Awkwardly deflecting the unwanted attention of strangers is a regular occurrence for many women on a night out.

Whether you're being pressed for your phone number or encouraged into accepting a drink, there are, unfortunately, many occasions when it seems like a simple no just isn't enough.

We become experts at proffering excuses, and regularly lament the fact that we feel obliged to thread on eggshells when attempting to communicate our disinterest in the exchange.

So, it's no surprise we often feel a surge of appreciation for anyone who helps to disengage us from such a situation as a recent tweet confirmed.

Amassing more than half a million likes in just five days, it's clear that the Twitosphere is here for any woman who helps another by interjecting when an attempted chat-up scenario is going quickly south.

Detailing an awkward exchange she had with a persistent male stranger, Twitter user, Amna, paid tribute to the woman who read the situation perfectly, and pretended to know Amna in an effort to bring the conversation to an end.

The tweet has clearly struck a chord with hundreds of thousands of people, with many women detailing their own experiences and providing their own advice.

"After the first refusal, if he persists it's time to DROP being polite," advised one Twitter user. "You aren't required to be polite to creepers or fear being thought rude."

"Be firm, be loud for all around to hear. Look him in the eye & say 'I SAID NO.' Then stop-don't say anything else. And don't apologise!"