per my last email
/pɜr maɪ læst ˈiːmeɪl/
Very CommonPolite corporate phrasing that actually means 'I already told you this, please read your emails'.
The passive aggression only lands if you know the code. To people outside office culture it just sounds formal. To people inside it, it reads as a controlled dig.
Real-world examples5 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | per my last email is just 'read the thread idiot' in a suit. | The phrase is corporate camouflage for genuine frustration. | x, 2022 |
| 02 | had to send a 'per my last email' today. feeling powerful. | Sending this phrase feels like a small professional victory. | x, 2023 |
| 03 | nothing worse than getting a 'per my last email' from your manager in front of the whole thread. | Being publicly called out for not reading something is humiliating. | reddit, 2023 |
| 04 | I genuinely said 'per my last email' out loud in a meeting by accident. room went quiet. | The phrase is so internalized that it slipped into speech. | tiktok, 2024 |
| 05 | client keeps asking the same question every week. on week four of 'per my last email'. | The phrase is now being deployed as a running callout. | x, 2024 |
Use it when
- Someone asks a question that was already answered in the thread.
- Pointing out that a coworker did not read prior communications.
- Joking about corporate passive aggression with people who get the reference.
Do not use it when
- You are literally just citing a previous email with no frustration.Use “as I mentioned” instead.
- The recipient is above you in seniority and the stakes are high.
Variations and related forms
Per my last email vs gentle reminder
per my last email
Per my last email calls out someone who did not read the thread.
VS
gentle-reminder
Gentle reminder nudges someone who has not acted yet.
Origin and context
The phrase spread as a meme in the mid-2010s when workplace Twitter began cataloging the hidden language of corporate email. It became a shorthand for office passive aggression recognized across industries.
- First seen
- mid-2010s
- Confidence
- medium
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/per-my-last-emailUpdated: 2026-08-29License: CC BY 4.0