What Does It Mean If You Don’t Want To Mess With Someone?

[Evan2020]

If someone says about themselves you don’t want to mess with me or about another person you don’t want to mess with them, what do they mean?

[emmie]

a veiled threat, someone is saying that you might come unstuck if you mess with them.

[Evan2020]

What does come unstuck mean?

[emmie]

that you could be in danger from that person. if someone said to me don't mess with me, i would walk away and leave that person alone.

[Evan2020]

Ok got it thanks and also to clarify the phrase to mess with them means to do what exactly?

[emmie]

can mean any number of things, mess with their head, cause them grief in some way. Or mess them about, not being there for example if they need you.

[emmie]

has someone said it to you, if so best avoided.

[Evan2020]

Not that I can think of off the top of my head. Why exactly do you think that person should be avoided all together?

[emmie]

its a threat, "don't Mess with me", i would walk away even if it was someone i knew well.

[Evan2020]

I agree. And mess with their head means to do what?

[emmie]

messing with someone's head can mean saying one thing but doing another. its not a good thing to do.

[Evan2020]

I agree. And I think generally when someone says “you don’t want to mess with me” it means like you don’t want to make me angry or mad right?

[emmie]

yes, otherwise they might get violent, abusive or worse.

[Evan2020]

Yes I agree. What exactly do you mean by “or worse” like what could be worse than violent or abusive?

[emmie]

hitting, hurting someone, which in some cases can lead to someone dying at the hands of their assailant.

[Evan2020]

Oh very true. Why exactly does it to you always have violent or threatening connotations as you said you’d take it that way meaning think it is malicious implications as opposed to innocuous smack talk or something even if you knew the person well.

[emmie]

i would take it as a threat, and not like or want to be with that person, don't know what smack talk means to be honest. I guess you could take it in a light hearted manner, depends entirely on the context of the conversation.

[Evan2020]

Smack talk is just like playfully or jokingly teasing someone pretending to claim to be better than them like friends sometimes do for instance when making sports bets. And why exactly would you be automatically inclined to see the phrase as threatening?

[emmie]

i don't know, but perhaps if its jest i would take it as such and brush it off, if a bloke said it to me in a threatening manner, he wouldn't last long if he was my b/f then i would likely drop him.

[Evan2020]

Ok got it thanks I agree with you it depends on the context I would ditch them too if they said it in a threatening manner. Can you name one example of a context that would show they are obviously being threatening?

[emmie]

being moody and abusive, in language and deed, i would drop them like a hot brick.