Talk to the hand — means?

Means: I'm not listening; usually with a palm up.

Talk to the hand — came from?

Came from: '90s stand-up and sitcoms; Martin Lawrence's show is often credited.

Slang Files · 🙄 Dismissals & burns

G33Z3R Slang Files · 1996–1999

Where did "talk to the hand" come from?

Talk to the hand

Means: I'm not listening; usually with a palm up
Came from: '90s stand-up and sitcoms; Martin Lawrence's show is often credited
Peak: 1996–1998
Still around?: Ironically only

🗳️ Did you say it?

Be one of the first to weigh in. No account needed.

The file

The full version was longer and less polite, and the hand did the talking. It's the dismissal of the late '90s, the one with a gesture attached, and it went from the sitcom to the cafeteria in a season.

It dated fast and became the thing people said to mock the late '90s. The palm is still recognized.

Sources: Wiktionary — Talk to the hand

Who did you say "Talk to the hand" to? Tell us where and when.

The drive, the dance, the heartbreak, the summer. Add a memory of Talk to the hand.

Where did "talk to the hand" come from?

The file

Who did you say "Talk to the hand" to? Tell us where and when.

Community Memories

More from the Slang Files

Where did "as if" come from?

Where did "…not!" come from?

When did "whatever" become a dismissal?

What did "bogus" mean in the '80s?