The art of the pickup line is a delicate one to master.
Pickup lines are used to start a conversation and show interest in someone, but few pickup lines find any success.
However, pickup lines can work in certain circumstances, but they must be made to order and delivered carefully. Cheesy is the preferred flavor of pickup lines, although sweet comes in close second.
“In my opinion, the cheesier the better because the cheesier they are, the girl’s most likely to laugh at them and want to keep talking to you,” said Kelsey Jetter, a junior English major from St. George.
Defining a cheesy pickup line can be tough, but some students take a broad view.
“If it’s overt enough to be called a pickup line, then it’s cheesy,” said Toshi Becker, a junior biology major from St. George.
A bold and cheesy line was more preferred than a half-hearted cheesy line.
“If you’re going to use a pickup line and you know it’s cheesy, just go all the way and use the absolute, most cheesy pickup line you can possibly find, so it’s clearly a joke and you don’t look stupid,” Becker said.
Knowing when and how to use a pickup line is tricky. Coming on too strong is likely to frighten someone off, but not committing to a pickup line at the moment of opportunity leaves few chances down the road.
Spencer Wolverton, a freshman music major from St. George, has the timing down.
“The only time you can use a pickup line is when you first meet a girl,” Wolverton said. “You can’t use it afterwards. It doesn’t help you at all.”
It’s also hard to know which lines will work and which lines will fall flat. Sexual, crude or rude pickup lines are not likely to work, while a line that is bland or boring leads nowhere.
Dawson Rosenkrantz, a freshman general education major from St. George, laid out the guidelines.
“Most pickup lines don’t work,” Rosenkrantz said. “If it picks on or accentuates a girl’s features, it doesn’t work.”
Jetter said, “Pickup lines work if you use them effectively, but using a pickup line just to use it isn’t going to work out.”
Wolverton said the worst line he ever heard went something like this: “If you were an Oreo, you’d be double-stuffed.”
While many examples of awful pickup lines abound, hope is not lost. Wisely used pickup lines are funny, sweet or cheesy, but they should be sincere.
“The best pickup lines aren’t pickup lines,” Becker said.
Becker likes chivalrous conversation openers like this one: “Your backpack looks pretty heavy. Can I give you a hand?”
Rosenkrantz’s favorite pickup line has proven to be successful.
“How much does a polar bear weigh?” he asked. “Enough to break the ice!”
