# Silly Things That Make a Man/Woman Unnatractive To You **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 10, 2009, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-things-that-make-a-man-woman-unnatractive-to-you/485254 "2009-02-10T18:40:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-things-that-make-a-man-woman-unnatractive-to-you/485254/141 "2009-02-13T01:48:52Z")
Crosses **Captain Carrot** and **Hellestal** off any possible dating list\*. (or did you two not read my post?) Yep. You both done good. So “good” that you have overlooked (several times) that this is a thread about personal preferences, not a thread on dialects, grammar and the evolution of language. **Pushkin-** -flicking their hands? Wha–? \*don’t care if I wasn’t on yours. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-things-that-make-a-man-woman-unnatractive-to-you/485254/142 "2009-02-13T02:27:59Z")
> [@Captain\_Carrot](#): > > Actually, I’m pretty sure “You did good.” is acceptable in African-American Vernacular English. Things are not wrong just because you don’t like them. Tracy: So, how you doing over there, Theo Huxtable. Toofer: I’m doing good. Tracy: Nuh-uh. Superman does good; you’re doing well. You need to study your grammar, son. (Sorry, I had to.) ---
**Author:** ![HolyFreakingMoly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7ba0ec/32.png) [@HolyFreakingMoly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HolyFreakingMoly)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-things-that-make-a-man-woman-unnatractive-to-you/485254/143 "2009-02-13T02:32:20Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > Crosses **Captain Carrot** and **Hellestal** off any possible dating list\*. (or did you two not read my post?) > Yep. You both done good. So “good” that you have overlooked (several times) that this is a thread about personal preferences, not a thread on dialects, grammar and the evolution of language. > > **Pushkin-** -flicking their hands? Wha–? > > \*don’t care if I wasn’t on yours. 😛 I think they acknowledged the preference aspect. The argument is whether or not there is incorrect vs correct grammar. I looked up the definition of “dialect” and, indeed, it does list grammar as one of the factors in those that make up a dialect. I’m not going to argue it anymore as in the broad sense, they are correct. I still think there is good grammar and crap grammar and if you go to school in this country with a “dialect” that has you “not gettin no good grades” it’s quite possible that you’re flunking English! They’re not on my list either! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-things-that-make-a-man-woman-unnatractive-to-you/485254/144 "2009-02-13T02:38:26Z")
> [@HolyFreakingMoly](#): > > I still think there is good grammar and crap grammar and if you go to school in this country with a “dialect” that has you “not gettin no good grades” it’s quite possible that you’re flunking English! Wow, you’re still not getting this! There is such a thing as crap grammar, and while that phrase that you cited may be acceptable in the dialect that you use at home (what’s with the scare quotes around ‘dialect’?), that does not mean that it is acceptable in the academic environment. ---
**Author:** ![Vox\_Imperatoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Vox\_Imperatoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vox_Imperatoris)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-things-that-make-a-man-woman-unnatractive-to-you/485254/145 "2009-02-13T02:39:14Z")
_Scratches descriptivists off the list_ Nothing to see here; carry on. Valete, Vox Imperatoris ---
**Author:** ![HolyFreakingMoly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7ba0ec/32.png) [@HolyFreakingMoly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HolyFreakingMoly)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-things-that-make-a-man-woman-unnatractive-to-you/485254/146 "2009-02-13T02:43:36Z")
> [@Captain\_Carrot](#): > > Wow, you’re still not getting this! There is such a thing as crap grammar, and while that phrase that you cited may be acceptable in the dialect that you use at home (what’s with the scare quotes around ‘dialect’?), that does not mean that it is acceptable in the academic environment. I absolutely “get it”. I’m not a dolt and I have a pretty good grasp of the English language and the written word. I conceded. You are correct sir, it’s not incorrect grammar, it’s just crap grammar. I think I said that. What is it you presume I don’t get? ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-things-that-make-a-man-woman-unnatractive-to-you/485254/147 "2009-02-13T02:56:03Z")
> [@Captain\_Carrot](#): > > Wow, you’re still not getting this! There is such a thing as crap grammar, and while that phrase that you cited may be acceptable in the dialect that you use at home (what’s with the scare quotes around ‘dialect’?), that does not mean that it is acceptable in the academic environment. Given all the dough they are rolling in and all the hot freaky monkey sex they are having, one might want to reconsider whether academia is the standard one wants to live up to 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-things-that-make-a-man-woman-unnatractive-to-you/485254/148 "2009-02-13T03:09:10Z")
> [@Hellestal](#): > > This isn’t a matter of opinion. It’s a matter of fact. Your facts are wrong. It’s like disagreeing that the sun comes up the east. Well, there are a fair number of us who disagree with that ‘fact’. We don’t believe that the sun rises in the east; instead we believe the earth revolves around the sun. From an idea published by Copernicus, around 1514. ---
**Author:** ![HolyFreakingMoly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7ba0ec/32.png) [@HolyFreakingMoly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HolyFreakingMoly)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-things-that-make-a-man-woman-unnatractive-to-you/485254/149 "2009-02-13T03:29:59Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > Well, there are a fair number of us who disagree with that ‘fact’. > > We don’t believe that the sun rises in the east; instead we believe the earth revolves around the sun. From an idea published by Copernicus, around 1514. I’m sure as fuck hoping the sun rises in the East… It’s the only way I know if I’m going the right way or not in the morning! ---
**Author:** ![HolyFreakingMoly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7ba0ec/32.png) [@HolyFreakingMoly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HolyFreakingMoly)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-things-that-make-a-man-woman-unnatractive-to-you/485254/150 "2009-02-13T03:31:05Z")
Oh, wait. You _weren’t_ being facetious! ---
**Author:** ![Sebastienne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@Sebastienne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sebastienne)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-things-that-make-a-man-woman-unnatractive-to-you/485254/151 "2009-02-13T03:51:43Z")
> [@phouka](#): > > My unreasonable, silly turn-off? Some guys have fingernails that don’t go all the way to the end of their fingertips. Instead, they end early, and the fingertip bulges above the level of the nail. > > _shudder_ OH GOD YES Even on friends, that makes my skin crawl. Same with people who have thumbs where the distal flange is super-short, so they just have a wide, short, thumbnail. EEEW I notice hands. I like pretty hands. Always speaking (and worse, thinking) as if their perceptions of the world were universal fact, i.e. “the gym is boring” vs “I get bored at the gym.” My perpetual thanks to Cecil for turning me onto E-prime and thus letting me know I’m not the only one so annoyed. Maybe this one’s not so minor… Unapologized for forgetfulness. I don’t mind if your memory sucks and leads you to make weird mistakes, my memory sucks and leads to me making weird mistakes too, but when the big picture finally clicks into place, just say “Oh, I guess I’ll have to try to resell the ticket. Sorry, I completely forgot your surgery was scheduled the day before Wrestlemania. I forget the darndest things sometimes.” Don’t just go “oh right, you had said something about the hospital” and then shrug as if retaining information is a completely alien concept and nothing a functional human being would ever be expected to do. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-things-that-make-a-man-woman-unnatractive-to-you/485254/152 "2009-02-13T03:56:06Z")
> [@phouka](#): > > My unreasonable, silly turn-off? Some guys have fingernails that don’t go all the way to the end of their fingertips. Instead, they end early, and the fingertip bulges above the level of the nail. > > _shudder_ > > There’s no reasoning to it. I’m sure that men with these unfortunate nails are genuinely good people, but it just makes me squirm. > [@cwthree](#): > > Perfectly reasonable - it looks like they’ve chewed their nails off, and who wants to think about\* that\*\*? The odd broken-off or too-short nail I can deal with, but fingertips look like they’ve been gnawed by rodents are off-putting. > > \*I understand that some people bite their nails. I bite my nails. But it’s not obvious from looking at my hands. What?! You saying cute li’l fingertips like [these](http://home.earthlink.net/~ah3files/Stuff/Bitten.jpg) are dealbreakers!? ---
**Author:** ![Vox\_Imperatoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Vox\_Imperatoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vox_Imperatoris)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-things-that-make-a-man-woman-unnatractive-to-you/485254/153 "2009-02-13T04:21:45Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > What?! You saying cute li’l fingertips like [these](http://home.earthlink.net/~ah3files/Stuff/Bitten.jpg) are dealbreakers!? At the opposite end of the spectrum, what about [these](http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e34/Vox_Imperatoris/IMG_0004.jpg)? I _do_ need to cut them soon, but I don’t think they’re that bad. And for what it’s worth, it would squick me out to have fingernails that short, and I’ve never bitten them (I don’t really understand how the process works, actually). I’ve also started a new pattern of cutting them (with clippers): I cut the middle first down to the start of the white area, then I cut the sides diagonally down to the edge of the nail, giving flat nails on top with sloping sides. Also, it looks like I have proportionally much longer fingers than you. Valete, Vox Imperatoris ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-things-that-make-a-man-woman-unnatractive-to-you/485254/154 "2009-02-13T05:57:36Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > What?! You saying cute li’l fingertips like [these](http://home.earthlink.net/~ah3files/Stuff/Bitten.jpg) are dealbreakers!? /runs screaming into the night. /returns, wipes brow. Sorry, sorry. I’m working on that. _shudder_ ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-things-that-make-a-man-woman-unnatractive-to-you/485254/155 "2009-02-13T10:22:58Z")
> [@Vox\_Imperatoris](#): > > At the opposite end of the spectrum, what about [these](http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e34/Vox_Imperatoris/IMG_0004.jpg)? I _do_ need to cut them soon, but I don’t think they’re that bad. And for what it’s worth, it would squick me out to have fingernails that short, and I’ve never bitten them (I don’t really understand how the process works, actually). I’ve also started a new pattern of cutting them (with clippers): I cut the middle first down to the start of the white area, then I cut the sides diagonally down to the edge of the nail, giving flat nails on top with sloping sides. Also, it looks like I have proportionally much longer fingers than you. > > Valete, > Vox Imperatoris A better way to cut them (I trim rather than bite my nails too) is to use clippers to take off a portion of the nail and then use and emmery board/file to make them smooth. ---
**Author:** ![Vox\_Imperatoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Vox\_Imperatoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vox_Imperatoris)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-things-that-make-a-man-woman-unnatractive-to-you/485254/156 "2009-02-13T14:58:47Z")
> [@Illuminatiprimus](#): > > A better way to cut them (I trim rather than bite my nails too) is to use clippers to take off a portion of the nail and then use and emmery board/file to make them smooth. Yeah, I tried that once, and it took way too long. And actually, I was filing them the way I described earlier, so I realized I could just use the clippers to do the whole thing. Any difference in quality is outweighed by the fact that it’s at least five times faster. Valete, Vox Imperatoris ---
**Author:** ![Karyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/fbc32d/32.png) [@Karyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karyn)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-things-that-make-a-man-woman-unnatractive-to-you/485254/157 "2009-02-13T15:07:36Z")
I was a nail biter all of my life until about 6 months ago and the day I retired I decided to stop, and for some reason had no problem doing it. Now I have long nails, they look great, my partner and pets love them, and they’re driving me nuts. I keep scratching and cutting myself with them, they’re a pain in the ass to keep clean when I garden, they break frequently, the polish chips easily and other than looking good the only benefit that I can see is that they’re like little tools hanging off my fingertips that are good for opening flip tops and peeling labels off vegetables. If I still had to wear stockings to work I doubt that I could ever get them on without putting a run in them. Maybe you get used to them and they stop getting in the way after a while but so far I think that they’re over-rated. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-things-that-make-a-man-woman-unnatractive-to-you/485254/158 "2009-02-13T20:13:48Z")
Hate cell phone users. My friends I’ve known for years sometimes do this. It makes me want to punch them in the face. ---
**Author:** ![Vox\_Imperatoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Vox\_Imperatoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vox_Imperatoris)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-things-that-make-a-man-woman-unnatractive-to-you/485254/159 "2009-02-13T20:38:29Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Hate cell phone users. My friends I’ve known for years sometimes do this. It makes me want to punch them in the face. Anyone who uses a cell phone at all? If so, that’s really weird. Valete, Vox Imperatoris ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-things-that-make-a-man-woman-unnatractive-to-you/485254/160 "2009-02-13T21:20:02Z")
Unkind or unsympathetic comments about others. I want my woman to have a kind heart. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-things-that-make-a-man-woman-unnatractive-to-you/485254.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silly-things-that-make-a-man-woman-unnatractive-to-you/485254.md?page=9)