Learn English – What does “talk to the hand” mean

connotationmeaningoffensive-languagephrasespoliteness

I saw the phrase "talk to the hand" on many funny stickers which seems like expressing the idea that you want to stop the topic or conversation which you feel uncomfortable or not interested in.

But I'm curious about what do English native speakers think about this saying? Is this offensive or impolite? Could the phrase be used with person I'm not very familiar with?

Best Answer

Talk to the hand ['cos the face ain't listening] stems from black English in the 1990s, often borrowed by the younger white generation as many urban sayings are.

To answer the question directly, it is offensive and impolite in any circumstances, albeit mildly so.

More information of interest here http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/1453_uptodate3/page19.shtml