The Gentleman Savant Thursday Writing Prompt is this: What is the best compliment you’ve ever gotten in your entire life? Alternately (or in addition), tell us about the most backhanded or worst compliment you’ve ever received. Was it the fact that it came from a certain person that made it so good/bad? Or was it the culmination of events leading up to it? The world wants to know!

One of the biggest things I was looking forward to about coming to England was seeing JOY. We met up in Minehead (yes, that is where I am now, but I was not to know that then), because she has relatives here and we stayed with them for four days. It was a hilarious hilarious time. One day Joy and the relatives and I were crabbing, as you do, off the wharf. After this failed (we got one wee crab- Joy’s- she was ever so proud) we all went and got CHIPS at the pub on the wharf thing.

The chips were dumped unceremoniously on the table by a despondent, be-eyelinered (neologism, soz), bored waitress, who drawled ”if yer want compliments ther’ on th’ teeble inseed” and waddled off again.

There was a silence, then a snigger, and a then- ”anyone want some compliments?”.

Blank looks turned into giggles and soon Tom and Oliver and Kitty had all caught on and were shouting ”yeh, I want a compliment! compliments that come in little packets! heh!” and running into the pub and fetching them. Many many terrible jokes sprouted from that wee incident- I never was sure if Liz got my ”Gosh, liz, you look saucy today” or if perhaps she just thought I was being ridiculous..