What does the phrase "There is no hurry" mean when it's used as a response to an offer for help?

Question

For example, say somebody says "I'll rush down quickly and get the papers for you" and then you respond with "There is no hurry."

Does this mean that you've declined the offer for help, or that you're just telling the person that they don't need to rush?

Answer 1

The phrase “there is no hurry” means that you are telling the other person

• the work is not urgent,
• they do not need to hurry, and
• they can “take their time”. ^(definition)

You can also say “there is no rush”, “take your time”, or “don’t rush.”

You can say (informally), “No rush.” (This is a sentence fragment.)

Cautions

Using “no rush“ or “no hurry” in this way is an idiom.

You can’t say the opposite:

There is hurry.

There is rush.

Instead, you would say:

This is urgent.

Time is of the essence. (another idiom)

This is important to me.

I need this done by 5 p.m.

Hurry!

Answer 2

I would assume that "There is no hurry." means - "You can do this later if you prefer", but it is certainly possible that the person means that they will do 'it', but this will usually be clear from the context, or the users actions.