Why is it so difficult to think before you speak? Words matter and the way you deliver them matters even more. We're in a new era today, you can't just blurt out the first odd thing in your head. You never really could but now we know better; or at least we're supposed to. Look up the definition of a compliment and go from there.
Redditor u/sybaritic_footstool wanted to know what are some of the strangest things people thought was a thoughtful thing to say by asking....
What's the creepiest compliment you've ever been given?
Extra Doable....
Giphy
This old man lived on my street, I would always say hi to him in the morning on my way out to work. Didn't know him outside that greeting. He must have been in his 70's.
Looks at me and goes 'You look extra doable this morning.'
I double timed it and stopped talk to him. Forgotmyshoesagain
Reaching 8....
Every day I ride the elevator to the top floor of my office building. One day a couple of years ago an attractive 30ish year old woman got on the elevator at 2 and pressed 8.
When she got on the elevator, she stared at my forehead the entire time. The elevator reached 8 and she literally backed out of the elevator and held the door.
Still staring at me, she blurted out:
"I know I'm not supposed to say anything, but that is the most beautiful toupee I've ever seen."
Then the doors closed without either of us saying another word and I've never seen her since.
Thanks I grew it myself. -Blixx-
At Disney once....
At Disney once, me and my cousin (I was 16 he was 15) were sitting on a bench waiting for the others to come back from the bathrooms, and a lady (prob mid-30s) Stopped and stared at us for like, 10 seconds, then she said "You guys are so cute! Invite me to your wedding!" Then gave us a business card with her name and stuff on it. He just silently put it in his pocket and then we both just started laughing, we told our 3 other cousins, but not the adults. KrunchyCandy
Yikes....
One time I dressed up as a zombie to perform the Thriller dance at my workplace.
Colleague came up to me, got real close to my ear, and whispered:
"You look great as a zombie. I'm a necrophiliac, by the way."
Yikes....
(Edited to add some context: This colleague was in a different department from me so we only knew each other in passing. He was also about double my age — I was 24/25 at the time and he was closer to late 40s/early 50s). Reddit
Bad Vibes....
Giphy
A guy once remarked that I looked too young to be legally allowed to work. I told him I was 16 and he said he would have guessed 12 or 13 (I get this all the time and it pisses me off, but when in customer service smile through the pain). He then looked me up and down (taking an extra second to look at my butt) and said "You could do better than working here." And winked at me.
Not too creepy, but the vibes were incredibly off. whoeverthehell
"liked it that way."
First job at Starbucks at 16. Some older man probably 60's who worked at another store in the strip mall came in and told me I was so pretty and looked very "young and innocent" and that he "liked it that way."
He also followed me out to the parking garage one night when I was alone but didn't realize my boyfriend had come to make sure I made it safely to my car. He quickly left when he saw my boyfriend waiting at my car. Prison-mike23
In Your Eyes...
"I love your eyes! I can stare into them all day!" Proceeds to stare into my eyes for 2 minutes straight.
I'm a guy and not extremely lucky in the lady department. I'm not particularly choosy. But that one gave me the hebee jeebies. I didn't think women was capable of that level of creepy. But I learned that day! Jauxerous
Hands Free....
Giphy
"you're like a pale Buddha."
Proceeds to touch my belly without notice. RollerKirbyDerby
Over the Table....
When I was 18, a old man bent down to look under the table we were both at and told me I had nice legs. I was wearing a shortish skirt. I guess it's not overly creepy but I felt so uncomfortable though. LittleMissCosmic1992
The Few....
Ugh. I have a few.
"You're very attractive... for a redhead. They're almost always ugly." ( man old enough to be my father)
"Are those your legs or are you wearing white hose?"
At a family funeral : "That dress is really wearing you - you look stunning. I always enjoy SEEING you" said by my husband's uncle as he hugged me WAY too tight and close and whispered in my ear. I kneed him and shouted my husband's name. He denied the whole thing. (He is a Baptist preacher and is on wife #5)
"If you ever need extra money, you can definitely sell your "wares" *wink - said by a complete stranger in line at Winn Dixie and he tried to hand me a card that said "Joe's Body Shop" uh, NO. Also, I had my 3 kids with me. oshaughnessygirl
Do you have something to confess to George? Text "Secrets" or "
" to +1 (310) 299-9390 to talk to him about it.
I can't definitively say I've come face to face with the spirits. But I have had some unsettling feelings in the dark. Shadows are just shadows sometimes, but who can be sure.
I hear it...
Nbc Wings GIF by HULUGiphy"I was helping my dad clean my grandma's house after she passed and I went in and was trying to find a song in my phone and before I could I heard a cough plain as day come from down the hallway where her room was. She died of lung and throat cancer it was pretty crazy."
Running Past...
"When I was 5 I remember getting home from my grandpa's birthday party. For context my mom was pregnant with my brother at the time, so my parents had already bought his crib. I woke up in the middle of the night to find a women in a white dress and long black hair standing over my brother's crib. I managed to wake up my dad so he could take me to the bathroom. When I got back it was still there. It was only until morning when it disappeared. Every now and then I see a glance of what I assume is that thing running past the backyard."
The Cat
"My best friend and his wife had moved to a new apartment. I came over to visit a few times, and each time I'd see the motion of a cat in my peripheral vision. Not the image of a cat, but a sense of how a cat moves. Anyway, one day I finally cracked some joke about the ghost cat in the place and his wife was instantly saying "See! See! I told you we had a ghost cat!"
"excuse me"
"I worked graveyard shift in a dementia ward for 4 years and it was anything but quiet. I was working with a nurse one night when we both heard a resident say "excuse me." We looked around and no-one was there. I checked on the resident in question and she was fast asleep in her own room. Many of us also experienced someone whistling in the ward late at night and one nurse even managed to catch a video of it happening. It was unnerving to say the least."
Clueless
Skeleton GIFGiphy"I once saw someone short walk by me in my house. They walked into the laundry room which only has one way in. I walked into it behind them and they where gone. I thought it was my little brother but I went to his room and he was asleep. I still have no clue what that was."
- ImBolio
Now was everyone here positive they were sober? Just asking. Those are certainly spooky moments. I'd like some video footage please. Continue...
Reflections
ghost library GIFGiphy"I was up at 3am when I was maybe 7 or 8. I looked out the window and saw a woman in a white dress run across my yard. I could see through her. She was transparent like the reflections on the window."
"you alright?"
"So, my work place is haunted. I was having a really crap day, and as a cleaner, it's normal that me and my co worker will be the only ones left at night. So I was standing on the second floor, leaning on the banister for the stair case, when I heard this male voice say in my ear "you alright?" Clear as day. I turned around so fast and nobody was there and it scared the hell out of me."
- Rex-the-
Watching Me
"I remember as a young kid I usually use to sit in my bed and watch tv with my room door open while the adjacent guest bedroom next to mine would always have the door shut. I always remember seeing that door fully open and close by itself multiple times a day very slowly and gently. Never really bothered me much now that I think about it… but there were other creepier experiences I had in the same house that made me feel uncomfortable like I was being watched."
Betsy
"I went to the Betsy Ross House as a really little kid in the early 90s. Normal house but I was confused why the tour guide never talked about the woman on the chair crying at the edge of the bed in Betsy Ross's bedroom. So I asked about it. No one else saw the woman at the edge of the bed. I figured it was just a wax museum since there was a wax statue of a man in uniform rolling bullets in the basement."
"Years later, I was looking at haunted Philadelphia tours to go on with a friend and the Betsy Ross House was on it. I was like "woah! I was there!" and looked into it some more. Turns out there is a woman at the end of the bed crying and a uniformed man in the basement that people have reported seeing. There is no way that 8 year old me would have known about either of these things."
hello kitty...
hello kitty lol GIF by Animation Domination High-DefGiphy"I had this hello kitty Balloon In my bed room, it had a string and weight on it. So it was late, I had the lights on just Sitting on my bed. The Balloon turns, faces my door, slowly floats into my hallway and turns and floats into my sister's room. To this day I am scared of balloons."
They are among us and they like Hello Kitty. I'm probably rattling the paranormal cages and they'll come for me next, but I'm ready. I feel like this thread has prepared me.
Boo!
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.