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Glite Dictionary
to show her his etchings

to show her his etchings

9.9
Ask a woman to look at your art as a joke that suggests romantic or sexual interest
  • idiom
  • NSFW
translation icon : mostrarle sus grabados
  • He coyly asked if she wanted to show her his etchings, making her laugh at the obvious innuendo.

Examples

  • He joked at the party that he was going to show her his etchings, causing everyone to roll their eyes.

  • She raised an eyebrow and replied, 'Are you really going to show her his etchings now?'

  • The phrase 'Would you like to show her his etchings?' became a classic joke about awkward romantic overtures.

  • He wants to show her his etchings!

  • Did he really show her his etchings?

  • He jokingly suggested that he could show her his etchings, prompting laughter from their friends.

  • At the art gala, he playfully mentioned wanting to show her his etchings, adding a light-hearted tone to the evening.

Synonyms

to give (someone) the eye
vsto show her his etchings
3 8.4

Look at someone in a way that shows romantic or sexual interest

uses a joking invitation to imply sexual or romantic interest rather than a look
to see one's etchings
vsto show her his etchings
  • NSFW
9.9

Invite someone to your home pretending to show art but actually to try to have sex

is similar but usually implies inviting a woman rather than stressing the home visit

Antonyms

to ignore
∞ 1.0

Choose not to pay attention to someone or something

to reject
839 1.9

Refuse to accept someone or something

How Flirtatious

to proposition
  • Offensive
10 8.5
to put the moves on
  • NSFW
10 8.6
to flirt
267 3.1
to show her his etchings
  • NSFW
9.9
compliment
342 1.6

Surface Forms

show her his etchings infinitive
showing her his etchings present participle
shows her his etchings third person singular
showed her his etchings past
shown her his etchings past participle

Morphology

show + her + his + etching

The literal meaning — to display his etchings to her — is directly derivable from the constituents and thus transparent at a basic compositional level. However, the euphemistic/romantic-sexual implication is pragmatic and culturally mediated, not predictable from the words alone, so a B1 learner knowing the constituents would likely miss the intended innuendo.

Etymology

Show her his etchings may come from an old joke where a man invited a woman to see his small art prints. The image of a man saying he will show his etchings to get a private moment explains why the phrase is now used jokingly to mean 'a romantic or sexual advance'.