Signing Off - What Do You Say?

[boxtops]

The TIA post prompts this.

What do you say at the bottom of an email, for informal business or to someone you don't know well?

I usually say "many thanks" - which doesn't really mean anything, just "thanks for reading this", I guess.

I have a huge dislike of "Kind Regards" - what the devil does that mean? I know several people who use it (or KR), and it always winds me up....

[jno]

I've never sent or received an email ending "faithfully", but "sincerely" still seems to be in use (though not often), so that's what I stick to when I'm being formal. "Yours etc" seems very Victorian - presumably short for "I remain, Sir, your most humble and obedient servant" or some such gibberish.

[boxtops]

I've never put "yours etc" in my life!

[Prudie]

I sign off all work e-mails with regards, kind regards or very occasionally thanks and that's also the way I receive them. Never thought it might wind people up though

[factor-fiction]

Someone I used to report to always signed off with "Take care". I sometimes felt it sounded a bit threatening (watch your back, etc)

[boxtops]

I guess it's a personal thing for me (and eccles), prudie - it seems unnecessarily formal to me - and some of the people who sign off "kind"ly haven't been particularly kind (or care whether I like it or not) in their emails. It seems false to me - as did the old Yours Truly, which I disliked heartily too...

However - each to their own!

[ladybirder]

I think emails are lightly less formal than letters though. Any correspondence with a solicitor in my younger days would be very formal but during my recent flat purchase we had a very informal exchange of emails starting with a Hi .... and both signing off with first name and a X.

Thanks Obiter, duly noted.

[horseshoes]

I'm also guilty of "kind regards" Boxy.

[Obiter]

One of the more peculiar valedictions I remember from years ago, (may have been a local thing, I don't know) was "...and oblige (signed).

[Buenchico]

I have used phrases such as 'regards', 'kind regards', and so on but only when replying to someone who has used that style in their email to me. Otherwise I just put 'Chris' if the email is to someone that I regularly communicate with, or my full name if it's a (possibly more formal) one-off email.

[Quizmonster]

Fin Taylor, the comedian, apparently said in his current Edinburgh Festival performance, "I never know how to end my e-mails without sounding pretentious" or words to that effect.

[BlueToffee]

It's........a bientôt.......from me

[andy-hughes]

I think sign-offs depend on age.

Those of us brought up to sign letters correctly - Dear Sir with Yours Faithfully, and Dear Name with Yours Sincerely, probably have trouble dropping those age-old ingrained courtesies, even in the modern world of e-mail.

I usually sign Best Wishes, or Best, and I will put a kiss if it it to someone I would kiss when meeting or leaving in person - otherwise not.

[Sipowicz]

I thought "yours etc" was said by someone dictating a letter to a secretary, indicating to her to put the correct method of ending the letter.

[boxtops]

I see what you mean about the Indian subcontinent, I found these gems when researching the "and oblige" term.... http://englishbooknote.blogspot.co.uk/p/application.html

[kvalidir]

If it's formal or a complaint I'm super formal- ' Yours sincerely' or 'Yours faithfully'- I reckon you can never be too formal if it's a complaint. If it's someone I know but don't know, I usually use 'Kind Regards' or ' Best' and if it's someone I really know then either just my name, or 'hugs'. I really like formal letter writing, especially complaining, I think it's a real art being a moaning pain and still being polite:)

[boxtops]

A couple of people have said they sign "Best" - I guess that is short for Best Wishes, but doesn't it look odd just to write Best? I've never seen that one in practice.

[Obiter]

Try this one if you really want to take the proverbial...

"Written by my hand on this, the thirteenth day of August in the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand and Fourteen" followed by signature.

[Khandro]

boxtops; //I have a huge dislike of "Kind Regards" - what the devil does that mean?//
It means, kind regards, what are you on about?

[boxtops]

Khandro - many people put Kind Regards at the bottom of an email whether or not they are kindly disposed to the person they are writing to. I just don't like it - it doesn't mean anything to me.

[Khandro]

boxy; I put it to nearly everybody. I don't think it's about being kindly disposed, more about good manners, and one of the hardest job young people face today is learning good manners without seeing any examples of it.
In answer to your question though, I sometimes sign off to close friends with, Cheers! :0)