Miss Manners: Is it rude to tell someone you’ve heard their story before?
How should I react when an acquaintance begins to tell me a story he has told before, and that I don’t care to hear again from start to finish?
I usually smile, gasp and interrupt him at the sentence break with a “Right!” as if he’s reminding me of the most charming anecdote I’ve ever heard. Simply telling him I’ve heard the story before seems blunt, and pretending I’ve never heard it is a lie. I’m sure you’re in this position often and have prepared a graceful response.Listening to a regurgitated story politely may be tedious, but calling it a lie strikes Miss Manners as overly dramatic.
It is not impolite to say, “Yes, you mentioned that!” so long as you can express it with genuine good nature, being sure to include the exclamation point.Miss Manners: How to split a check at a birthday mealIf you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.
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