Looking for the best pick-up lines for success? You’re in luck! But you need to avoid these really bad pick-up lines too, and avoid a slap!
Pickup lines are notoriously associated with awkwardness and cringe. They often come off as eye-roll-inducing or overtly sexist. However, the best pick-up lines actually achieve their aim without groans and complaints.
Flirting with pickup lines doesn’t have to be completely embarrassing. In fact, it can be as simple as a cute conversation opener or some form of flattery. Often, acknowledging the silliness of a pickup line can save you from the bad connotations associated with one.
However, avoiding the really bad pickup lines is something you should do at all costs. These aren’t going to get you a date, but they might get you a slap around the face for your efforts! [Read: Classy moves to get a girl to notice you without even talking]
Are pick-up lines still a thing?
Of course! As long as people date, pick-up lines will exist, be it online or in person. However, we’ve moved on from the super-cheesy lines back in the day and onto something a bit more sophisticated and less cringe.
The best pickup lines are designed to break the ice and get a conversation flowing. They’re designed to make a good first impression. However, really bad pickup lines do the exact opposite!
Knowing the difference is important. [Read: Texting etiquette and flirting – 26 rules guys and girls must follow]
What makes a good/bad pickup line?
And that smoothly brings us to what makes a good or bad pick-up line. Basically, if a pickup line makes the other person cringe in embarrassment or offended, it’s terrible and should never see the light of day again. You should give yourself a mental slap for even attempting it.
But a good pick-up line makes a person smile, even if it is a little cheesy. They’re also flattering, but not in a creepy way.
As we already mentioned, it’s about breaking the ice and getting the other person to engage in conversation. That’s something a bad pickup line will never do.
Avoid anything sexual, too personal, or downright offensive and you should be good to go. [Read: Flirting – What it is, different types, and how to pick a style that works for you]
The best pick-up lines that won’t get you rejected
No matter what’s your style, there’s a pickup line to suit you. See if any of these call out to you.
But remember, you should always choose a line that suits the person you’re trying to speak to; that way you’re more likely to get a good response.
1. Kiss me if I’m wrong, but dinosaurs still exist, right?
2. You’re so pretty, I wouldn’t even need to use an Instagram filter if I took your photo.
3. Roses are red, bananas are yellow, wanna go out with a nice little fellow? [Read: Flirty vs friendly – 34 subtle flirting signs to tell if someone is flirting with you]
4. Hey, you’re pretty and I’m cute. Together we’d be Pretty Cute.
5. Are you a camera? Because every time I look at you, I smile.
6. If you were a tropical fruit, you’d be a fine-apple!
7. If I were a stop light, I’d turn red every time you passed by, just so I could stare at you a bit longer.
8. Screw the nice list, I’ve got you on my “nice and naughty” list.
9. Can I follow you home? Cause my parents always told me to follow my dreams. [Read: How to charm a girl and flatter her into liking you]
10. I have had a really bad day and it always makes me feel better to see a pretty girl smile. So, would you smile for me?
11. Your smile lit up the room, so I had to come over.
12. I seem to have lost my phone number. Can I have yours?
13. Do you have a Band-Aid? Cause I just scraped my knee falling for you.
14. You must be a magician, because every time I look at you, everyone else disappears.
15. My buddies bet me that I wouldn’t be able to start a conversation with the most beautiful girl in the bar. Wanna buy some drinks with their money? [Read: Subtle eye contact flirting tips to catch someone’s eye from afar]
16. Hey, I just realized this, but you look a lot like my next girlfriend.
17. Can I tie your shoes? ‘Cause I don’t want you falling for anyone else.
18. If kisses were snowflakes, I’d send you a blizzard. [Read: Tips to make you look effortlessly smooth while talking to a girl]
19. Your chromosomes have combined beautifully.
20. Are you made of Copper and Tellurium? Because you are Cu-Te.
21 Mario is Red. Sonic is blue. Press start to join, and be my player 2.
22. Is your name Google? Because you have everything I’ve been searching for.
23. Do you like science? Because I’ve got my ion you!
24. Where’s the ‘like’ button for that smile? [Read: How to flirt with a girl – 54 secrets and 41 examples to make a woman blush]
25. You have nicer legs than an isosceles right triangle.
26. You must’ve been made by Intel to be that hot!
27. Are you a video game? ‘cause I think you’re my Destiny.
Really bad pick-up lines you should NEVER use!
The best pick-up lines make the other person laugh, even if they are a little cheesy. But really bad pickup lines make people want to run away – fast! Avoid these pickup lines like the plague if you want to stand a chance. [Read: Bad social habits that make you undateable]
1. Baby, if you were words on a page, you’d be what they call FINE PRINT.
2. My love for you is like diarrhea. I can’t hold it in.
3. So did it hurt when you fell from heaven?
4. Let’s play Titanic. When I say iceberg, you go down.
5. I have a snake and he wants to enter your garden.
6. You must be a broom, ‘cause you just swept me off my feet.
7. Hey, I lost my underwear, can I see yours?
8. My name is Peter Pan and I can take you to Never Never Land. [Read: How to learn from the rejections you’ve faced]
9. Are you a parking ticket? ‘Cause you’ve got FINE written all over you.
10. If I was a fly, I’d land on you first. Because you’re the sh*t.
11. Do you work at Subway? Cause you just gave me a footlong.
12. I lost my teddy, will you sleep with me instead?
13. I lost my virginity, can I have yours? [Read: Corny pickup lines that’ll definitely make your man smile]
14. That shirt looks great on you, but it would look better on the floor.
15. Your daddy must be a drug dealer, because you’re dope.
16. I’m not Fred Flintstone, but I can make your bedrock.
17. Was your mother a beaver, because damn! [Read: 101 awesomely good comebacks for every single occasion]
18. I put the STD in stud, all I need is u.
19. Are those space pants? Because your butt is out of this world!
20. Can you touch my hand? I want to tell my friends I was touched by an angel. [Read: Fit right in with these funny conversation starters]
21. Hey, baby, like my shirt? It’s made of boyfriend material.
22. Hey girl, are you Wi-Fi? Because we have a connection.
23. Okay, I’m here. What would you like for your next wish?
24. Excuse me, I believe you have something in your eye. Oh, nope it’s just a sparkle.
25. Remember me? Oh, that’s right, we’ve only met in my dreams. [Read: The clueless guy’s and girl’s guide to using pick-up lines the right way]
26. Are you my appendix? I don’t know what you do or how you work, but I feel like I should take you out.
27. If you were a triangle, you’d be an acute one.
28. Are you an orphanage? Because I want to give you kids.
29. Is that a mirror in your pocket? ‘Cause I can see myself in your pants.
30. Can you take off your clothes so I can see where you hide your angel wings?
31. If I flip this coin, what are the chances of me getting head?
32. It’s a good thing I have my library card because I am totally checking you out. [Read: Witty comebacks you can use on an overly flirtatious guy]
33. You know what you would look really beautiful in? My arms.
34. I’ve heard it said that kissing is the ‘language of love.’ Would you care to have a conversation with me about it sometime?
35. Do you have a name, or can I just call you ‘mine’?
36. I hope you know CPR, because you are taking my breath away!
37. You are hotter than the bottom of my laptop.
38. Excuse me, do you know how much a polar bear weighs? Me neither, but it breaks the ice. [Read: 125 funny icebreaker questions to start talking and make anyone like you]
39. Is your name Wally? Because someone like you is hard to find.
40. I went to my doctor and he told me I have a serious deficiency of vitamin U.
41. Did you just fart? Because you blow me away.
42. As long as I have a face, you’ll have a place to sit.
It’s no surprise that the list of really bad pickup lines is longer than the really good ones. That tells you just how easy it is to get this whole pickup line business very wrong indeed! [Read: Awesome exit strategies to ditch an awful date]
Don’t like pickup lines? Use these alternatives
Remember that using a pickup line doesn’t only have to be a one-liner at a bar. There are plenty of ways to incorporate your pick-up lines into different flirtation methods, such as:
1. Texting
Texting can be an amazingly cute way to communicate a pickup line. For anyone trying to honestly learn the art of flirty texting, just remember the cardinal rule: When in doubt, use a winky face.
While some people find emoticons trite and beneath them, 95% of them find them adorable. [Read: Texting anxiety – How to send and receive texts without freaking out]
Not sure if they’re going to reciprocate your flirtation? Use a wink. Telling a joke that is obviously silly or cheesy? Use a wink. Trying to make an otherwise normal sentence seem more sexual? Use a wink!
Emojis are adorable, and nothing is going to make them smile more than a yellow smile from the person they really like. Those smiley faces at the end of your texts make them feel like they’ve brought you down to an ooey-gooey level that you’d be ashamed for your friends to know about – and they like that feeling.
Plus, it lets them know that they’ve made you smile! [Read: Naughty texting games to try with a girl]
2. Sarcasm
Sarcasm can be one of the funniest, most charming ways of flirting. Playful banter is a fantastic way to flirt, as it forms inside jokes with your potential partner, shows off your wit, and creates fabulous sexual tension.
Just make sure they’re the type of person who will get your sarcasm. You wouldn’t want to make the best sarcastic comeback of your life, only to be received by a blank stare!
3. Know what works and what doesn’t
Remember, it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. You don’t need to go off a list of pre-approved pick-up lines if that doesn’t work for you. Charming a person is about having a personality, and you know what works for your personality.
If you don’t fancy yourself a slick charmer, then sarcasm probably isn’t your kind of wit. Not a texting person? Then an abundance of smiley emojis in a message will just come off awkward. [Read: How to get over dating anxiety – face your fear and get back out there]
Use your pickup line with a cheeky grin!
It’s not all about the line you choose, but how you deliver it! If you go in there with a totally serious face and shaking hands because you’re so nervous, it’s not going to work.
But if you go in there with a confident stance and a cheeky grin, you’re more likely to get a good outcome.
[Read: The socially awkward guy’s guide to flirting]
Whatever type of person you are, you can find the best pickup line for your personal taste. And if you fail? Practice, practice, practice! There are always plenty more lines to try!