So, there you are, by the bar or at the cafe getting a bagel, and you can already hear the cheesy pick-up lines coming from the guy who is walking towards you. You start to panic while wondering how to respond to pick up lines.
Well, knowing how to respond to whatever pick-up lines he throws at you will depend on the scenario itself. Knowing how to respond also depends on whether you want to let him down easy or not.
Let’s take a look at some of the most popular pick-up lines and discuss how to respond to pick up lines:
6 ways how to respond to pick up lines on dating sites/apps
The point of dating apps is obviously to find dates or a potential partner, but few fit the criteria you want. Many prospects have ridiculous approaches that make lead them to rejection right away, and you’ll have to respond in a way that reflects that you’re not interested.
Here are six ways on how to respond to pick up lines on dating sites/apps:
01“Can I get a picture of you to show Santa what I want for Christmas?”
This line only applies to sites that don’t show profile pictures right away. This is what you can say:
“That depends on whether you’re on my naughty or nice list.”
Sure, this response is a little flirty, but it’s a dating site for Christ’s sake! You can have a little fun with it.
Photo by Mike Arney under Unsplash License
02“If you were a vegetable, you’d be a cute-cumber.”
This pick-up line seems to get worse as the years go by, and this is one that will definitely continue to be one of those lines that never gets old. Here’s what you can say:
“Hmm, by those standards, that would make you corn?”
This pick-up line means that you think he’s corny. If he’s smart, he’ll pick up on that and hopefully never speak to you again!
03“Hey, I’m writing an article on the finer things in life, and I was wondering if I could interview you.”
If you’re not impressed, here’s what you can say:
“I’ll have to check my schedule and get back to you on that.”
It is good to say this if you don’t have time to speak to him, or maybe, you have better prospects lined up. Either way, it’ll say to the person that you’re not impressed.
04“Are you a bank loan because you have my interest!”
It’s not terrible, but it’s not good either. You can respond like this:
“You should refinance.”
Refinancing a loan simply means that a person needs to go to another financial institution and take out another loan to pay it off, which typically has a better interest rate than that of the initial loan.
Saying this answer means that he should be interested in finding someone else because you aren’t impressed by his line.
Image from rawpixel.com under Pexels License
05“If I could rearrange the alphabet, I’d put you and me together.”
This is perhaps one of the worst pick-up lines out there. This is how to respond to pick up lines that are this bad:
“I think that they’re fine where they are. In fact, maybe they should be further apart in the alphabet.”
A response like this says that you do not share the same interest in him as he does for you, and there is no chance that you will be together.
06“Well, here I am. What are your other two wishes?”
Clearly, this guy is confident. It’s a pity this response won’t boost his ego any more than it already has:
“I’d like to get back my three wishes.”
This response lets him know that you do not desire him in any way, and it’d be better if you both pretended as if this didn’t happen.
Photo by Kelly Jean on unsplash
6 ways to respond to pick-up lines from colleagues or classmates
The worst thing in the world is having a colleague or classmate who hits on you and whom doesn’t interest you. It makes things awkward, especially when you have to see that person every day.
So, here are six different ways on how to respond to pick up lines in these scenarios:
07“Do you have a pen on you? Awesome, I need help filing a workplace safety incident report because I just fell for you.”
Hmm, okay, maybe this is a good one, but you’re not interested; it doesn’t matter in that case. Here’s what you can say:
“Yes, but I’ll be too busy using my pen to file a harassment report for HR.”
This is a pretty big threat, so you may want to reserve it for the office creep. You may not want to use it on the sweet, awkward guy who probably Googled that line because he didn’t know what to say or how to tell you that he likes you.
This will surely make him back off completely.
Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash
08“Are you from accounting cause I’m a-counting on seeing you later.”
It’s cute that he thinks this play on words is enough to land him anywhere special. However, here’s what you can say to that:
“No, I’m from [insert your actual department]. How may I assist?”
You can say this in a professional tone. It’s always important to keep things professional in the workplace.
A response like this lets him know that you are there for work, and you want to work only; this means you’re not there for any other purpose.
09“I seem to have lost my number, so can I borrow yours?”
That’s pretty cheesy right? This is your response:
“That’s fine, we can do all of the correspondence via our work emails.”
You can use this line whether your workplace uses email for corresponding or a work chat that is moderated/ censored by the HR department.
This lets him know that you are not up for talking outside of the workplace.
Photo by Webaroo.com.au on unsplash
10“I’m learning about the most important dates in history. Do you want to be one of them?”
This is a classic pick-up line when you’re with a classmate. Here’s how you can respond:
[Ask him to repeat multiple times]
When you pretend to not hear what he just said, in time he’ll realize that you are just pretending; this will likely make him give up. It will also make him realize how silly it sounds to be saying what he is saying.
11“You must be a perfect report card because I really want to take you home to show my parents.”
Okay, maybe this one is a little funny, and it may be okay if you laugh. Otherwise, you can respond by saying:
“If that’s the best you can come up with, maybe you should ask her about paying for a tutor.”
This response basically means that what he said was dumb, and he should go back to the drawing board. It’s good because it’ll force him to retreat or rethink his pick-up line.
12“Can I have your most significant digits?”
This is another way of asking for your number, but this is using a scientific way to make that request. This is a good response:
“I only have three, and they are 911.”
911 is the number for emergency services; this can mean that you either need help to get away from this weirdo, or he needs help to come up with a better line.
Whichever way he interprets it will likely get him to back away from you.
Photo by Matt Popovich on unsplash
6 ways to respond when a stranger uses a pick-up line
Strangers can hit you with pick-up lines at any time of the day and at any location; this means you need to be ready at any moment to reply to one. Here are six ways on how to respond to pick up lines from a stranger:
13“Hey sweet thang, want to feel my shirt? This is boyfriend material!”
Cringe! Who wants to go around touching random strangers? When he says this, you can respond with something like:
“No thanks, it looks a little common and cheap to me. I prefer couture.”
This is a good response for when you want him to pipe down that ego a little, and you want him to park himself in his shoes!
It lets him know that you’re not interested in what’s obviously an everywoman type of guy, or he could be a player too. You can use this answer when a guy tries to hit on you at a bar and looks like this type of person.
Photo by Eric T. on unsplash
14“So, where are we headed tonight, your place or mine?”
Can someone say creepy? There’s no way that’s happening, dude! Here’s a slick response:
“[Wink] Both. (He’ll look confused) You’ll head to your place, and I’ll head to mine!”
This is a pretty witty response that you can use to make both of you laugh, especially if he’s able to be a good sport about the rejection.
It says that there’s no way in hell that you’re going home with a random stranger, and he should enjoy his time alone at home tonight.
15“Are you from Tennessee? You’re the only ten I see.”
What is this, elementary school? He really needs to go back to the drawing board with this one. Here’s how you can send him there:
“Nah. I’m from [insert city/state you’re from]. How about you?”
This logical and literal response is definitely not something that he was expecting, and it will, without a doubt, throw him off guard. That’s exactly the plan, wasn’t it? So, hopefully he just walks away.
16“Hey gorgeous, are you a parking ticket because you sure have fine written all over you?!”
Well, well, well, if it isn’t the classic parking ticket pick-up line. Here’s your response:
“No, I wonder how you got your driving license.”
Yup, that’s it. You don’t even need to entertain the thought.
This will kill his vibe completely.
Photo by Heng Films on Unsplash
17“Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?”
This is another classic line. Hopefully, one day, men will realize that women appreciate effort and creativity; they don’t appreciate generations of recycled and reused pick-up lines.
Here’s a good response:
“Yes, it hurts a lot actually.”
You can say this with a completely straight face. You don’t want to appear to be joking.
This will make him feel awkward, and hopefully, it will cause him to walk away.
18“Hey there, can I have your name?”
This isn’t the worst pick-up line in the world, but when you’re not interested, you’re just not interested. This is what you can say:
“Why? Don’t you already have one?”
This sassy response will get the point across that you’re not interested in him at all. It’s good because it completely counters what he said, and he’ll have no time to react or come up with another cheesy line to use on you.
Final thought
The good thing about these ways on how to respond to pick up lines is that you can customize them to fit any situation. You can adapt them to any pick-up line that a guy may throw at you. Now, you can enjoy watching them crash and burn!
