A pick-up line or chat-up line is a

conversation opener A conversation opener is an introduction used to begin a conversation. They are frequently the subject of guides and seminars on how to make friends and/or meet people. Different situations may call for different openers (e.g. approaching a strange ...

with the intent of engaging a person for romance or

dating Dating is a stage of Romance (love), romantic relationships in which individuals engage in activity together, often with the intention of evaluating each other's suitability as a partner in a future intimate relationship. It falls into the cate ...

. As overt and sometimes humorous displays of romantic interest, pick-up lines advertise the wit of their speakers to their target listeners. Pick-up lines range from straightforward conversation openers such as introducing oneself, providing information about oneself, or asking someone about their likes and common interests, to more elaborate attempts including

flattery Flattery, also called adulation or blandishment, is the act of giving excessive compliments, generally for the purpose of Ingratiation, ingratiating oneself with the subject. It is also used in pick-up lines when attempting to initiate sexual or ...

humour Humour (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) or humor (American English) is the tendency of experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement. The term derives from the humorism, humoral medicine of the ancient Gre ...

. Novices are advised to avoid standardised and hackneyed lines (particularly those resembling country songs) and to put their opening in an interrogative form, if possible.J. Sidnell, Jack (2011). ''Conversation Analysis''. John Wiley & Sons. p. 14

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