129 ways to get a man according to 1958 advice - carry a hat box?and sell?fishing tackle

The huge list is split into sections and gives the women of 1950s a very detailed set of instructions explaining how to get a man, hook him and keep him

By?Jane Lavender?

Assistant Editor

16:27, 19 AUG 2020?

fishing tackle n. ?[ U ] equipment used for catching fish 漁具

Dating in 2020 has certainly posed its challenges for those looking for love.

As well as the?spectre?of the global?coronavirus?pandemic to contend with, there's also the problem of maintaining social distance while trying to find your one true love.

spectre n. ??/?spekt?(r)/ ?

1.~ (of sth) something unpleasant that people are afraid might happen in the future 恐懼；恐慌；憂慮

?The country is haunted by the spectre of civil war. 內(nèi)戰(zhàn)仿佛一觸即發(fā)，舉國上下一片恐慌。

2.?( literary ) a ghost 鬼；幽靈

contend with?對付；與…作斗爭

And that's before all the usual pitfalls?of online dating apps and making sure the object of your desire is worthy of your attention.

pitfall n. /?p?tf??l/ ??危險；困難；（尤指）陷阱，隱患

For now, speed dating is a thing of the past and with the new rules keeping us all safe it seems it's never been harder to find the man of your dreams.

Well ladies, think again - it seems the 1950s was an even weirder time to be looking for 'the one'.

Back in 1958, women's magazine, McCall's, published a list of the 129, yep that's right 129, sure fire tips and tricks ladies could try to snare a husband.

Let's just say, some of them are, by today's standards at least, a little unusual.

From "carrying a hat box" around with you, to "sobbing?quietly in a corner", this 129 tips-strong list is filled with bizarre and quirky ways to attract the attention of a potential suitor.

bizarre adj. /b??zɑ?(r)/ 極其怪誕的；異乎尋常的

How about "getting a job selling fishing tackle", or "learning to paint and setting up an easel outside an engineering school"?

easel n. /?i?zl/ 畫架；（舊時）黑板架

And if you think your friends could be the reason you're finding yourself dateless,?well, the list has something you can do about that too - "don't?room with a girl who is a?sad sack?and let her pull you down to her level" - brutal.

Dateless?adj. 無日期的，無期限的；經(jīng)住時間考驗的；遠(yuǎn)古的

room with：和…同住一個房間?????sad sack冒失鬼；不中用之人；糊涂兵

Another slightly sinister tactic involves "reading the obituaries?to find eligible widowers", while simply "sitting on a park bench?and feeding the?pigeons" could be the way to your future husband's heart.

sinister adj. ??/?s?n?st?(r)/ ?邪惡的；險惡的；不祥的；有兇兆的

tactic ?n. /?t?kt?k/n. 策略，戰(zhàn)略；adj. 按順序的，依次排列的

obituary n. ?/??b?t?u?ri/ 訃聞；訃告????widower n. ??/?w?d???(r)/ ?鰥夫

park bench：公園長凳???pigeon n. /?p?d??n/ 鴿子

The?exhaustive list full of tips is helpfully divided into sections to help women net their dream guy every step of the way.

exhaustive adj. ??/?ɡ?z??st?v/ ?including everything possible; very thorough or complete 詳盡的；徹底的；全面的?? exhaustive research/tests 徹底的探究╱檢查

It starts with 'where to find him', then follows on to 'how to let him know you're there', next up is 'how to look good to him', seamlessly followed by 'how to land him', and finally 'wild ideas - anything goes'.

seamlessly /?si?ml?sli/ adv. 無縫地

So if you're REALLY struggling and want some advice from 1958 - here's the list in full.

Where to find him

1. Get a dog and walk it.

2. Have your car?breakdown?at strategic places.

3. Attend night school - take course men like.

4. Look in the census reports?for places with the most single men.?

census reports：人口普查報表

5. Read the obituaries?to find eligible widowers.

6. Join a hiking club.

7. Take up golf and go to different golf courses.

8. Take several short vacations at different places rather than one long one at one place.

9. Sit on a park bench and feed the pigeons.

10. Take a bicycle trip through Europe.

11. Get a job in a medical, dental or law school.

12. Become a nurse or an airline stewardess.?????????????

stewardess?n.?/?stju???des/??/?stju??/??（飛機(jī)上的）女乘務(wù)員；空中小姐；（輪船或火車上的）女乘務(wù)員，女服務(wù)員

13. Ask your friends' husbands who the eligible men are in their offices.

14. Be nice to everybody - they may have an eligible son or brother.

15. Get a government job overseas.

16. Volunteer for jury duty.??

?jury duty陪審義務(wù)；參與陪審期

17. Be friendly to ugly men - handsome is as handsome does.

18. Tell your friends you're interested in getting married.

19. Get lost at football games.

20. Don't take a job in a company largely run by women.

21.? Get a job demonstrating fishing tackle in a sports store.

22. On a plane, train or bus don't sit next to a woman - sit next to a man.

23. Go to all school reunions, there may be widowers there.

24. Don't be afraid to associate with more attractive girls, they may have some leftovers.

25. Go back to your home town - the wild kid next door may now be an eligible bachelor.

26.? Don't room with a girl who is a sad sack and let her pull you down to her level.

27. Get a part-time job in a convention bureau.?

convention bureau：會議局

28. Change apartments from time to time.

29.? When travelling stay at small hotels where it's easier to meet strangers.

30. Learn to painy. Set up easel?outside engineering school.

How to let him know you're there

31.?Stumble?when you walk into a room he's invi.

Stumble??v. /?st?mbl/躊躇，蹣跚；失足；犯錯vt. 使…困惑；使…絆倒?n. 絆倒；蹣跚而行

32.?Forget discretion?every once in a while and call him up.

discretion ?/d??skre?n/?n. 自由裁量權(quán)；謹(jǐn)慎；判斷力；判定；考慮周到，這個單詞遇見過

33. Carry a hat box.

34. Wear a band-aid - people always ask what happened.

35. Make a lot of money.

36. Learn several funny stories and learn to tell them well - but make sure you don't tell him more than once.

37. Walk up to him and tell him you need some advice.

38. Dropping the handkerchief still works.

39. Have your father buy some theatre tickets that need to be got rid of.

40. Stand in a corner and cry softly - chances are he'll come over to ask what's wrong.

41. If you are at a?resort, have a bell boy page you.

Resort在這里是度假勝地的意思，bell boy男門童/服務(wù)員

Page我們常見的是書頁的意思，這里的page和前面的bell boy連用。Page做名詞有侍從，花童的意思。在這里個人認(rèn)為應(yīng)該是需要個侍從常伴左右。

42. Buy a convertible - men like to ride in them.

43. Don't let him fish for your name next time you meet.

44. Learn how to bake tasty apple pies - bring one into the office and let the eligible bachelors taste it.

45. Laugh at his jokes.

46. If there's a wallflower?among the men you know, why not cultivate them??

wallflower?n. 壁花（舞會中沒有舞伴而坐著看的人）；桂竹香。小時候看偶像劇形容灰姑涼女主是壁花小姐都不知道是什么意思。原來是指代人群中不起眼的一類人啊。

47. 'Accidentally' have your purse fly open, scattering?its contents across the street.

How to look good to him

48. Men like to think they're authorities on perfume, ask his advice on what kind you should wear.

49. Get better looking glasses - men still make passes at girls who wear glasses - or try?contact lenses.?

contact lenses：隱形眼鏡

50. Practice your drinking with your women friends first.

51. If you dye your hair, pick a shade and stick to it.?

a shade：稍微、一點點。我認(rèn)為這句話意思是，如果染發(fā)，可以稍微染染但要堅持下去。（關(guān)鍵我不知道這和撩漢有啥邏輯關(guān)系，理解有些牽強(qiáng)···）

52. Wear high heels most of the time - they're sexier.

53. Unless he happens to be shorter than you are.

54. Tell him he's handsome.

55. Take good care of your health - men don't like girls who are ill.

56. If you look good in sweaters, wear one on every third date.

57. Dress differently from the other girls in the office.

58. Get a sunburn.

59. Watch your vocabulary.

60. Go on a diet if you need to.

61. When you are with him, order your steak rare.

62. Don't tell him about your allergies.

allergy n. /??l?d?i/ ?~ (to sth) 變態(tài)反應(yīng)；過敏反應(yīng)n. 過敏癥；反感；厭惡

63. European women use their eyes to good advantage - practise in front of a mirror.

原文鏈接：https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/129-ways-man-according-1958-22545692