# What do you say when silence falls over a group? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 26, 2016, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-say-when-silence-falls-over-a-group/764003 "2016-08-26T10:29:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-say-when-silence-falls-over-a-group/764003/1 "2016-08-26T10:29:40Z")
Someone on another board posted this question. I know there’s an answer, but I can’t come up with it. Maybe I’ll manage after the coffee kicks in. But for now, I appeal to the SD experts. “Yesterday I was at a party here in Provence (where I live) and someone asked if there was an equivalent English expression for the French “un ange passé” (an angel passed by) used for when everyone is dining at a table together and suddenly they all fall silent. I couldn’t think of one–can any of you?” ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-say-when-silence-falls-over-a-group/764003/2 "2016-08-26T10:34:12Z")
I had one group of friends, where someone would jump in and say “Lull…”, but I haven’t heard that as a general thing. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-say-when-silence-falls-over-a-group/764003/3 "2016-08-26T10:58:34Z")
By definition, nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-say-when-silence-falls-over-a-group/764003/4 "2016-08-26T11:00:17Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > By definition, nothing. Yeah, I kinda walked right into that one. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-say-when-silence-falls-over-a-group/764003/5 "2016-08-26T11:11:13Z")
“Who farted?” ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-say-when-silence-falls-over-a-group/764003/6 "2016-08-26T11:21:27Z")
Damnit! Ninja’d ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-say-when-silence-falls-over-a-group/764003/7 "2016-08-26T11:24:50Z")
I’d never think of saying anything. My culture (White American, middle-class, English-speaking) doesn’t do that. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-say-when-silence-falls-over-a-group/764003/8 "2016-08-26T11:27:40Z")
This never happens at all in my culture because nobody ever shuts up. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-say-when-silence-falls-over-a-group/764003/9 "2016-08-26T11:43:30Z")
Can’t think of an equivalent - closest thing would be some wag always asking if it’s 20 to or after the hour. ---
**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-say-when-silence-falls-over-a-group/764003/10 "2016-08-26T11:58:56Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Can’t think of an equivalent - closest thing would be some wag always asking if it’s 20 to or after the hour. I remember that. It was a truism when I was a teenager back in the 70s. Someone said it was because Lincoln died at 20 after the hour. (Yes, I know, that’s obviously nonsense. I wish I could use being children as an excuse for even considering it, but we were probably 12–15 at the time.) ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-say-when-silence-falls-over-a-group/764003/11 "2016-08-26T12:10:19Z")
I usually point it out by saying aloud “awkward silence”. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-say-when-silence-falls-over-a-group/764003/12 "2016-08-26T12:15:39Z")
“18 minute gap” since for a while it would happen around 18 minutes into our group dinners in college. As the pause lengthened a bit someone would say that and the conversation would start right back up. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-say-when-silence-falls-over-a-group/764003/13 "2016-08-26T12:20:58Z")
“Anyone?” (Now the group is thinking, “Wait, did he just ask a question? Dammit! Did I zone out again!”) ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-say-when-silence-falls-over-a-group/764003/14 "2016-08-26T12:43:45Z")
It happens constantly in our (western Anglo) culture most often, I think, when everyone starts eating seriously after table talk before hand, and someone _has_ to say, “it must be really good,” because of an “embarrassing” silence. I never liked it, because it interrupts and is unnecessary. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-say-when-silence-falls-over-a-group/764003/15 "2016-08-26T12:51:44Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > “18 minute gap” since for a while it would happen around 18 minutes into our group dinners in college. As the pause lengthened a bit someone would say that and the conversation would start right back up. It would be interesting to learn the history of that expression within your group of friends. I’d guess that someone initially coined it in reference to [Rose Mary Woods’ famous 18 minute gap](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nixon_White_House_tapes#The_18.C2.BD_minute_gap), and at some point that reference was forgotten and a new “explanation” was coined, referring to the time at which it happened in your group. –Mark ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-say-when-silence-falls-over-a-group/764003/16 "2016-08-26T13:06:27Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > It would be interesting to learn the history of that expression within your group of friends. I’d guess that someone initially coined it in reference to [Rose Mary Woods’ famous 18 minute gap](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nixon_White_House_tapes#The_18.C2.BD_minute_gap), and at some point that reference was forgotten and a new “explanation” was coined, referring to the time at which it happened in your group. No, it was a direct reference to Rosemary Woods, everyone knew exactly where it came from. This was the early 80’s. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-say-when-silence-falls-over-a-group/764003/17 "2016-08-26T13:09:50Z")
“Not enough booze” ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-say-when-silence-falls-over-a-group/764003/18 "2016-08-26T14:08:52Z")
I don’t say anything. I [enjoy the silence](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0AKJMGxwpE). ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-say-when-silence-falls-over-a-group/764003/19 "2016-08-26T14:23:01Z")
“Beuller? … Bueller?” ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2016, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-say-when-silence-falls-over-a-group/764003/20 "2016-08-26T14:27:16Z")
There is a German term specifically for the silence that may occur when everyone is busy tucking in: _gefräßiges Schweigen_ (voracious silence). I have encountered that situation: everyone is eating someone comments on that: _Gefräßiges Schweigen._ everyone smiles and nods, someone else may comment on the tastiness of the food either conversation resumes, or everyone goes back to the serious business of eating. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-say-when-silence-falls-over-a-group/764003.md?page=2)