The Anatomy of a Pick-up Line

11 Jul The Anatomy of a Pick-up Line

Posted at 04:30h in Sex & Relationships by
It was the end of the month, and though I was dreading the long lines at the bank, I sucked it up and ran away from work to make what I hoped would be a quick transaction. Luckily, it only took about 30 minutes.
Just as I was about to head to a teller, the gentleman behind me tapped my shoulder, and handed me a note. It read, “Hi Beautiful you look rather gorgeous, I like your style and smile. I just love the way you look gorgeous. Please to have met you. Have a nice day – Keith”. I smiled and told him “thank you”. What a pick-up line eh’! Well, perhaps a paragraph, but he did come original, and maybe if Keith was not so old and much taller, I may have given him my number.
I am not a dating expert, but I fully endorse pick-up lines. Though sometimes corny, its purpose is to break the ice and engage a person you are attracted to in conversation. In some cases, this person can be a stranger, but the intention is usually romantic and the goal at that point is to get a phone number or an e-mail address, and, eventually, a date.
Nowadays, a pick-up line can be sent via Facebook, and that’s where the hidden poet can now come out his or her shell, and express him or herself. You see… a pick-up line does not have to be a ‘cheesy’ one-liner (cue “baby yuh fine like twine”). It can be a simple “hello” with a smile or the ever classic, “Let’s rearrange the alphabet and put U and I together”. Whatever format it takes, don’t over do it. If you’re not confident enough to deliver a hard-hitting pick-up line, DON’T DO IT!  It can be interpreted as annoying, if not done correctly.
Most women love to laugh, so the perfect pick-up line should contain flattery and humour.  To the ladies, you don’t want to be perceived as a “whore” when approaching men, with over-confident pick-up lines. Unfortunately, that’s the stigma that’s attached to it. Most men may just think you’re drunk or crazy, if you come on too strong. For example:
Her: “Can I have directions?”
Him: “To where?”
Her: “To your heart”
This might be considered ‘sweet’, if it comes from a guy, but crazy if it comes from a woman. As a matter of fact, he would really think you’re out of your mind.
Men like confidence, but not arrogance… funny, but not crazy. So if you’re getting some “current” from him, and you think he’s interested, but too shy to make the first move, I’ll let you in on my secret. This pick-up line works no matter what: “Do I know you from somewhere?”
What? You were expecting adjectives and metaphors? I keep it simple! Let me tell you, this works like a charm because it encourages dialogue. You get to learn a lot about the person in five minutes: where’s he’s from, what schools he attended, where he works and what events he goes to and you share the same information with him, remember you are trying to figure out where you know each other from (but secretly you know it’s a lie and you’re just trying to get his attention). Fellas, this line will work well for you too.
The good thing about this pick-up line is that you can get an immediate response, as to if the person is interested. If he or she tells you, “Yes, you do look familiar”, then yuh know yuh in d’ game! And if the conversation goes well, he or she would most likely want to continue it, if not then, later on.
So, let’s break it down. Pick-up lines can either be:
1. Humorous. Example: “If you were the new burger at McDonalds, you would be the Mcgorgeous!”
2. Simple and direct. Example: “Hi beautiful.  How was your day?”
3. Intelligent. Example: “I was blinded by your beauty, so I’m going to need your name and number for insurance reasons.”
4. Sweet. Example: “Why does it feel like the most beautiful girl in the world is in this room?”
5. In the form of a gift. Example: “Can I buy you a drink?” (Please note that if the person on the receiving end accepts, it doesn’t mean he or she is interested. No one asked you to make an investment).
6. Clichéd. Example: “It must be heaven on earth because you look like an Angel.”
7. Corny. Example: “Are you an alien? Because you just abducted my heart.”
8. Religious. Example: “A mutual friend of ours told me you’re a nice person and I should talk to you, his name is Jesus.”
9. Disgusting. Example: “Did you just fart?  Because you’ve blown me away.”
10. Bold and confident. Example: “Hey I just realized this, but you look a lot like my next girlfriend.”
11. Suggestive. Example: “I hope you know CPR because I just might need it.”
12. Downright sexual. Example: “You may think I work at Subway, because I can give you a foot long”.
That last one would be a deal breaker for me, but hey, some folks are into that (and if you were wondering where I got those lines from, check pickuphelp.com; yes, there’s a website devoted to pick-up lines).
Whether we’d like to admit it or not, most of us use pick-up lines. Whether we use them effectively is another question. However, if your initial purpose is to let a person know you’re interested, then a pick-up line is a definite way of doing so. The ‘pick-upee’ will then decide if to entertain you, based on your total package: charisma, appearance, intelligence, and everything else that comes out your mouth, so it better make sense. Hopefully, you’ll get the type of reaction you want, because like Adam Sandler said in the movie, “Big Daddy”, “Initiating the conversation is half the battle”.
A pick-up line cannot stand alone. You’ve got to back it up with some charisma. However, if all you want to do is flirt, with no strings attached, then don’t hold back, pull out all the stops, and, if all fails, you can do like Machel Montano, and say, “Call me anytime you want”.  That’s sure to get you a laugh.
Now that I’ve let you in on my tried and tested technique, tell me… what are some of your best pick-up lines?

It was the end of the month, and though I was dreading the long lines at the bank, I sucked it up and ran away from work to make what I hoped would be a quick transaction. Luckily, it only took about 30 minutes.

Just as I was about to head to a teller, the gentleman behind me tapped my shoulder, and handed me a note. It read, “Hi Beautiful you look rather gorgeous, I like your style and smile. I just love the way you look gorgeous. Please to have met you. Have a nice day – Keith”. I smiled and told him “thank you”. What a pick-up line eh’! Well, perhaps a paragraph, but he did come original, and maybe if Keith was not so old and much taller, I may have given him my number.

I am not a dating expert, but I fully endorse pick-up lines. Though sometimes corny, its purpose is to break the ice and engage a person you are attracted to in conversation. In some cases, this person can be a stranger, but the intention is usually romantic and the goal at that point is to get a phone number or an e-mail address, and, eventually, a date.

Nowadays, a pick-up line can be sent via Facebook, and that’s where the hidden poet can now come out his or her shell, and express him or herself. You see… a pick-up line does not have to be a ‘cheesy’ one-liner (cue “baby yuh fine like twine”). It can be a simple “hello” with a smile or the ever classic, “Let’s rearrange the alphabet and put U and I together”. Whatever format it takes, don’t over do it. If you’re not confident enough to deliver a hard-hitting pick-up line, DON’T DO IT!  It can be interpreted as annoying, if not done correctly.

Most women love to laugh, so the perfect pick-up line should contain flattery and humour.  To the ladies, you don’t want to be perceived as a “whore” when approaching men, with over-confident pick-up lines. Unfortunately, that’s the stigma that’s attached to it. Most men may just think you’re drunk or crazy, if you come on too strong. For example:

Her: “Can I have directions?”

Him: “To where?”

Her: “To your heart”

This might be considered ‘sweet’, if it comes from a guy, but crazy if it comes from a woman. As a matter of fact, he would really think you’re out of your mind.

Men like confidence, but not arrogance… funny, but not crazy. So if you’re getting some “current” from him, and you think he’s interested, but too shy to make the first move, I’ll let you in on my secret. This pick-up line works no matter what: “Do I know you from somewhere?”

What? You were expecting adjectives and metaphors? I keep it simple! Let me tell you, this works like a charm because it encourages dialogue. You get to learn a lot about the person in five minutes: where’s he’s from, what schools he attended, where he works and what events he goes to and you share the same information with him, remember you are trying to figure out where you know each other from (but secretly you know it’s a lie and you’re just trying to get his attention). Fellas, this line will work well for you too.

The good thing about this pick-up line is that you can get an immediate response, as to if the person is interested. If he or she tells you, “Yes, you do look familiar”, then yuh know yuh in d’ game! And if the conversation goes well, he or she would most likely want to continue it, if not then, later on.

So, let’s break it down. Pick-up lines can either be:
1. Humorous. Example: “If you were the new burger at McDonalds, you would be the Mcgorgeous!”

2. Simple and direct. Example: “Hi beautiful.  How was your day?”

3. Intelligent. Example: “I was blinded by your beauty, so I’m going to need your name and number for insurance reasons.”

4. Sweet. Example: “Why does it feel like the most beautiful girl in the world is in this room?”

5. In the form of a gift. Example: “Can I buy you a drink?” (Please note that if the person on the receiving end accepts, it doesn’t mean he or she is interested. No one asked you to make an investment).

6. Clichéd. Example: “It must be heaven on earth because you look like an Angel.”

7. Corny. Example: “Are you an alien? Because you just abducted my heart.”

8. Religious. Example: “A mutual friend of ours told me you’re a nice person and I should talk to you, his name is Jesus.”

9. Disgusting. Example: “Did you just fart?  Because you’ve blown me away.”

10. Bold and confident. Example: “Hey I just realized this, but you look a lot like my next girlfriend.”

11. Suggestive. Example: “I hope you know CPR because I just might need it.”

12. Downright sexual. Example: “You may think I work at Subway, because I can give you a foot long”.

That last one would be a deal breaker for me, but hey, some folks are into that (and if you were wondering where I got those lines from, check pickuphelp.com; yes, there’s a website devoted to pick-up lines).

Whether we’d like to admit it or not, most of us use pick-up lines. Whether we use them effectively is another question. However, if your initial purpose is to let a person know you’re interested, then a pick-up line is a definite way of doing so. The ‘pick-upee’ will then decide if to entertain you, based on your total package: charisma, appearance, intelligence, and everything else that comes out your mouth, so it better make sense. Hopefully, you’ll get the type of reaction you want, because like Adam Sandler said in the movie, “Big Daddy”, “Initiating the conversation is half the battle”.

A pick-up line cannot stand alone. You’ve got to back it up with some charisma. However, if all you want to do is flirt, with no strings attached, then don’t hold back, pull out all the stops, and, if all fails, you can do like Machel Montano, and say, “Call me anytime you want”.  That’s sure to get you a laugh.

Now that I’ve let you in on my tried and tested technique, tell me… what are some of your best pick-up lines?

 

Check out the rest of this week’s issue (11/07/11; Issue 65):

Look out for a new issue of Outlish.com every Monday!

 

About Keisha Stephen-Gittens
Certainly a "Jackie of all Trades", Keisha Stephen-Gittens is a professional makeup artist, and has always had a keen interest in the arts and theatre, having been part of small productions. She holds degrees in journalism, public relations and communication studies, and is now an Account Coordinator at one of Trinidad' and Tobago's top, advertising agencies. Follow her on Facebook.

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