Women have it easy. Really! Think about this. When a guy blows off or says 'no' to a girl - even if she looks like Johnny Lever in drag - he is either weird or gay. If a girl does the same thing, she is definitely not assumed to be lesbian!

That said, here is how you girls can say 'no' to a guy, gently. After all, we have feelings too. Rejection is difficult to accept, whether it is a guy or a girl. Man or woman. But while boys don't cry, men do.

Respect

Yes, most men have egos that are as big as a football field. They do not take 'no' for an answer easily. But that does not mean you ignore them completely.

"If you are not interested, just say so. But ignoring someone completely smacks of disrespect. Every man wants respect from a woman," says PR executive Suman Sinha.

Oops, I Goofed

A classic escape route, this one is a definite no-no simply because it does not say much about you as a person. Don't call / SMS / email a guy 'thinking' it is your best friend and then say nasty things that are intentionally meant to hurt.

Call centre executive Ravi Verma narrates, "I am short and my English is strictly passable at its very best. A female colleague at work sent an email on my id, addressed it to another Ravi and poked fun at me about my height on it. It hurt really badly."

My Best Friend

Again, this one is a weapon to use but do it gently. Keep asking him to fix up a date for you with his friend. It will hurt in the beginning but he will slowly get the hint - you are simply not interested! Rahul (Shahrukh Khan) did just this in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai - he used best friend Anjali (Kajol) to get close to his lady love Tina (Rani Mukherji). Let Bollywood inspire you on this one!

Reverse Psychology

This one is the exact opposite of the one above. Keep telling him about your best friend who you think is the perfect match for him. Talk about things they have in common or say she wants to meet him too. Sooner or later he will give in. And for all you know, they might just hit it off like a house on fire!

No Time for Love

If you don't work in the same office, keep bringing up your work and office politics whenever you meet or speak. Cut phone conversations and say you have to run for a meeting or have a presentation to finish. Ask a colleague to keep shouting your name for added effect. Make work the sole purpose of your existence.

Just So Different

It is said that opposites attract. Only in your case, opposites repel. Tell him you don't have anything in common. Pick up a fight over non-issues and debate over everything - from the colour of his new car, to the budget and the kind of politics you believe in. So what if you have not voted, ever!

Keep It Simple

Last but definitely not the least, this one is as easy or difficult as it gets. Tell him he is not your type and that though you like him as a friend, sex (or a relationship) is out of the question. And it does not work the way it did (the sex, I mean) for Chandler and Monica. So there!

Jokes apart, when it comes to saying 'no', girls can either be smart and do it the right way, which is kindly / gently or be really stupid and just be plain b****. But guess what? When it comes to reputation, girls have much more to lose than a guy.

The next time you say 'no' to a guy, think about this: it is a really small world out there and what goes around, comes around. And then it hurts.