take a rain check
Accept later instead
To take a rain check is to decline an offer or invitation while expressing interest in accepting it another time: I can't make dinner tonight, but can I take a rain check?
The phrase comes from tickets issued when baseball games were rained out, allowing admission to a future game.
Rain checks are also vouchers stores issue when sale items run out.
Assign a different time
- delayEnforced waiting period
- deferDelay or submit
- put offTo postpone action
- postponeDelay to later time
later · another time · hold off · push back · tentative · pending · future · upcoming
Move beyond or decline
- bow outVoluntarily leave a situation
- opt outDecline to participate
- skipTo deliberately exclude
- missFail to reach
can't make it · prior commitment · conflict · unavailable · busy · regrets · apologies · next time
reschedule
Assign a different time
postpone · later · another time · hold off · push back · tentative · pending · future · upcoming · next time
pass
Move beyond or decline
miss · can't make it · prior commitment · conflict · unavailable · busy · regrets · apologies · next time · maybe later
- Weather Idiomsunder the weather, weather the storm, calm before the storm, every cloud has a silver lining, silver lining
- refusalsno, decline, no thanks, refuse, nope