10 Least Awkward Ways To End A Terrible Date

The date’s a disaster. You were really looking forward to your time together but this person really isn’t your cup of tea. You want to get the hell out of there ASAP but you don’t want it to be awkward or weird. Don’t worry – here’s how to end a bad date as smoothly and painlessly as possible so you don’t have to waste another second of your time.

  1. Hint that the end is near. If you can sense that the date’s about to go south, you can start hinting in conversation that you’re hoping to end it soon. You could say something like, “I can’t have another drink. I have a really early start at work tomorrow” or mention in conversation that you didn’t sleep very well the night before. Do this subtly, otherwise, it can come off as super rude.
  2. Get a friend to call. It might sound cliched, but it’s something that can’t fail – get your friend to call you with some emergency. It doesn’t have to be anything major like that she’s in the hospital, but it will allow you to get out of there as quickly as possible. To be fair, your date will likely know it’s all BS, but if they’re a decent person, they won’t want to call you on it and that should keep things from getting too awkward.
  3. Say you’re getting a headache. Yeah, it’s a lie and it’s not cool to play on sickness, but if you’re desperate to get out of the date but he can’t catch a hint, then you might have to fake a headache and end things early. No hard feelings. You can just leave without having to say anything directly to the person about why you’re not into it.
  4. Or, just say you’re tired. It’s been a long day and you really should’ve gotten some sleep and not pushed yourself so hard at the gym earlier because now you’re absolutely exhausted. Would they mind terribly if you had to cut this one short? No? Good. There you go. Now you can go home and enjoy a quiet night in or head to your friend’s party so you turn the negative night around.
  5. Tell it to them straight. Is your date being rude or is he a sexist a-hole? You might wonder why you need to be polite, and you honestly don’t. You can tell them that you don’t appreciate their snarky comments or behavior and leave. You don’t owe anyone anything. It’s liberating, isn’t it?
  6. Cut your connection. If you’re having a video date, you obviously have a much easier way of putting an end to it. You could simply cut your internet connection and blame fuzzy technology. Your date won’t have a clue that you’re not feeling the connection with them.
  7. Be honest but kind. On the other hand, maybe you just don’t feel that there’s a connection between you but there’s nothing wrong with them. They’re a great catch – for someone else. So, you might tell them that you’re not feeling things and are going to leave early. You don’t have to be nasty about it, but it’s good to be clear that there’s not going to be a longer, or second, date. Yeah, this is ballsy, but it’s also great to be honest so you both know where you stand and you can stop wasting each other’s time.
  8. Plan a shorter date. If it’s your first date, you might wanna go in with the goal of planning a shorter date to begin with. Not only is this great to build mystery and make them crave to see you again if things go well, but if your date’s going to go badly then you already have an exit plan without having to do anything. Genius.
  9. Don’t try to put them off. You might think that you can nudge your date end the date early by being rude or talking about your ex-boyfriends or girlfriends ad nauseam. While this might make for a juicy story later, it’s not advisable. You might think your date will be put off, but they might stick things out and just cause the date to linger for longer than you’d like. Figuring out what to do next will be super stressful.
  10. Say no to dinner. If your date’s just started but you can see that it’s not going to be a goodie, make sure you order drinks and skip the lunch or dinner. It’s easier to get through a 15-minute drink than a 45-minute meal. Simply tell your date that you’ll just order a drink because you have something else to get to that came up at the last minute. That way, you’ve made your excuse and can try to keep an open mind for the duration of drinks. If you’re still not feeling it after that, you can leave without feeling guilty.
Giulia Simolo is a writer from Johannesburg, South Africa with a degree in English Language and Literature. She has been working as a journalist for more than a decade, writing for sites including AskMen, Native Interiors, and Live Eco. You can find out more about her on Facebook and LinkedIn, or follow her on Twitter @GiuliaSimolo.
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