thanks, but no thanks

An expression of gratitude for the offer of something that one does not want or is not interested in. Often used sarcastically or impolitely. A: "Would you like to come to the concert with me?" B: "Um, thanks, but no thanks. That band isn't really my scene." A: "I was going to throw out this jacket. Do you want it?" B: "Yeah, thanks, but no thanks. I wouldn't be caught dead in that ugly thing."

Inf. Thank you, but I am not interested. (A way of turning down something that is not very desirable.) Alice: How would you like to buy my old car? Jane: Thanks, but no thanks. John: What do you think about a trip over to see the Wilsons? Sally: Thanks, but no thanks. We don't get along.

It’s nice of you/them to offer, but I/we don’t want it. This phrase, dating from the late 1900s, may be put either seriously or ironically. The former usage appeared in the New York Times on the op-ed page on December 5, 1997: “Paul R. Gross properly laments the ‘thanks but no thanks’ attitude of the California commission.” The latter attitude is seen in, “She offered to trade seats at the opera, hers being in the last row at the top of the balcony—thanks but no thanks!”