So I had a date this past week that went off the rails a little in a very unexpected way.

We were about an hour and half into the date, vibing pretty well, a little kino, etc. At one point I referenced her being cute, like anecdotally. Something along the lines of "well your # was already in my phone, so I knew I'd asked you for it, so I knew you'd be cute", etc.

The use of the word "cute" was apparently a nonstarter. I think I could have said hot, sexy, or whatever and it would have been fine, but this shit instead was like kryptonite. This took me utterly by surprise, as I was not expecting this strong reaction to what seems like an innocuous word in innocuous usage.

Women: Is there a particular adjective you'd have preferred here? Does this seem understandable or bizarre to you?

Dudebros: Has this ever happened to any of you? What are your adjectives of choice?

I usually feel like I've got a pretty good sense of when I'm about to say something that will get a reaction, and this was NOT one of those times so I just stumbled into it. Feels Bad Man.