# Tell me to call Claire. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 24, 2006, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-to-call-claire/373923 "2006-09-24T07:01:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Sierra\_Indigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-to-call-claire/373923/41 "2006-09-25T08:43:58Z")
Hubby from Yorkshire always used ‘gormless’ in a fashion that I equated with “Pleasantly dull-witted”. Not maliciously stupid, but kind of nice and dim in that very friendly way. M-w online agrees with **Skald** … > [@m-w online](#): > > chiefly British : lacking intelligence : STUPID . ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-to-call-claire/373923/42 "2006-09-25T08:45:26Z")
[QUOTE=Skald the Rhymer] Um…gormless doesn’t mean “spineless” or “cowardly”–it means “stupid.” Is that really the word you want? [/QUOTE] Coming from Norf Lunnon, I know what’s what. Gormless round 'ere, mate, means ‘daft’ or ‘soppy’ or ‘not wise in the ways of social success, especially in matters concerning the fairer sex and how to achieve relationships with them’. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-to-call-claire/373923/43 "2006-09-25T08:55:06Z")
[QUOTE=Sierra Indigo] Hubby from Yorkshire always used ‘gormless’ in a fashion that I equated with “Pleasantly dull-witted”. Not maliciously stupid, but kind of nice and dim in that very friendly way. M-w online agrees with **Skald** … chiefly British : lacking intelligence : STUPID . [/QUOTE] As your husband is from Yorkshire, may I say “Eh oop, lass!” And I think this shows again the slight gulf that divides us English from our cousins across the pond (plus our traditional sporting rivals on the other side of the world!). The Oxford English Dictionary states: gormless - foolish, lacking sense (the root is gaumless, from gaum ‘understanding’) Skald, ‘stupid’ comes from the Latin ‘stupidus’. There is a clear and useful distinction in England between someone who is gormless with women, and someone who behaves stupidly towards them. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-to-call-claire/373923/44 "2006-09-25T08:56:52Z")
[QUOTE=Freelancer] Apparantly he did mean that. [/QUOTE] Appar **e** ntly I didn’t! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-to-call-claire/373923/45 "2006-09-25T09:09:38Z")
Asta. Gort. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-to-call-claire/373923/46 "2006-09-25T09:11:45Z")
[QUOTE=Cicero] Asta. Gort. [/QUOTE] Wrong thread grrrrr. Could a mod please delete? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-to-call-claire/373923/47 "2006-09-25T10:04:59Z")
Call Claire, but be warned; Her Thing Has Teeth. ---
**Author:** ![mittu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@mittu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mittu)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-to-call-claire/373923/48 "2006-09-25T11:38:44Z")
[QUOTE=Cicero] Wrong thread grrrrr. Could a mod please delete? [/QUOTE] Out of interest which thread was that supposed to go in, i’m struggling to think of a situation where that would constitute a sensible reply 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-to-call-claire/373923/49 "2006-09-25T11:43:36Z")
[QUOTE=mittu] Out of interest which thread was that supposed to go in, i’m struggling to think of a situation where that would constitute a sensible reply 😃 [/QUOTE] Well probably not a sensible reply, but I think it was in Cafe Society and a question about one word quotes that would signify a movie. \ But thanks for noticing. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-to-call-claire/373923/50 "2006-09-27T15:05:12Z")
[QUOTE=kambuckta] Call Claire. [/QUOTE] [Airplane] No, that’s just what she’s expecting him to do! [/Airplane] [QUOTE=John Carter of Mars] “See you around” ain’t good. [/QUOTE] True, but it sure beats the “You’re a really nice/good/great/etc. guy…” speech. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-to-call-claire/373923/51 "2006-09-27T15:15:39Z")
[diner lady from _The Rocketeer_ whacks you with a wooden spoon] “Go after her, ya dope!” Call her again. It’s been three days. Plenty of time for her to have either (a) freed up some time or (b) figured out how to tell you to lose her number. But call her. ---
**Author:** ![velvetjones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5f9b8f/32.png) [@velvetjones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velvetjones)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-to-call-claire/373923/52 "2006-09-27T15:20:50Z")
Hey **Happy Scrappy** I’m just checking in to encourage you to call her again. Are you absolutely, completely certain that the VM she left you was a brush off? Did she actually say “see you around”? Give it another shot. She didn’t give you her number for nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-to-call-claire/373923/53 "2006-09-27T15:32:19Z")
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” . So, call Clare. -brought to you by The Human Sexuality Foundation: “With your help, we can stamp out viginity in our lifetime.” ---
**Author:** ![Idaho\_Red](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ba9def/32.png) [@Idaho\_Red](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idaho_Red)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-to-call-claire/373923/54 "2006-09-27T15:57:58Z")
Call her! There really _is_ the possibility that something came up and she is or was _very_ busy but doesn’t know you well enough (yet) to open up/share/cry on your shoulder. [QUOTE=Count Blucher] brought to you by The Human Sexuality Foundation: “With your help, we can stamp out viginity in our lifetime.” [/QUOTE] How can we stamp it out? I’ve heard there are people born with it now! :eek: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-to-call-claire/373923/55 "2006-09-27T16:08:42Z")
I never said the cure wouldn’t take years. Hopefully 17. (And hopefully thats still w/i everyone read this’ lifetime) ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-to-call-claire/373923/56 "2006-09-27T19:40:23Z")
Ring ring ring ring ring banana phone! (…well, _I_ thought it was funny.) Seriously, call her before Asta and Gort show up. Do it! ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-to-call-claire/373923/57 "2006-09-27T19:46:03Z")
You didn’t want her anyway. Claire’s a fat girl’s name. ---
**Author:** ![shelbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@shelbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shelbo)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-to-call-claire/373923/58 "2006-09-27T20:12:56Z")
Call her and leave her a long message about how you can’t stop thinking of her. And send her deep red roses, with a mushy card telling her she’s always on your mind. And wait for her after class and ask to walk her home. And meet her outside her apartment in the morning to ask if she’d like to walk to class. Girls LOVE that kind of stuff, trust me! ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-to-call-claire/373923/59 "2006-09-27T20:16:33Z")
Nah, the message was definitely a blow-off. It was more well-crafted, in tone and wording, than some disclaimers I’ve read. [QUOTE= gigi] Claire’s a fat girl’s name. [/QUOTE] **Gigi,** I’m not sure if you know this, but there are two kinds of fat people: there’s fat people that were born to be fat, and there’s fat people that were once thin but became fat… so when you look at 'em you can sorta see that thin person inside. …and I wouldn’t have minded spending time with her in the “once thin” phase. But now, she’s getting anonymous Twinkie CARE packages from here to eternity. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-to-call-claire/373923/60 "2006-09-27T20:24:58Z")
She’ll really be pushing maximum density. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-to-call-claire/373923.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-to-call-claire/373923.md?page=4)