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In common with the broken sink tale, the unsuitable suitor theme comes into play in a discomfiting anecdote about a nervous young man's meeting his betrothed's snooty parents for the first time. He's all too aware of the social deficit between himself and his future bride and is walking on eggshells lest her parents think the worse of him for his humble beginnings. He's out of his element and he knows it, but he's trying his best until disaster strikes: His efforts to momentarily distract the family lead to a greater social gaffe: he inadvertently points them to the sight of two dogs going at it right where they have no choice but to look. Adding to the inappropriateness of directing anyone's attention to such a sight is his unique position with this family. He's about to marry their treasured daughter, after all, and that marriage will involve getting biblical with her. Even if her parents understand his Wow! Look at that! action as a poor joke and forgive him for it, they're left with a too vivid image of copulation, the one element of their daughter's future they'd much rather not have to contemplate. In some open fly versions, the young man further compounds his embarrassment by hastily zipping the edge of the tablecloth into his pants while his future inlaws are gaping at the spectacle taking place on the front lawn. The end of the meal sees him stripping the covering from the table and sending the dishes flying when he nonchalantly stands and attempts to walk away. As always, the theme is embarrassment, with the future groom's awful moment heightened by the additional importance ascribed to this particular evening. These are not, after all, the understanding parents of his wife of many years; these are the anxious mother and father he's soon to snatch their baby girl from. But of course his attempts to prove that he's no piker and will indeed know how to take care of her will founder on the rocks of social disaster. A related legend working the same theme goes as follows: Sightings: Look for a brief mention of this legend in the Wife of Bath episode of the BBC's Canterbury Tales (original air date 18 September 2003).
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