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Original poster

Annoying man on train

216 replies

Weeeheee · 18/10/2026 01:55

A couple joined DD(20) and I at our table.

I prefer the aisle seat, so moved to let the man onto the window seat. "You expect ME to sit in there?" I nodded and smiled. He didn't seem happy.

He then joined in with DD and I's crossword clue discussion. He then had the gall to start telling DD the answers to clues he read in the puzzle book that she hadn't even got to.

He wouldn't stop talking at DD, and I was figuring out how to politely tell him to butt out, when his wife/partner said "This is like your dream (to him). I bet he's annoying the heck out of you though. (To me)"

I smiled and said " yes, it is annoying".

I thought that should be enough, but no, the man carried on dominating DDs attention. I sat back, told DD to ask me when she got stuck, and thinking about how to phrase "STFU" when DD said "I thought we were having a lovely time doing this together"

I replied " So did I, but this man won't stop interfering"

He finally got the hint, well his partner did, shoved his own crossword at him, and told him to be quiet.

5 minutes. That's all he could keep quiet for. He just couldn't stop looking at DDs puzzle book, telling her the answers, inserting himself into our conversation.

I asked him directly if he could please stop. Again, 5 minutes of quiet, then leaning over to read the clues, and tell DD the answers. His partner kept telling him to stop, which gave brief respite, but he couldn't help himself getting stuck into our conversation.

We couldn't move away from him, as the train was full. DD didn't want to stop puzzling, so we put up with him, but oh my word!

How on earth would you have dealt with him?

OP posts:
Nursegladys2 · 18/10/2026 01:59

My face has subtitles so if he'd not listened to "which part of please leave us alone, did you not quite understand?" he'd have been given the death stare. What an insufferable nuisance.

CrazyMidget · 18/10/2026 02:04

He's a Train Pain. Most trains have them.

Original poster
Weeeheee · 18/10/2026 02:05

Nursegladys2 · 18/10/2026 01:59

My face has subtitles so if he'd not listened to "which part of please leave us alone, did you not quite understand?" he'd have been given the death stare. What an insufferable nuisance.

My face was reading not impressed. It didn't make a difference.

OP posts:
boxofshite · 18/10/2026 02:28

It must have something wrong with him. I would have put the book away.

Greyblueeyes · 18/10/2026 03:06

I would be mortified if I were his wife. See clearly wasn’t shocked by his behavior though.

He was just being a pest after you asked him to back off the first time. I would have been frustrated too. I’m sure some people wouldn’t be as polite as you were!

user1492757084 · 18/10/2026 03:11

The poor wife. Her husband is obviously suffering a disorder or a brain injury.

Shloopie · 18/10/2026 03:18

No, he wasn't obviously suffering with a disorder or a brain injury, lots of men are just annoying gobshites who place far too high a value on their intellect and their input.

You couldn't move away from him so I think you were as assertive as you could have been in the circumstances. You vocalised your annoyance but on he went. Ugh. At least your relationship with this man ended with the end of the train journey. Pity his poor wife.

ShakyBake · 18/10/2026 03:19

You should've told him to 4 across 3 down

Namechangewegovyjune26 · 18/10/2026 03:39

I think I would have gone and got a staff member and said “this man is harassing my daughter and I’ve asked him to stop, can you help”

Namechangewegovyjune26 · 18/10/2026 03:42

I think also after I asked politely and he wouldn’t stop I would have shouted “I have asked you to leave us alone, please stop”

LivingTheDreamish · 18/10/2026 03:42

T'he person I feel most sorry for is his wife. Sorry he ruined your day though.

AmnesiacDream · 18/10/2026 05:07

The first time I'd have been polite.

But if he came back I would just be blunt. "We've already asked you once. Mind your own business.", "Shut up. This is nothing to do with you.", "Fuck off, you rude arsehole." etc.

JingsMahBucket · 18/10/2026 06:06

@Weeeheee I would’ve made him or his wife switch seats so you and your daughter were sitting together on one side and the couple on the other. And to ensure he was diagonally seated from her to put even more distance. What an asshole though.

parietal · 18/10/2026 06:19

Were you sitting across from your daughter so he was adjacent to her? Why did you pick that configuration instead of 2 adjacent seats? If he was opposite, it would be much harder for him to read her puzzle book.

Wopple · 18/10/2026 06:42

parietal · 18/10/2026 06:19

Were you sitting across from your daughter so he was adjacent to her? Why did you pick that configuration instead of 2 adjacent seats? If he was opposite, it would be much harder for him to read her puzzle book.

He must have been opposite the daughter. The OP says she moved to let the man in the window seat and she was in the aisle seat. So the daughter was either opposite the OP or opposite the man. It sounds like the OP and daughter were diagonally opposite each other? Daughter at window seat opposite man in window seat and then OP in aisle seat and the man’s partner opposite in either the window or aisle seat.

YksiKaksiKolme · 18/10/2026 06:49

Puzzle put away. Headphones and reading in books instead.

Asshole.

Bubblewrap100 · 18/10/2026 07:11

Were you sitting diagonal to your daughter and he was diagonal to his wife? If that was the weird seating set-up you insisted on I think he was probably being passive aggressive that you had basically hemmed him in to your conversation.

FaceIt · 18/10/2026 07:47

You can’t reason with madness.
I would have taken the book away.

Original poster
Weeeheee · 18/10/2026 07:59

Yes, we were diagonal. Our seating configuration should have had no bearing on his behaviour.

No, we did not put the book away. We shouldn't have stopped our fun because of his behaviour.

His wife seemed to find it funny. If I'd been with someone who had been told they're annoying by a stranger, I'd have read him the riot act every time he butted back in.

He had his own puzzle to do!

OP posts:
Original poster
Weeeheee · 18/10/2026 08:03

AmnesiacDream · 18/10/2026 05:07

The first time I'd have been polite.

But if he came back I would just be blunt. "We've already asked you once. Mind your own business.", "Shut up. This is nothing to do with you.", "Fuck off, you rude arsehole." etc.

DD was engaging with him and I wasn't sure if she was enjoying having his help or not.

And I didn't want to be that rude to someone over something as simple as a puzzle book, despite his behaviour.

OP posts:
Namechangewegovyjune26 · 18/10/2026 08:06

Weeeheee · 18/10/2026 07:59

Yes, we were diagonal. Our seating configuration should have had no bearing on his behaviour.

No, we did not put the book away. We shouldn't have stopped our fun because of his behaviour.

His wife seemed to find it funny. If I'd been with someone who had been told they're annoying by a stranger, I'd have read him the riot act every time he butted back in.

He had his own puzzle to do!

This is weird though. If your DD wanted the window seat and you the aisle why not just sit next to each other?!

I also now think he was probably making a point - albeit badly.

People are so weird.

ExtraHotDoubleShot · 18/10/2026 08:10

Men are just an absolute pain in general and it’s like it doesn’t even cross their minds how they come across to others. In his head he probably thought you were marvelling at his alpha-ness and crossword prowess.

I was watching DD swim the other day and was sat next to a fellow mum. A man sat next to her that she clearly knew slightly but not well. He spent the entire 30 minutes talking at her about his employment history, the jobs he had, what the managers were like, why he left, what the pay rises were. A solid 30 minutes. When the session ended he just said ‘well nice to see you’ and walked off. Not once in that entire time did he ask her anything about herself, nor did she get the opportunity to say anything. He had zero interest in her and just wanted to monologue about himself.

Sums it up really

Autumnalhibernationisthedream · 18/10/2026 08:10

LivingTheDreamish
T'he person I feel most sorry for is his wife. Sorry he ruined your day though.

I know you probably mean married to him but I agree but I think op was as annoying because of her grumpy responses if the dd wasn’t bothered

Bubblewrap100 · 18/10/2026 08:10

You were rudely talking across him, so he was definitely making a point. He shouldn’t have continued, but I think you were equally rude.

KitsyWitsy · 18/10/2026 08:15

You were weird and it must have been irritating for him having you talking across him.

Why did you smile at him twice?