How to escape from a bad date

Leaving a Date without Making a Scene

Sometimes a date turns out so terribly that there is no hope of turning it around. Perhaps she had too many glasses of wine with dinner and is a sloppy drunk. Maybe you have discovered that you are fundamentally incompatible with each other and do not want to waste more time on a dead-end date. These polite tricks to end a bad date are not as transparent as having a friend call you with a made-up emergency, but are just as effective.

Pretend you have an appointment to go to

A pretend appointment is a believable excuse to end a date early. However, it only works under a particular set of circumstances. You must have spent a reasonable amount of time with her already. Saying you have an appointment five minutes into an awkward date is an obvious lie. It needs to be a daytime date- nobody schedules appointments at night. Also, this trick will not work if you told her that you have nothing else planned for your day. This technique is fairly straightforward: look at your watch, politely tell her that it was nice to see her but you have an appointment to go to. Settle the cheque and leave immediately- before she can ask you when you are free to see her again!

Fake an illness

Disappear to the bathroom a few times. After returning for the last time, apologise and explain that you do not feel very well. There is no need to make up graphic details- she will assume that it is bad. This works especially well if you are relying on her to drive you home. It also provides an excuse for never contacting her, as she will assume that you are just embarrassed due to feeling unwell.

Ask if she thinks you are a good match

This move takes a lot of courage. Use it when you have discovered that you are incompatible with her, for example if you have very different values. Straight out ask her if she thinks that you could be the one for her. This puts the onus on her to admit that your date is going nowhere. While the question itself is somewhat rude, you can actually end the date in quite a friendly way. Thank her for meeting with you, and make your exit.

Tell her you have a friend that would be interested

Be upfront and tell her that you do not have a lot of common ground with her, and that she is not quite what you are looking for. However, soften the blow by telling her that you know someone who would be very interested in dating her. Ask her if it is okay to pass on her number to your friend. Now, it is nice if you have a friend in mind and actually intend on giving him her details, but it is not necessary. If none of your friends would go near her, she will just assume that your fictional friend is not interested when he fails to contact her.

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