talk to the hand

“Talk to the hand” is a dismissive way of saying “I’m not listening,” usually delivered with a palm held up in the other person’s face. It was huge in the 1990s.

What talk to the hand means

It’s a cheeky “shut up.” Someone starts lecturing, making excuses or arguing, and you put your hand up between you: talk to the hand. The full version adds “’cause the face ain’t listening.”

It’s rude, but theatrically rude, and it was often played for laughs. Spin-offs followed, like “talk to the finger.”

Examples

• “Sorry I’m late, the traffic was—” “Talk to the hand.”
• “He tried to explain and she just said, ‘Talk to the hand.’”
• “Talk to the hand ’cause the face ain’t listening.”

Where it came from

Dictionary.com places it in the 1990s and notes that many people credit the Fox sitcom Martin, starring Martin Lawrence (1992–1997), with popularizing it, though it may have been around before. It also got a famous movie moment when the Terminator says it to a cashier in Terminator 3 (2003).

Today you’ll mostly hear it as a joke or a throwback.

Related terms

• As if: “no way,” 90s style.
• Whatever: the ultimate shrug.
• Side-eye: a look of doubt.
• Shade: a subtle insult.

More throwback words are in our 90s slang guide.