Your problems solved
Q. I have met a man who, despite being 66, is very fanciable. He has been paying me some attention. The problem is that he spits while he is speaking. I think this is a new habit: his former wife and long-term girlfriend have high standards and would not have put up with it, but he has been single for a couple of years. I don’t want to nag him even before we have embarked on anything — but I would not want to embark on anything while being sprayed with spittle.
— K.M., London WC1
A. Invite him to lunch with a small group, including another man who spits. Seat the two spitters opposite each other. Orchestrate for the other spitter to leave first and for your fellow guests to open up a discussion on spitting and its causes, culminating in the (correct) conclusion that a good dentist can usually put an end to the problem.
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