📞 Don’t Call Us, We’ll Call You: Rejection with a Smile 😬
So, you’ve just experienced the classic brush-off: “Don’t call us, we’ll call you.” Mostly encountered in the audition and job interview realms, it’s a relatively polite way to tell someone they’re not quite making the cut, dating back to the mid-1940s. Whether you’re aspiring to be the next Broadway star or just trying to land that nine-to-five office gig, for many, it’s a phrase synonymous with rejection.
But did you know it originated in the theater? After a less-than-stellar performance, it’d be a gentle way to say, “Thanks, but no thanks.”
Related and Similar Terms
- Let you down easy - To reject someone in a gentle or kind manner.
- The jury is out - Decision pending, but in a context, it often means the decision-lead to a likely dismissal.
- Out of the running - Clearly, no longer being considered a candidate.
Proverbs, Expressions, and Common Phrases
- Thank you very much - Said without genuine gratitude, often implying rejection.
- We’ll be in touch - A softer form of the inevitable disappointment, suggesting future contact that’s unlikely to happen.
- Don’t quit your day job - A humorous yet cutting way to hint someone won’t make it in their attempted new career and should stick to what they know.
- Pass the buck - Avoid taking responsibility, often a means of rejecting someone or something indirectly.
- “This isn’t goodbye; it’s see you never.” - A witty take on a final cut-off without the chance of future engagement.
Humorous Quotes
“Rejection is simply redirection, a course correction.” - Bucket Teer, The Chronic Optimist
“They laugh at me because I’m different; I laugh at them because they’re all the same.” - Kurt Cobain
“Thanks to my rejection letter collection, I now have a substantial fire hazard in my office.” - Sylvia Print, aspiring novelist.
Literature, Books, Songs, Poetry, and Movies References
Books: “Invitation to a Beheading” by Vladimir Nabokov – where the protagonist is incessantly kept in suspense. “The Bell Jar” by Sylvia Plath – incorporates personal and professional rejections amid mental struggles.
Songs: “Smile” by Lily Allen – Discusses the bitterness that follows an undesired end. “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele – Powerful lyrics reflecting on facing rejection.
Poetry: “The Patience of Ordinary Things” by Pat Schneider – Simple yet complex, like waiting indefinitely after a rejection.
Movies: “La La Land” – Struggling actors and musicians’ careers laden with rejection on their journey to stardom. “The Pursuit of Happyness” – Combines the struggle and rejection, persevering for success.
Published by Infinite Jest Press. Authored by E. Z. Letdown. The next time you face rejection, remember it’s just a stepping stone, not the end of the road. Keep pushing forward because every rejection is one step closer to an eventual yes!
