please advise
/pliːz ədˈvaɪz/
CommonEmail closer that nominally asks for guidance but actually means 'fix this, it is now your problem'.
Tone varies by placement. At the end of a problem description, it reads as an offload. After a question, it is a polite nudge. In a tense thread, it carries real impatience.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | the vendor says they cannot proceed without approval. we have been waiting since Tuesday. please advise. | Escalating a blocked situation to someone with authority, cleanly and without editorializing. | x, 2023 |
| 02 | 'please advise' is corporate for 'this is your fault and your problem now'. | The phrase is often a polite offload of responsibility. | x, 2022 |
| 03 | my manager ends every problem email with 'please advise' and then disappears for three days. | The phrase is used to formally hand off and then become unreachable. | reddit, 2023 |
| 04 | the ticket has been open since March. I have sent four emails. please advise. | A final, barely-controlled request for action after repeated ignored communications. | x, 2024 |
Use it when
- You have laid out a problem and are handing it to someone else.
- You are blocked and need a decision from someone above you.
- You want to sound neutral while actually expressing frustration.
Do not use it when
- You actually want a genuine collaborative discussion.Use “What do you think we should do?” instead.
Variations and related forms
Origin and context
Borrowed from formal business letter conventions. The phrase is especially common in South Asian and British English corporate writing, where it entered global workplace email culture via distributed teams.
- First seen
- 1990s
- Confidence
- medium
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Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/please-adviseUpdated: 2026-08-29License: CC BY 4.0