Oct 25
Best? Best! Best what?
Cats: Uncategorized, words|Not to be a picky pedant, but why do people sign emails with “Best?”
Do they mean best regards? Best wishes? Best in show?
Best what?
I know that best means well. They could sign the email Worst, which wouldn’t be good at all. Best is definitely better than worst.
But “best” all by itself seems incomplete to me, like the signer forgot the rest. And I’m seeing it more these days, especially in email business correspondence.
Anyone know?
Best regards,
GT
October 25th, 2007 at 3:06 am
I have yet to receive a best wish. I must have a bunch of rude e-mailers writing me.
October 25th, 2007 at 3:19 am
I received an e-mail last week with “best”, I thought it was a mistake — you mean it wasn’t??!! WTF.
October 25th, 2007 at 4:36 am
I don’t mind “best”. I find it to be a nice, compact greeting, conveying “All the Best”.
October 25th, 2007 at 10:04 am
Oh I thought the people who were signing with best thought that I was the best in the world…. You have just shattered my dreams!!
October 25th, 2007 at 4:38 pm
Yeah, emails signed off with “best” always makes me roll my eyes. Same with “cheers.” Ick.
October 25th, 2007 at 5:28 pm
I say ‘cheers’
I’ve never seen ‘best’
Wishing you and yours best wishes in happiness, health, and wealth. This is your final notice.
October 25th, 2007 at 5:52 pm
Sorry, Dick. No offense. It does seem to be a guy thing.
What gets me about “cheers” is that it usually comes at the end of an email that doubles my workload or complicates my life in some crappy way and the mental image of the sender hoisting a pint to that ticks me off.
But I’m sure your emails aren’t like that, Dick. I just know I’d treasure an email from you no matter what.
October 25th, 2007 at 5:55 pm
Beth, that’s because you;re hanging with Dale, Espanya, and that gang of gangsters.
YAM, I thought so at first too, but no, I’ve seen it a lot.
Deepti – welcome back btw, all the best, oh, I see. Still don’t like it – it’s incomplete or something.
Rowan, sad when the doormat of life gets yanked out from under you like that…
Lori, I use cheers all the time – to say goodbye or thank you. Can’t imagine someone SAYING best.
Dick, best may not have made it to the interior of BC, but it’s like the flu, it will get there sooner or later. Thanks for the BEST wishes, mate.
October 25th, 2007 at 6:01 pm
Lori, an email from Dick is always entertaining
In person, he’s a classic.
October 25th, 2007 at 6:02 pm
And I doubt he would take offense.
October 26th, 2007 at 7:13 am
Way to back paddle Lori. The ego stroke was a nice touch.
.
Then an ego stroke from GT…great way to start the day
GT is accurate in saying that I would not take offense, I am far to mentally lazy to bother with such emotions.
Bottoms up.
October 26th, 2007 at 5:20 pm
I have actually heard people say it. Ok, bye, best!!!
Best this, m(&ther((@@&er
October 27th, 2007 at 5:05 am
You know all the best people.
October 29th, 2007 at 11:17 am
Jacy, no, really? Gag me…
Dale, I know you, doesn’t that speak for itself?
October 30th, 2007 at 6:17 am
I also cringe at the “best” sign-off. But it beats something I got from a student once: “besties.”
I didn’t know what I was supposed to do, or how I was to look the student in the eye after that. Somehow it made me feel dirty, like I needed one of those Silkwood showers with metal brushes.
I often use “cheers,” especially when I write to my Mormon family, because I never get to say it to them over a glass of beer.
when I write real letters, I always end them, “Very truly yours,” even though I’m not, very or truly, just about anybody’s.
October 30th, 2007 at 12:21 pm
Ok, I confess. I sign off “bests” short for best regards because I hate “cheers.”
Don’t particularly like bests and woudn’t use it without the “s” but it works for me.
Bests,
Tearfree
June 15th, 2009 at 9:13 pm
I just googled “why do people sign emails with “best,”" and this was the top hit. While the above discussion was entertaining, I didn’t think it got to the root of the question – why has this become popular? It’s definitely an American thing (don’t know if it’s spread to Canada too though).
I don’t like it at all and it tells me something about the person writing it – it sends a very strong signal about the person, it makes me feel they are very superficial. However, maybe this could be due to the fact that everyone I know who uses it is indeed superficial in person too.
“Cheers” isn’t as bad, but maybe I’ve gotten used to that from being in England and Australia. People say “cheers” meaning “thanks” all the time in England, and increasingly in Australia. Signing an email with “Thanks” isn’t at all offensive to me, so “cheers”, while less sincere and not as appropriate as “thanks” may have a more casual feel to it.
But that brings me back to the real question – why did people start saying “best”? It sounds like a joke to me, like a tongue-in-cheek way of making fun of all the “best regards” and “best wishes” we claim to be sending, despite not meaning it a lot of the time. Perhaps it has migrated from being a joke sign-off to being considered an actual stylistic option.
Although superficial-sounding, at least to me, it does have a cordial tone, similar to that other favourite, “regards”. Maybe people feel “Best” is warmer and more polite than “regards”, yet still conveys the same sense of distance and unfamiliarity with the recipient!
Just my two cents (<- a phrase that is increasingly overused, only included it to make fun of it)
Sincerely
Meconium