People who have accidentally waved back at someone who wasn’t waving at you, what did you do immediately after to try and style it out?

r/

People who have accidentally waved back at someone who wasn’t waving at you, what did you do immediately after to try and style it out?

Comments

  1. GarlicWaxEnema Avatar

    I scratched my balls and offered him a sniff.

  2. PaddywackShaq Avatar

    Pretended I was waving at someone behind them

  3. Crocodile_Banger Avatar

    Do it overly confident. Smile at the person and wave even more enthusiastic. It will just make them laugh cause they’ll think you did it on purpose

  4. MiguelIstNeugierig Avatar

    Evacuate the perimeter 🏃‍♂️💨

  5. stekkedecat Avatar

    just own up to the mistake and put your hand to your mouth…

  6. cloudywater1 Avatar

    Run my fingers thru my hair… except I am Bald so it just doubled down on the awkwardness

  7. chakkerakeli Avatar

    act like trying to fix your hair

  8. brokenmessiah Avatar

    Nothing.

    Embrace the moment.

  9. iThrowaway72 Avatar

    Nothing, just felt embarrassed

  10. Butler_Gonzalo Avatar

    I committed fully. Gave them double finger guns and a wink.    They looked genuinely concerned. I haven’t been outside since.

  11. hellminton Avatar

    I killed 9 people excluding them but including the one who they meant to wave at. I told that person if they ever let somebody make a mistake like that it would be much worse. Everybody clapped. I woke up, it was a coma. I actually lived a fruitful life for 20 years and began a small family but then I woke again. Classic double coma bro frat party prank, they put nitroglycerin in my Tylenol pm syrup!!

  12. double-you Avatar

    It’s okay to make mistakes like that.

  13. marius_knaus Avatar

    Leave the country. Start somewhere new where nobody knows your face.

  14. CrashBandibru Avatar

    Keep walking, it’s pretty simple.

  15. LakeShowBoltUp Avatar

    I owned it. Just said I didn’t want to leave them hanging.

  16. jcmush Avatar

    Ran with it. Made them think they’d failed to acknowledge a distant acquaintance.

    Followed by a decade of depression and alcohol abuse

  17. Mysterious-Life0 Avatar

    Pretended to wave to someone behind them.

  18. Supersonicfizzyfuzzy Avatar

    I like to look behind me at the person they were waving at, then look back to them and make eye contact before putting my hands in my pocket and walking away sadly.

  19. 1dalygnus Avatar

    I immediately become invisible

  20. SheSaidScroll Avatar

    Stopped a cab with the same wave 👋🥲

  21. Athidius Avatar

    Kept waving, hoping they’d wave back so I could save face. I’ve been waving ever since..

  22. sailaway4269now Avatar

    Look down in disgrace

  23. TheHarkinator Avatar

    Look down, walk away and curse each bit of ground I step upon thereafter for not opening up and swallowing me.

  24. thrussie Avatar

    Walked away then KMS

  25. w0fIvHv034Ei Avatar

    Continue to wave. as though you were beckoning to someone behind them. There you have it! Repaired!

  26. SpongegirlCS Avatar

    If close enough say sorry I thought you were someone.

  27. Psychological_Mess20 Avatar

    I just smile and pretend I’m mental.

  28. Lethalmouse1 Avatar

    Depends on the mood, sometimes you turn it into a new interaction. Other times you just wander off. 

  29. Dry-Taste4378 Avatar

    Smile and just act nothing happened

  30. epigenie_986 Avatar

    Just laugh, shrug and shake your head. Own up to the mistake and laugh it off.

  31. MorsOmnibusCommunis Avatar

    I turned State’s Witness and got into WitPro.

  32. MsPooka Avatar

    Embrace the awkward.

  33. This-Complex-669 Avatar

    I consider the consequences of becoming a serial killer to cover up this embarrassment.

  34. NiceTrySuckaz Avatar

    I’ll typically fake a seizure

  35. Blame_Bobby Avatar

    I look behind then back at the waver, then chuckle “whoops!” before continuing on with my day.

  36. aurora_ethereallight Avatar

    I fully committed… In my defence I’d just completed a charity run… I thought they were people I knew who had come to support… not so much… so… I just carried on walking and eventually found my partner and the group of my friends. 😁 Oopsy!

  37. Kegkeeg Avatar

    Laughing and continuing my day without shame or regret.

  38. sinixis Avatar
  39. Dear-Boysenberry5874 Avatar

    I just pretended I didn’t notice. I waved and went back to my phone

  40. Melancholic84 Avatar

    Just pretended to be stretching my arms

  41. Chemical_Accident992 Avatar

    Generally feel like an idiot.

  42. letscallitanight Avatar

    Sat down waiting for my take out. Woman behind register kept looking at me. I gave her a very quick awkward smile and she immediately turned away, embarrassed. Picked up food, turned around, and realized I was sitting under a large mirror. She was looking at herself the whole time.

  43. E_R_K_S Avatar

    I kept smiling and waving. The other guy saw me and freaked out.

  44. Putrid-Presentation5 Avatar

    I just laughed maniacally. I don’t think it helped.

  45. MisoClean Avatar

    Wave harder!!! Start waving at everyone. No one is safe

  46. DanishWonder Avatar

    I just laughed it off. I think it happens to everyone.

  47. Only_Diamond4751 Avatar

    I don’t. I simply smile, nod my head, and confidently walk away. It’s only awkward if you make it awkward. It’s a simple mistake.

  48. Mindless_Road_2045 Avatar

    I start awkwardly running towards them which an awkward limp and gait hat a little crooked and then yell “have you seen my baseball?”

    (Some people might understand)

  49. poncho5202 Avatar

    just keep waving like you’re waving at somebody else and they think they’re dumb for thinking they are the centre of the universe so someone waving MUST be waving at them. maybe even call out a name or a greeting

  50. Right-Progress-1886 Avatar

    I once passed Jeff Healey (look him up) and waved to him from across the room.

  51. ProbablyASockPuppet Avatar

    just say “I thought you were washing at me, my bad”

  52. Isaiditfirst1 Avatar

    I thought an employee at Walmart was waving me over to start a new line. The line I was in was super long and I thought it was just me getting lucky. I even pointed at myself to confirm he was in fact waving at me and he nodded yes. When I got off the line and started pushing my cart over he just walked away. I left my cart where it was and left the store.

  53. turboyabby Avatar

    I’ve done this while driving my car.
    Thought they were waving at me, I went for the return wave, quickly realised their wave wasn’t aimed at me, so I continue my hand action, up to the sun visor and pull it down. Cool as a cucumber, with dignity intact.

  54. Howboutnoho Avatar

    When i was a kid we actually use to do the opposite. My Dad loved playing the “wave game”. My sister, dad, and I would all start waving at someone as if we knew them while driving by. Loved seeing the look on their faces and we would laugh so hard. Good times..

  55. SpiteFar5406 Avatar

    We looked at each other for 3 seconds and shook the hands like we’d known each other for years.

  56. PonyPickle8 Avatar

    Broke into random star jumps… it was made more awkward as I was at a funeral.

  57. __echo_ Avatar

    Giggled at myself, shook my head, gestured sorry or don’t mind me if the person is confused and walked on 🙂

  58. Inevitable-Toe-8364 Avatar

    I just turned red and laughed confidently. In my defense, she was wearing a full hijab and niqab. I thought she was my classmate in one of my minor courses. She was not.

  59. RowDull4248 Avatar

    I don’t style it off , I just be myself and laugh at my own goofiness lol

  60. AquaDaniSurf Avatar

    Smiled and waved again and said “sorry” haha

  61. cant_stand Avatar

    Make friends and get a new bestie.

    Off topic, but one time me and a pal were walking down a corridor. Some guy lifted his hand for a random high five and he wouldn’t leave a guy hanging… The high five guy and the lass behind my friend were very confused. I thought it was brilliant.

  62. urabewe Avatar

    Own it. Laugh and if they are close enough literal say “oh shit I thought you were waving at me for some reason” and then move on.

    I’m too old to be embarrassed about things that are so common place and everyone does it that we can make reddit threads about it and everyone knows what’s up.

    Everyone does it, everyone falls, everyone stumbles over their words, don’t try to be sly just own your fuck ups. Life is way easier and you’ll be surprised how much owning those little things can lighten the situation.

  63. JamJm_1688 Avatar

    Y’know i have actually developed this sort of half-wave developed especially for one of these situations as i am visually impaired, i raise my hand to my chest and spread my fingers so that people notice that my hand has. infact moved, i then wave (onnly my wrist not the entire arm) twice (more or less depending on how convinced i am that they were waving/speaking to me) if they werent talking to me, i just adjust my glasses or itch somewhere or something, if they were, i can act all indignant that they didnt see me OBVOUSLY waving back, with a guiilt free conciense

  64. nuclearwomb Avatar

    Head down in shame and hide under rock for the rest of life.

  65. Thoracic_Snark Avatar

    I do it all the time when I’m not wearing my glasses while walking the dog. The other person doesn’t care. Just shrug and move on with your life.

  66. DeySeeMeLurkin Avatar

    I started jorking it.

  67. Lucinnda Avatar

    Used to be I would brush my hair back, pretending that’s why i raised my hand at all. Now, though, I pretend to be waving at someone behind THEM.

  68. Training_Winner3659 Avatar

    Just wave back and own it. Only one asked why Inwave and my answer was he looked so happy to see me I just couldn’t let him down. At least we both added a little positivity to each others day a d that was worth it.

  69. CplWilli91 Avatar

    Own my fuck up… Ahhh, it wasn’t for me. Damn

  70. shrumpdumpled Avatar

    Oh core awkward memory unlocked.
    A million years ago I lived in an apartment near my university. I had an old fashioned landline that lived on an upturned wicker basket in the lounge room.

    The phone was near a window but because we were on the second floor nudity wasn’t really an issue because the window couldn’t be seen from street level. Hence we weren’t too particular about closing the flimsy curtain.

    I hear the phone ring and come barrelling out of the bathroom to answer it. I’m starkers. Anyhoo I start chatting away and then idly turn around to find a telecommunications worker up the telephone pole at pretty much eye level.

    I stare at him, he stares at me, neither of us really knowing what to do. Some social reflex makes me half wave. Even as my hand is moving I’m thinking “wtf are you doing?”. He waves back, awkwardly.

    And then there is nothing for me to do but pretend I forgot something in my bedroom and affect a casual half walking, half dancing (why????) retreat while this poor workman tries to find something to plausibly engage his attention while thirty feet off the ground.

  71. ApexOverlordIsDrunk Avatar

    I simply stop waving and go back to what I was doing. It looked natural. Nobody knew who or what I was waving at and I got out of the situation safely.

  72. maki23 Avatar

    Just turn back and that’s it

  73. TheDevilsAdvokaat Avatar

    Kept walking with a fixed smile and pretended I was waving to someone behind them. Didn’t stop waving until I had walked past them.

  74. cochlearist Avatar

    I like to wave at people cleaning their windows to make them feel less alone.

  75. dekkanrhee Avatar

    Cute girl waved at me. I didn’t know her, but I waved back. She gave me a confused look as she approached. There was another cute girl behind me that she was waving to. As she approached, she asked “Do I know you?”

    I responded with: “You’re Amber, right? From the escort site? You look a lot shorter in person. Did you invite a friend to join us?”

    She looked horrified, said no, and she and her friend walked away (quickly).

    If I’m going to be embarrassed, I may as well go all-in.

  76. Brianderboss Avatar

    It was actually my friends cousin who I didn’t know at the time, she laughed about it and I cringed internally. Later got to knew her though, she’s been my wonderful girlfriend for 2 years now

  77. Striking_Worth_1004 Avatar

    there is no way to recover from this tbh. especially when they’re also walking toward you. after several humiliations, i just switched to assuming that anyone waving is clearly not waving at me and i haven’t publicly humiliated myself since

  78. Times-New-WHOA_man Avatar

    Kept waving and looked past them over their shoulder.

  79. Due_Industry_638 Avatar

    I go towards them and act like i know them genuinely so they get confused and think who is this guy am i forgetting someone

  80. DavoDinkum139 Avatar

    Continued waving, only more frantically.

  81. Shezzofreen Avatar

    Keep waving, looking “thru” the person i waved to … and moving on until (hopefully) the earth devours me or there is a corner i can hide…

  82. riafromsomewhere Avatar

    I just casually pretended I was in a secret wave competition, giving the most dramatic nods and smirks as if I’d just won the gold. Because nothing says “I meant to do that” quite like a full-on theatrical performance.

  83. Icy-Computer-Poop Avatar

    Yell loudly, “FINE! Don’t wave back you misanthropic guttersnipe!”