Next best thing to the wedding ring

Apparently, there's a service called the The Rejection Hotline out there. If somebody asks you for your number and you don't want to give it out, you can give them one of these numbers instead. Then when the person calls it, they get a recorded message breaking the news to them. The logic is that a rejection straight out is embarassing for the rejectee, while giving out a fake phone number gives false hope that they may have gotten a digit wrong. With the rejection hotline, there's no ambiguity.

I could have used this service years ago when the best way to get a guy off your back was to ask for their number instead. And then promptly throw it in the nearest trash when they weren't looking. A lot of guys just didn't get it when you said you'd rather not give out your number.

Of course nowadays, I have something better than even the rejection hotline. I just hold up my finger. (No, not that one... I'm not that rude!) My wedding finger to show them that I'm off the market. It involves no talking or explanation, and works on all but the truly persistent.