Never mind

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For other uses, see Nevermind (disambiguation).

Look up never mind in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

"Never mind" was a frequent exclamation of Emily Litella, a character played by Gilda Radner on Saturday Night Live. For instance, see Memorable Quotes from "Saturday Night Live" (1975). It is considered by some^[who?] to be a shortening of "never you mind".^{[dubious – discuss]}

Miss Litella meant the third of the following Wiktionary definitions of "never mind":

don't worry
it doesn't matter
I was wrong; I withdraw the statement; pretend I didn't say it.

In saying "Never mind", Litella acknowledges her error in misapprehending some expression and speaking out about the perceived issue on national television.^[1] However, her cheery two-word apology, which she apparently considers sufficient to set things right, comically shows her lack of understanding of the havoc she has caused. Having learned nothing from the experience, she is back with a similar mistake (and another "Never mind!") in succeeding episodes.

Ironically, as someone whose hearing is obviously impaired, the Litella character is likely to have encountered the words "Never mind" in the second usage above, meaning that the speaker did not consider his or her words worth repeating in such a way that Litella could understand them. People who work with the deaf and hearing impaired are often advised not to say "Never mind" to them, since it can be interpreted as meaning that the person is not considered worth the effort required to re-convey the speaker's previous words.^[2]

"Never mind" was a running gag and a catch phrase during the character's 26 appearances in the Weekend Update portion of the comedy series.^[3] In quoting Litella, a person acknowledges a mistake, or that a previously-expressed concern is no longer to be considered valid. However, by imitating her distinctive way of saying those words, the person ironically conveys a more light-hearted, self-aware tone to the expression than does the character herself.

[edit] Beyond the Fringe

The same phrase was used in the sketch Aftermyth of War from the 1960 satirical show Beyond the Fringe. The character recalls World War II and a succession of occasions when his wife informs him of some disastrous development, to which he responds "Never mind, my dear, oi said to 'er. You put on the kettle, we'll have a nice cup of tea." ^[4]