially mean "I am not only rejecting the offer you just made, but I'm insulted that you made it."

Repeating other answers, "forget it" is a good phrase to use when you have previously rejected such offers in a friendlier way but the subsequent offers are not improving. The sense here is that the other party is clearly not trying hard enough to make a legitimate offer and you are frustrated to the point of giving up.

"Thanks, but no thanks" can be taken different ways; in your case you want to apply a sarcastic tone, making it clear that you really have no gratitude towards the other party. Slightly more assertive is "Thanks for nothing", which makes it explicit that you place no value on the offer being made.

A slightly less agressive option is "I'll pass", which has an implication that the initial offer was so unacceptable that you aren't even considering trying to improve it. There is less of an "angry" tone here as much as a "dismissive" one, but that can often get your point across as well.

Another reply suggested "don't insult my intelligence" which is good, since it indicates exactly why you are angry, but may not apply depending on what's being offered. (e.g. I wouldn't consider a low salary increase an insult to my intelligence as much as to the value of my work.) The more general form of "I'm insulted" gets the same point across.

All of these are very informal, and depending on the context would even be insulting back to the other party, since you are rejecting their offer with no indication why. In the example of a salary increase from your boss, (assuming for whatever reason that you chose to ignore social conventions of politeness) I would go with something more formal that specifically describes how the offer was deficient, such as "That's unacceptably low" or "That's not worth my time."

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4

"Don't do me any favors."

This is used when the person doing the favor has emphasized the effort involved, and the result is either less desirable than hoped, or actually undesirable.

  1. the waiter makes a huge deal out of bringing the soup, and when it finally arrives it's cold
  2. you ask your friend to introduce you to a girl, but when you meet her, you find out he's told her about your prison record
  3. your car is parked just a few feet away but the valet takes half an hour to bring it to you - with a dent in the door.

It can accompany outright rejection of what's being offered (1), bitter resentment due to betrayal or injury (2), or grudging acceptance of what's offered because you have no choice (3).

It's generally received as a fairly serious insult, as it carries with it the implication that the person you're talking to is either incompetent or cursed.

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3

"Thanks, but no thanks," is a common English phrase used in this situation.

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5
  • In "but no thanks" part, where do you put the stress on? On no or thanks?
    – Mehper C. Palavuzlar
    Commented Apr 25, 2012 at 14:43
  • Slight stress on the no.
    – Callithumpian
    Commented Apr 25, 2012 at 14:45
  • take e.g. you are being offered a salary increment, but its not up-to your expectations, and you think that if you take it, it will be like you have taken a favor from your employer, so you just want to reject it...
    – teenup
    Commented Apr 25, 2012 at 14:47
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    -1 "Thanks, but no thanks" is normally placatory, and effectively attempts to *downplay the anger/irritation you feel at having been made an insultingly unacceptable offer. Which OP specifically wishes to convey.
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Apr 25, 2012 at 14:59
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    I agree with FumbleFingers. To express anger you might say "Thanks for nothing"
    – Matt E. Эллен
    Commented Apr 25, 2012 at 15:32
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Resentment refers to the feeling of dissatisfaction over what's being offered.

The employees of the company resented being paid less.

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    But this isn't something you'd say to the boss who offered said insultingly low pay raise.
    – Marthaª
    Commented Apr 25, 2012 at 15:01
  • "1,000$ a month? I resent that! What do you think I'm doing here, flipping burgers?"
    – aelephant
    Commented Apr 26, 2012 at 14:17
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For part 1 of your Question -- how to display a lack of enthusiasm while accepting the pay raise -- "thanks for your favor" strikes me as rather unidiomatic. A simple thanks, said in a flat tone and without an expression on your face, would be a more common alternative. This could be called grudging acceptance.

For part 2 -- how to turn down the offer while showing a bit of anger -- thanks but no thanks suggested by Callithumpian works well (in conjunction with tone of voice and facial expression). By doing so you are spurning the offer (hat tip to FumbleFingers for the right word).

In both cases, but especially the second, you better have a Plan B ready, for your boss might just decide that you're not worth the trouble after all.

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1

"Thanks for nothing" would be the best and most common phrase as it indicates distinct displeasure at the insultingly insufficient nature of the offer at hand.

"Thanks, but no thanks" is another common phrase and it could work as it indicates that an agreement cannot be made. But it is generally used when an offer is unnecessary or unwanted but not necessarily insulting.

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1

you would like to take what is being offered but you are not at all satisfied

This sentiment is well captured in the common phrase:

I suppose that will have to do...

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1

"I find your offer insulting" and variations, "That's worse than if you had offered me nothing", "You can't possibly be serious" "You're joking, right?" all show a degree of anger and derision of the proposed resolution to the matter.

They also leave the conversation open, rather than ending it as similar phrases, "thanks, but no thanks" tend to do. This allows them to make another more suitable offer without you needing to come up with a counteroffer that involves an unacceptable compromise.

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  • Nonverbal communication can also be readily used. A pointed eye-roll may seem childish, but will turn whatever phrase you do use into an angry sarcastic jab at their attempt to help you. "Oh, that's going to solve my problem for sure" eye roll
    – Adam Davis
    Commented Apr 25, 2012 at 20:46
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A colloquial way in British English would be to say "whatever".

It is dismissive, shows contempt and is fairly rude.

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  • In American English this is a cliché used by teenagers and such who are often thought of as complaining excessively and in an immature manner.
    – aelephant
    Commented Apr 26, 2012 at 14:14
  • Yes, it is overused in Britain in a similar way almost to the point that it is used as much comically as seriously. However, I still think it would be a way of showing dissatisfaction with an offer.
    – Stephen Paulger
    Commented Apr 26, 2012 at 22:17
0

would this convey the proper feelings:

I need that about as much as I need a hole in the head...
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I would say that I scoff at your offer. It is often used in the third person, when referring to contract and trade offers for professional athletes and movie stars.

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"Is that the best you can do?" or "Is that all you can do?" are condescending depending on the way they are said and interpreted; if you are dealing with someone with a lower social position than yourself, you could use them, but they may become resentful.

"Is that the best you can offer?" or "Is that your final offer?" are slightly more polite ways of requesting more.

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