I spent much of the night at a party at a friend's house and before heading home, I heard for the very first time the expression "an Irish goodbye." Little did I know there is a term that precisely describes something I've become an accomplished practicioner of. Here is the Wikipedia definition:
Irish goodbye is a slang term with its origins in the Irish-American neighborhoods of New York City and Boston. The term refers to the practice of inconspicuously leaving a place where one has gathered with friends (usually for quite some time) without ever formally announcing that one is leaving. Note that an Irish goodbye requires a conscious decision by the person to leave without bidding adieu. It is a decision that reflects the leaver's dislike of making himself the center of attention, an austere disdain for showy and perhaps empty formalities, and the essential existential coldness that lies at the heart of all Irishmen. The Irish goodbye also allows a person to disappear from a function with the utmost expediency without spending extra time on "thank-yous" etc.
Wow. I am revealed!
