Would you think an email that signed off 'cheers' was dumb?

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I sign off like this sometimes. It seems ridiculous.

― maryann (maryann), Saturday, 10 December 2005 00:08 (twenty years ago)

but it's not.

― jed_ (jed), Saturday, 10 December 2005 00:09 (twenty years ago)

I use cheers all the time! I don't know where the habit came from.

― Trayce (trayce), Saturday, 10 December 2005 00:12 (twenty years ago)

my iranian friend does this. i don't tell him it's dumb but it smacks of, "I'M FOREIGN!"

― caitlin oh no (caitxa1), Saturday, 10 December 2005 00:12 (twenty years ago)

also, it's not dumb

― caitlin oh no (caitxa1), Saturday, 10 December 2005 00:12 (twenty years ago)

It might sound weird to an American, if it came from a non-Brit or a non-Aussie.

(xpost with caitlin)

― k/l (Ken L), Saturday, 10 December 2005 00:13 (twenty years ago)

No. I wouldn't. And I'd think anyone that thought it was dumb was dumb.

― hobart paving (hobart paving), Saturday, 10 December 2005 00:15 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, it's not dumb. Maybe it's even preferable to "Regards" and "Warm Regards."

― k/l (Ken L), Saturday, 10 December 2005 00:16 (twenty years ago)

my professors do this when sending informal e-mails.

― Maria (Maria), Saturday, 10 December 2005 00:23 (twenty years ago)

i *always* do this. i'm cheered that people don't think it dumb. cheers.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Saturday, 10 December 2005 00:25 (twenty years ago)

No, but I think it depends on the sender, but sometimes it's sort of nice and funny when people use expressions that might be borrowed. Small children do this!

PS Hi, Maria! Hi, maryann!

― youn, Saturday, 10 December 2005 00:26 (twenty years ago)

Is it particularly a brit/aussie thing, then?

― Trayce (trayce), Saturday, 10 December 2005 00:26 (twenty years ago)

I always use this - I do sometimes worry if it makes me a fake britisher, but english isn't my native language so I don't think using an american expression would be less fake (less annoying, certainly.)

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Saturday, 10 December 2005 00:27 (twenty years ago)

No, I wouldn't.

― luna (luna.c), Saturday, 10 December 2005 00:27 (twenty years ago)

i do this. lots of people do it. it seems to be on the upswing actually among non-brits. so you english can be happy that you still have some influence on something.

― kyle (akmonday), Saturday, 10 December 2005 00:29 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, it's not dumb. Maybe it's even preferable to "Regards" and "Warm Regards."

"with love and squalor..."

― thorstein veblen (Jody Beth Rosen), Saturday, 10 December 2005 00:29 (twenty years ago)

I think it makes you sound dumb and only do it when I want to sound dumb or blend in with the male lawyers

― cozen (Cozen), Saturday, 10 December 2005 00:30 (twenty years ago)

The truth be told, I knew a really crazy South American guy who used to sign off like this- actually he would write "cheers from the Pampas" - but I'm trying hard not to hold this against any of you.

― k/l (Ken L), Saturday, 10 December 2005 00:30 (twenty years ago)

nah doesn't really make you sound dumb really, thinking about it

it's just ugly but hey it's just an e-mail!!

― cozen (Cozen), Saturday, 10 December 2005 00:31 (twenty years ago)

Could one also sign off "ta"?

― k/l (Ken L), Saturday, 10 December 2005 00:33 (twenty years ago)

cozen, cheer up! (please:))

― youn, Saturday, 10 December 2005 00:39 (twenty years ago)

totally dumb. worse than "ciao".

― nein Socken (nein Socken), Saturday, 10 December 2005 00:41 (twenty years ago)

When I get that from european senders it's just kind of annoying but from an american it's unforgivable. There are much better faux-brit pretensions to borrow than that one.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Saturday, 10 December 2005 00:42 (twenty years ago)

'ta' means thanks you, Ken, so you'd have to have cause for that. I use cheers all the time, except when it's very formal at work, or when I can use 'love' naturally.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Saturday, 10 December 2005 00:43 (twenty years ago)

yah, that. thanks walter.

cheers.

― nein Socken (nein Socken), Saturday, 10 December 2005 00:43 (twenty years ago)

Oh dear. I do this often if it's a thankyou email. I am a Britisher though, does that make it any better?

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Saturday, 10 December 2005 00:44 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, I wasn't sure, Martin. Maybe I was confused because "cheers" can also mean thank you, can't it?

― k/l (Ken L), Saturday, 10 December 2005 00:45 (twenty years ago)

you brits can get away with anything.

― nein Socken (nein Socken), Saturday, 10 December 2005 00:46 (twenty years ago)

we can bring up seinfeld w.near impunity I think

― cozen (Cozen), Saturday, 10 December 2005 00:46 (twenty years ago)

cheers mate

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Saturday, 10 December 2005 00:47 (twenty years ago)

didn't you start the cheers thing anyway? i can picture eric idle saying it.. for some reason.

― nein Socken (nein Socken), Saturday, 10 December 2005 00:48 (twenty years ago)

In the US, the accepted signoff is "later." That's more for a work email though. Casually you might say laterbro.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Saturday, 10 December 2005 00:52 (twenty years ago)

In Hawaii, you can also say "laters, bra"

― k/l (Ken L), Saturday, 10 December 2005 00:57 (twenty years ago)

love, naturally

― jed_ (jed), Saturday, 10 December 2005 00:58 (twenty years ago)

"frazier"

― Austin Still (Austin, Still), Saturday, 10 December 2005 01:01 (twenty years ago)

bro,

yeah OK why not?

SLICE,
cozenx

― cozen (Cozen), Saturday, 10 December 2005 01:02 (twenty years ago)

see ya!

― k/l (Ken L), Saturday, 10 December 2005 01:03 (twenty years ago)

haolis can't use hawaiian slang while in hawaii. that's like wearing the tshirt of the band you're going to see to the show.
and americans can't say cheers. they sound like complete assholes.

― nein Socken (nein Socken), Saturday, 10 December 2005 01:03 (twenty years ago)

But we ARE complete assholes, so it's okay!

― luna (luna.c), Saturday, 10 December 2005 01:10 (twenty years ago)

this just seems a bit stale. i use "take care," it's simultaneously affectionate and appropriately distant, so it works no matter who you're writing to.

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Saturday, 10 December 2005 01:20 (twenty years ago)

I've warmed to "take care". First few times I heard it tho it felt practically *offensive* - like, what sort of opinion do you have of me that you think that I need to be reminded to take care of myself?

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Saturday, 10 December 2005 01:28 (twenty years ago)

I use 'cheers' to round off emails but I am not entirely happy with it and wouldn't be averse to finding a replacement. But not 'take care' - to me that is something you say, not something you write (well actually I don't say it either but I feel I *might* say it, if I was drunk or something, but I could certainly never write it).

― Oak (small items), Saturday, 10 December 2005 01:30 (twenty years ago)

Fullstop

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Saturday, 10 December 2005 01:36 (twenty years ago)

-- Daniel_Rf (filosofiaebolacha...), December 10th, 2005.

Same! The funniest sign off is the nineteenth c. 'Your most humble, etc.'

― maryann (maryann), Saturday, 10 December 2005 04:03 (twenty years ago)

Also, the TV show 'Cheers' was American. That's what I'm referring to when I say 'Cheers'.

― maryann (maryann), Saturday, 10 December 2005 04:05 (twenty years ago)

"suck it bitch" is a good one too

― kyle (akmonday), Saturday, 10 December 2005 04:14 (twenty years ago)

'Cheers' only sound good when said by people from the UK. 'Cheers mate' is acceptable for an Australian if sufficiently drawled. It has already been noted upthread that Americans can't say it without sounding ridiculous. It goes both ways: an Englishman can't say, for example 'Yo dude you suck' without sounding wrong.

― moley, Saturday, 10 December 2005 04:20 (twenty years ago)

Also, the TV show 'Cheers' was American. That's what I'm referring to when I say 'Cheers'.

in america, "cheers" is an arcane way of saying "spirits" (i.e. BOOZE).

― thorstein veblen (Jody Beth Rosen), Saturday, 10 December 2005 08:21 (twenty years ago)

my iranian friend does this. i don't tell him it's dumb but it smacks of, "I'M FOREIGN!"

What if he's English?

― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Saturday, 10 December 2005 08:46 (twenty years ago)

http://www.safersouthwark.org.uk/ssp/content.nsf/0/7A5822668B7F8EE780256C820081F43F/$file/Race_Hate%20Hurts_poster.jpg

― fields of salmon (fieldsofsalmon), Saturday, 10 December 2005 09:57 (twenty years ago)

always or SLICE, people

― cozen (Cozen), Saturday, 10 December 2005 09:58 (twenty years ago)

Yeah K/L, cheers can also mean thankyou, but 'ta' can't also mean goodbye. I suspect the confusion also arises from 'tata' meaning goodbye.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Saturday, 10 December 2005 10:26 (twenty years ago)

I sometimes sign my emails with "ta", but then I often do with "thanks" as well. I think, possibly, that whenever I send someone an email it's because I'm asking them a favour that I didn't was too scared to over the phone.

― melton mowbray (adr), Saturday, 10 December 2005 10:38 (twenty years ago)

i often sign off with "thanks" too.

― thorstein veblen (Jody Beth Rosen), Saturday, 10 December 2005 10:41 (twenty years ago)

I use "best." However, I use "cheers" in actually ending spoken conversations all the time, especially over the phone.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Saturday, 10 December 2005 10:50 (twenty years ago)

"laters"

I might singing off with "cha", it just sounds right.

― jel -- (jel), Saturday, 10 December 2005 11:46 (twenty years ago)

where is the love for okthxbye?

― mark s (mark s), Saturday, 10 December 2005 11:46 (twenty years ago)

If it's a work email, I use the appalling "Many Thanks".

― jel -- (jel), Saturday, 10 December 2005 11:47 (twenty years ago)

okthxbye is what faux-pretentious britishes say insted of kthxbye HOW I ENVY THEM THEIR POST-IMPERIAL EASE

― mark s (mark s), Saturday, 10 December 2005 11:51 (twenty years ago)

me too! Does faux pretentious mean they are not actually pretentious?

okcha-ahlatersdude!

― jel -- (jel), Saturday, 10 December 2005 11:53 (twenty years ago)

mes influenced?

― youn, Saturday, 10 December 2005 11:55 (twenty years ago)

I'm partial to "Your Obedient Servant."
Or nothing at all. Just my initial on the line after the last sentence.

― Beth Parker (Beth Parker), Saturday, 10 December 2005 16:27 (twenty years ago)

i think i actually use "cheersdude" more than "cheers".

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Saturday, 10 December 2005 18:54 (twenty years ago)

I use the word 'cheers' 99% of the time to mean 'thankyou', and 1% of the time to mean 'join me in raising a glass of beer, my friend'. I had no idea anyone used it to mean 'goodbye' or 'best wishes'.

― Teh HoBB (the pirate king), Saturday, 10 December 2005 23:07 (twenty years ago)

I worked for a literary agent who had a three-tier system of 'yours sincerely', 'best wishes' and 'love' for business mail, which we the minions used to decode which clients were or were not in the shit.

An email signed off 'cheers' is usually from someone to do with work who is asking me to do some, so is no big issue and means thanks in British. I really, really hate 'ta' though - as if the person using it has decided you don't merit the full thank-you.

― suzy (suzy), Sunday, 11 December 2005 17:58 (twenty years ago)

'Cheers' is cheerful; 'toodle-oo' is dumb.

― Aimless (Aimless), Sunday, 11 December 2005 19:18 (twenty years ago)

hell, I even use "cheers", and I'm not "supposed" to say it.

― dali madison's nut (donut), Sunday, 11 December 2005 19:29 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, I use it too sometimes. Even though it seems kinda silly most of the time 5 seconds after I've hit "send".

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Monday, 12 December 2005 00:04 (twenty years ago)

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