# Thanks a bunch



## Thomas Tompion

namlan said:


> Dear Teachers,
> 
> - He wants to work for that company because the working environment there is very friendly.
> 
> - Is this sentence natural to say?
> 
> Thanks a bunch!
> 
> NamLan


 
Yes, it's fine, Namlan.

Whoever taught you to say *Thanks a bunch!?*


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## kenny4528

Hi, Thomas Tompion

Maybe this is unrelated to the topic, but why *Thanks a bunch* is a weird usage to you?(Because it seems to be popular and I saw it very often.)


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## Thomas Tompion

kenny4528 said:


> Hi, Thomas Tompion
> 
> Maybe this is unrelated to the topic, but why *Thanks a bunch* is a weird usage to you?(Because it seems to be popular and I saw it very often.)


 
Let's hope a mod shifts this to a separate thread, because one or two people who are learning use it.  It's very familiar; it's a strange mixture of youthspeak and snobspeak.  I wouldn't ever use it, even to someone I knew very well.  I didn't take it wrong; I just thought someone ought to point out that it's not a thing you say to strangers, and not something a lot of BE speakers would say to friends and reckon on keeping their friendship.


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## kenny4528

Thomas Tompion said:


> Let's hope a mod shifts this to a separate thread, because one or two people who are learning use it. It's very familiar; it's a strange mixture of youthspeak and snobspeak. I wouldn't ever use it, even to someone I knew very well. I didn't take it wrong; I just thought someone ought to point out that it's not a thing you say to strangers, and not something a lot of BE speakers would say to friends and reckon on keeping their friendship.


 
Thank you, I got it. I'll be more careful to use it.


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## panjandrum

I just had a look round the forum and _*Thanks a bunch*_ is mostly used by non-native speakers.  When I say mostly, I mean I didn't find any posts by a native speaker that used it, but that doesn't mean it hasn't happened.


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## Matching Mole

It's also very common to use ironically (meaning the opposite, rather like "Thanks for nothing!"), so in some circumstances you might come across as being sarcastic, especially in writing.


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## kenny4528

Thank you, *Matching Mole and panjandrum*, for extra information. And one thing comes to my mind that _Thanks a lot_ also seems to carry the negative meaning, but I can't remember when and where I learn it. Is it true?


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## dn88

There's also "Thanks a million", but I don't know whether it is used more frequently.

Of course, "Thanks a lot" can be used ironically to mean the opposite, I even dare say it can be stronger than "Thanks a bunch" when used in such circumstances.


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## kenny4528

dn88 said:


> There's also "Thanks a million", but I don't know whether it is used more frequently.
> 
> Of course, "Thanks a lot" can be used ironically to mean the opposite, I even dare say it can be stronger than "Thanks a bunch" when used in such circumstances.


 
Thanks for your reply. I had really used a lot of _''Thanks a lot''_ in the threads before, and hoped that they would havn't got me wrong.


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## dn88

kenny4528 said:


> Thanks for your reply. I had really used a lot of _''Thanks a lot''_ in the threads before, and hoped that they would havn't got me wrong.



I also hope that it's understood in the proper way.


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## Packard

"Thanks" or "Thank you" is probably a safe way to respond regardless of the situation.  It is adult-speak, non-sarcastic, and straight forward.  In a word, "safe".

This would be my preferred response.


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## river

You won't lose any friends here for saying "Thanks a bunch." I hear and read this variation on _Thanks a lot_, _Thank you a lot_, _Thanks a million_, _Thanks awfully_, and _Thanks loads_ often enough. It's especially popular when thanking someone for a bunch of something such as flowers.

As for it being sarcastic, well, anything can be sarcastic.


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## palomnik

The phrase is more common in American English, I dare say, and although it can be sarcastic, the sarcasm lies in the intonation rather than in the phrase itself.


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## nichec

river said:


> You won't lose any friends here for saying "Thanks a bunch." I hear and read this variation on _Thanks a lot_, _Thank you a lot_, _Thanks a million_, _Thanks awfully_, and _Thanks loads_ often enough. It's especially popular when thanking someone for a bunch of something such as flowers.
> 
> As for it being sarcastic, well, anything can be sarcastic.


 
I love this post
Anything can be sarcastic, as long as you want it to be.
To me, there's nothing wrong with these usages.


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## myhoneysun

thank you very much has the same sarcastic meaning of thanks a bunch and thanks a lot? how can we say without being sarcastic?


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## Thomas Tompion

myhoneysun said:


> Thank you very much has the same sarcastic meaning as thanks a bunch.


 
Whoever told you this, myhoneysun?


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## dn88

myhoneysun said:


> thank you very much has the same sarcastic meaning of thanks a bunch and thanks a lot? how can we say without being sarcastic?



As it has already been stated above, any expression can be sarcastic provided that you want it to be so.


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## myhoneysun

I thought that thanks a lot and thanks very much were synonimous... so if thanks a lot is sarcastic (and I really didn't imagine it!) maybe also thank you very much is


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## Thomas Tompion

myhoneysun said:


> I thought that thanks a lot and thanks very much were synonimous... so if thanks a lot is sarcastic (and I really didn't imagine it!) maybe also thank you very much is


 
Nobody could seriously maintain that there was anything wrong with *thank you very much*, so I'd stick to that if I were you.


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## panjandrum

I think the point about *thanks a bunch* is that it is perhaps used more often than other thanks phrases when someone wants to be sarcastic in this way.  That kind of use is clear either in speech or in writing - in other words it will already be clear from the context.

So it is also clear from the context when it is meant genuinely - as in these forums - most of the time


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## Packard

"Thanks a bunch" has a child-like sound to it much like "bye-bye" does for "goodbye".

It is the child-like sound that makes it potentially sarcastic in my opinion.


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## enfermera rubia

Thanks a bunch is a friendly casual way of expressing appreciation. No negative connotations in this part of U.S.!


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## xrayspex

_"Thanks a bunch" has a child-like sound to it much like "bye-bye" does for "goodbye"._

I've never heard a child say "thanks a bunch".   When I read that phrase, I think of soccer moms in tennis dresses thanking the girl at the coffee bar for putting extra fat-free milk in their decaf expresso. 

There's nothing sarcastic about it.  Nothing rude.  Nothing negative in any way.  

THANKS FOR NOTHING. 

Now THAT'S sarcasm.


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## JamesM

I think it can be either positive or negative, depending on the tone employed by the speaker.

A: "You did such a great job with that work I gave you, getting done early and all, that I've decided to double your daily workload."
B: "Oh. Thanks a bunch."

A: "You were great in that part?"
B: "You think so? Really? Thanks a bunch! I worked hard at it."


It is not automatically sarcastic or negative, but it certainly can be bent that way easily enough, in my opinion. Most old-fashioned phrases can be, as far as that goes.

"Gosh, that's wonderful."
"Gees, you shouldn't have."
"Golly, is this all for little old me?"


I can hear all of these delivered in a sarcastic tone or a genuine tone, depending on the speaker's intent.


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## cuchuflete

xrayspex said:


> When I read that phrase, I think of soccer moms in tennis dresses thanking the girl at the coffee bar for putting extra fat-free milk in their decaf expresso.
> 
> There's nothing sarcastic about it.  Nothing rude.  Nothing negative in any way.





JamesM said:


> I think it can be either positive or negative, depending on the tone employed by the speaker.
> 
> A: "You did such a great job with that work I gave you, getting done early and all, that I've decided to double your daily workload."
> B: "Oh.  Thanks a bunch."
> 
> A: "You were great in that part?"
> B: "You think so?  Really?  Thanks a bunch!  I worked hard at it."


It seems we have an AE/BE distinction.  I fully agree with both the posts quoted above.
Unless served with a double shot of vitriol, and foamed latte, the expression would never interrupt
a friendship in AE.

I haven't heard it since I moved far from suburbia, and haven't missed it, but I find nothing inherently offensive or wrong about it.  If said with a warm smile, it's a perfectly good expression.


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## AWordLover

Hi All,

I agree with the other AE speakers, *thanks a bunch*, is an AE synonym for *thank you very much*, or *thanks a million*. There is nothing intrinsically sarcastic in connotation.

I am delighted to learn about the possibility of sabotaging a friendship with a BE speaker. Now, I'll avoid the expression (if I remember).

Thanks for the heads-up,
AWordLover


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## twinklestar

kenny4528 said:


> Thank you, *Matching Mole and panjandrum*, for extra information. And one thing comes to my mind that _Thanks a lot_ also seems to carry the negative meaning, but I can't remember when and where I learn it. Is it true?


 
Hi! Could some native speaker tell me whether it is safe to say 'Thanks a lot', 'Thanks a million'? I scrolled down it, and just found an American mentioned about them in this thread. But I am not sure about the usage of these phrases. And what about 'Many thanks'?

Thanks in advance!


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## BODYholic

AWordLover said:


> Hi All,
> 
> I agree with the other AE speakers, *thanks a bunch*, is an AE synonym for *thank you very much*, or *thanks a million*. There is nothing intrinsically sarcastic in connotation.



Likewise from where I am. 

I would also add that "Thanks a bunch" is more likely to say by youngsters. In lieu of saying "Thank you", most people here tends to favor "Thanks a lot". I'm not sure why but we find pronouncing "Thank you" very tricky. And it is not uncommon to hear "Tank kills".


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## ewie

twinklestar said:


> Hi! Could some native speaker tell me whether it is safe to say 'Thanks a lot', 'Thanks a million'? I scrolled down it, and just found an American mentioned about them in this thread. But I am not sure about the usage of these phrases. And what about 'Many thanks'?
> 
> Thanks in advance!


Hello again.  I'd say the _safest_ ones (i.e. ones that contain no hint of sarcasm in _either_ BE or AE ... probably in the other E's too) are: _Thanks/Thankyou very much_ and _Many thanks_.

(Even _Thanks a lot_ and _Thanks a million _feel borderline-sarcastic to my BE ear.  It is often said that the British do far more sarcasm than their American cousins)


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## twinklestar

ewie said:


> Hello again. I'd say the _safest_ ones (i.e. ones that contain no hint of sarcasm in _either_ BE or AE ... probably in the other E's too) are: _Thanks/Thankyou very much_ and _Many thanks_.
> 
> (Even _Thanks a lot_ and _Thanks a million _feel borderline-sarcastic to my BE ear. It is often said that the British do far more sarcasm than their American cousins)


 
Hi Ewie,

Thank you for your help. I am clear now.


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## DerPilz

Thanks a bunch.


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## manon33

DerPilz said:


> Thanks a bunch.



If you're sincere in your thanks, DerPilz (as I'm sure you are), it is probably best not to use that phrase - it's rather sarcastic and means the opposite of what it seems to say!


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## DerPilz

I see, I use it every once in a while but I never knew that it's sarcastic.


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## Cagey

manon33 said:


> If you're sincere in your thanks, DerPilz (as I'm sure you are), it is probably best not to use that phrase - it's rather sarcastic and means the opposite of what it seems to say!


I've always read "thanks a bunch" as sincere, unless something else in the context made me doubt its sincerity. 

Of course, if anyone is going to see it as sarcastic, it is better not to use it.


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## JamesM

In spoken conversation the tone gives the listener a clue to the meaning.  In print it can look very sarcastic, even if it's not meant in that way, unfortunately.


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## manon33

Thanks for the link, panjandrum. It definitely has an ironic/sarcastic inference in BE, but not in AE, it seems. In fact, I'd go so far as to say I have never heard it being used _other_ than sarcastically (='thanks for nothing/I don't know why you bothered!' in BE).


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## earthmerlin

panjandrum said:


> I just had a look round the forum and _*Thanks a bunch*_ is mostly used by non-native speakers. When I say mostly, I mean I didn't find any posts by a native speaker that used it, but that doesn't mean it hasn't happened.


 
I use 'thanks a bunch' from time to time & I'm a native speaker. I don't know if I've used it in this forum but I definitely use it in 'real' life (& without any ironic twist to it).


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## vasdoc

Hello! Could anyone explain a correct use of phrase "thanks a bunch"? Does it sound rather sarcastically or not?


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## Copyright

Welcome to the forum. 

You use it when you want to thank someone very much. It is a casual expression and can be sincere or sarcastic -- like any form of "thank you" -- depending on your tone of voice and delivery.


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## vasdoc

Thank you for the quick answer


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## Rover_KE

I've only heard it used sarcastically.

Rover


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## Copyright

Rover_KE said:


> I've only heard it used sarcastically.



The difference between Northwest England and Midwest America.


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## Loob

Hello vasdoc - welcome to the forums!

There's a previous thread here which I think you'll find useful: Thanks a bunch.

I found it by putting _thanks bunch_ into* Dictionary and thread title search *at the top of the page.


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## vasdoc

Dear Loob, thank you for the link and advice how to use saved data on website.


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## boozer

Copyright said:


> ...depending on your tone of voice and delicery.


You made me look delicery up in the dictionary  I should have known "_v"_ is next to "_c"_ on the keyboard. 

I've heard "thanks a bunch" in both "sarcastic" and "non-sarcastic" circumstances.


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## Tricksy

Copyright said:


> The difference between Northwest England and Midwest America.


 
Oh, I don't know.  Around here, If it's not simply "thank-you" it's almost always sarcastic.  My husband, who moved here from the Pacific Northwest, tells me that we're very sarcastic people in this part of the Midwest.  Or maybe they're just extremely nice where he grew up.


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## eni8ma

It depends on the tone of voice and body language.
Can be a genuine thanks for help which greatly appreciated, or it can be sarcastic.

It's not the words - it's how you say them.


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## akc5228

*Interjection*

*thanks a bunch*


(_idiomatic_) A mildly sarcastic thank you. _I really wanted a bucket of water dropped on my head. *Thanks a bunch*.

_
(_idiomatic_) (_less common_) An unsarcastic thank you. _*Thanks a bunch* for that great Christmas card you got me!_


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## velisarius

Is "thanks a bunch" an especially common expression in Minnesota? And is it said mostly by women? I ask because that's the impression I got from watching the Cohen brothers' film "Fargo".


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## JustKate

I hear it a lot - mostly in speech, not writing, but still a lot. A bunch, if I may say so.  I can't say that I particularly like it because it just sounds unpleasantly hearty to me, but it's a perfectly acceptable (though casual) way to say "Thank you very much."

I am really baffled by the idea that its most common use is as sarcasm. It is used both sincerely and sarcastically. I wouldn't presume to gauge what percent of uses are sarcastic and what percent are sincere, but I can assure the WR crowd that the expression is used sincerely very often. 
_
Thanks a million_ and _Thanks a lot_ are used sarcastically quite often as well, but that doesn't mark them as "usually sarcastic," so I really don't understand why _Thanks a bunch_ has acquired this reputation.


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## Cagey

akc5228 said:


> *Interjection*
> 
> *thanks a bunch*
> 
> 
> (_idiomatic_) A mildly sarcastic thank you. _I really wanted a bucket of water dropped on my head. *Thanks a bunch*.
> 
> _
> (_idiomatic_) (_less common_) An unsarcastic thank you. _*Thanks a bunch* for that great Christmas card you got me!_


We ask you to name the source of every quotation.  I found this quotation on Wiktionary, though I can't be sure that this was akc5228's source. 

I also agree with Kate that while it may be used sarcastically, that is not how "thanks a bunch" is always used, or even how it is used most of the time.


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## ewie

JustKate said:


> I am really baffled by the idea that its most common use is as sarcasm.


Like other BrE speakers in this thread, I'd say that it's *exclusively* used sarcastically here, JK


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## bennymix

I believe that in AE and CanE, it's neutral, as Just Kate said, above.


It can be sarcastic, but often "Thanks a million" is sarcastic.   It all depends.


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## Shahrooz

Packard said:


> "Thanks" or "Thank you" is probably a safe way to respond regardless of the situation.  It is adult-speak, non-sarcastic, and straight forward.  In a word, "safe".
> 
> This would be my preferred response.



Hello there

So why is "thanks a lot" frequently used in movies, mostly in situations which isn't sarcastic at all?


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## JulianStuart

river said:


> You won't lose any friends here for saying "Thanks a bunch." I hear and read this variation on _Thanks a lot_, _Thank you a lot_, _Thanks a million_, _Thanks awfully_, and _Thanks loads_ often enough. It's especially popular when thanking someone for a bunch of something such as flowers.
> 
> As for it being sarcastic, well, anything can be sarcastic.





Shahrooz said:


> Hello there
> 
> So why is "thanks a lot" frequently used in movies, mostly in situations which isn't sarcastic at all?


 (I only read as far as the thread above)
It is the _intonation_ that makes it sarcastic (and context can emphasize it , too). With the correct intonation it is very polite and expresses gratitude.


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## Florentia52

Shahrooz said:


> Hello there
> 
> So why is "thanks a lot" frequently used in movies, mostly in situations which isn't sarcastic at all?


"Thanks a lot" _can_ be used sarcastically, but it is also often used sincerely.


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## kentix

I'm with my fellow Americans above who see "Thanks a bunch!" as a perfectly good option to sincerely thank someone in a _casual_ situation. In my experience, it is most appropriate for a situation where someone went a bit out of their way or beyond the usual amount to help out.

If someone dropped their book and you picked it up and gave it back them, that wouldn't warrant, "Thanks a bunch!". If someone dropped their papers and the wind started scattering them everywhere and you ran around and helped gather them up before they blew away, that could warrant a "Thanks a bunch!"


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## bennymix

To me it sounds a bit girlish.


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