Talk to the hand
"Talk to the hand" (or "tell it to the hand") is an English language slang phrase associated with the 1990s. It originated as a contemptuous way of saying that no one is listening, and is often elongated to a phrase such as "Talk to the hand, because the ear's not listening". A variant is "talk to the hand because the face don't understand!"
Meaning and usage
The phrase is often considered to be sarcastic or obnoxious. The phrase was popularized by actor and comedian Martin Lawrence in his 1992 sitcom Martin. The phrase is formally reported from as early as 1995, when a local Indianapolis magazine story noted "Talk to the hand — The phrase, which means, "Shut up", is accompanied by a hand in front of the victim's face".[1] It is usually accompanied by the gesture of extending one arm toward the other person, with the palm of that hand facing the person being insulted, in the manner of the gesture to stop. Use of the phrase was noted to be a passing trend, as one author noted in advising writers against the use of quickly dated slang: "Slang is trendy. Last year every young person I knew was saying 'Talk to the hand'. Now no one even remembers "Talk to the hand'".[2]
Lynne Truss, noted for authoring the bestselling Eats, Shoots & Leaves, used the phrase as the title and prime example in her 2006 book, Talk to the Hand: The Utter Bloody Rudeness of the World Today.[3]
Notable uses in popular culture
- In the second Austin Powers film, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999), Dr. Evil says "Talk to the hand, 'cause the face don't wanna hear it anymore."
- The gesture was used in the movie Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, where the male stripper in the opening scene used this gesture as a dismissal towards the T-850 Terminator when the Terminator demanded the dancer's clothes.[4] This gesture was then used by the Terminator himself throughout the movie when a gas station clerk asked him if he was going to pay for all the snacks that the Terminator walks out with. This connection was referenced to e.g. in Ultimate Comics: Avengers #1, when Captain America used this phrase and Nick Fury noted that the Captain was addicted to Daytime TV).
- An episode of The Simpsons included a reference to a fake sitcom—"'Talk to the Hand,' starring David Faustino".
- In the musical Jerry Springer: The Opera there is a song about the gesture in act 1 named "Talk to the Hand".
- A 2011 Coca Cola radio commercial features a talking iPhone app telling the phone's owner to "talk to the hand," to which the owner replies "No one says that anymore."
- "Talk to the Hand", is 6x11 episode of Dexter aired December 11, 2011
See also
Notes
- ^ Indianapolis Monthly (August 1995), Vol. 18, No. 14, p. 24.
- ^ Jack Rawlins, The Writer's Way (2001), p. 66.
- ^ Lynne Truss, Talk to the Hand: The Utter Bloody Rudeness of the World Today, Or Six Good Reasons to Stay Home and Bolt the Door (2006).
- ^ Richard Brown, Kevin S. Decker, Terminator and Philosophy: I'll Be Back, Therefore I Am (2009), p. 181.