Since being so honest can be embarrassing and awkward, many people scramble³ to come up with fake reasons for why they don't want to meet up with an eager admirer.

 

But it seems that some users of the secret-sharing Whisper app went to a whole lot of trouble to wriggle⁴ out of a less-than-appealing date, offering up excuses that are strange, imaginative, and sometimes totally unbelievable.

 

Clearly thrilled with their ingenious excuses, however, many people couldn’t wait to offer them up for public review - using the app's promise of anonymity⁵ to spill without repercussions⁶.

 

'I can't, I'm at Walmart,' one woman wrote when a man texted her about meeting up. When he checked in again three hours later to ask if she was home yet, she said: 'No, I'm still at Walmart.'

 

Some people blamed their pets for making them unavailable, with one saying: 'My pet ferret has anxiety attacks so I can't be away from him for too long or he'll get worried about me.'

 

'Sorry, I've got an appointment to get my cat declawed that night,' wrote another, before admitting to Whisper users that she didn't actually have a cat.

 

One person said her excuse was that her 'goldfish drowned' - and added that the guy she fed that line to believed her, indicating that she may have dodged⁷ a bullet.

 

Others told lies that tempted⁸ fate, creating fake personal tragedies that left them otherwise 'occupied'.

 

'Grandma was in the hospital,' one woman said she told a man who was pursuing her, before adding why the excuse almost didn't work: 'He offered to go with me.'

 

Another told a suitor: 'My friend just got in an accident and she's in the hospital.'

 

Of course, sometimes just saying that you're busy doesn't do the trick, as a determined⁹ person might continue to try to find a time that works. To prevent that possibility, some people just attempted to scare potential dates off.

 

'There's a porno¹⁰ of me circling the web right now. You OK with that?' wrote one, while another woman said she told a man: 'I have a male genitalia phobia.'

 

Then, naturally, there is the option of telling someone you play for a different team, as one woman showed when she told a man: 'I think I just found out I'm not into guys. I'm homosexual.'

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