San Francisco Blog

There are a lot of words that just don't belong in mitigating quotes. "Pregnant" is one of them. Here's a real-life example, extracted from the morass of missed connections that followed Valentine's Day's annual pillow fight on the Embarcadero, and annotated for your benefit.

"pregnant" at pillow fight - m4w (financial district) [If you're not sure someone is "pregnant," it's best not to imply they are. Because if they're not pregnant, what are they? Bloated with Not Baby? It's just not a thing you do.]

You attacked me at pillow fight. You had a red lipstick marks on your cheek and looked pregnant :) [Just like some words don't belong in scare quotes, some things cannot be softened with emoticons.] You were also awfully cute. I wore a black leather jacket and had long curly hair. [Omg...could it be???] We fought for a little bit, then you retreated. I told you that you should engage in this kind of activity when pregnant. [He's a doctor! What a catch! I can't believe she "retreated." How's that for adequately applied scare quotes?] I would love to see you. [Pregnant or not, she would probably welcome a second chance at pummeling you, so keep those fingers crossed, m4w financial district!]