Miss Manners: What’s the best way to dodge a fishy hug? And what if they chase me?

DEAR MISS MANNERS What is a polite way to refuse a hug with friends or strangers What to do when my proffered handshake is batted away and a hug pursued instead Related Articles Miss Manners Am I petty to think my neighbors parties are unfair to single people Miss Manners I don t want to sound so curt when they ask about wedding gifts Miss Manners Can I stop feeding my guests to get them to leave Miss Manners I m embarrassed to be seen with the lollipop snatcher Miss Manners The F-bombs were flying and I didn t know what to say to these hockey fans Specific men especially seem to want to hug me because of my large chest and it seems more like sexual assault than a friendly gesture And there are certain women whom I do not consider friends who have behaved badly to me in the past and I do not want them to touch me Is the advice the same in either occurrence And what about when they chase me GENTLE READER Run No friendly gesture should come at the cost of personal safety If your proffered hand is batted away step back hastily and do a little bow to get several distance between you and then mutter by way of explanation Something is going around and I don t want you to catch it Miss Manners will leave it to your discretion to tell these people that that something is their salacious behavior DEAR MISS MANNERS We were out to dinner with another couple and my wife became horrified when I took the final sip of my cocktail along with an ice cube and then proceeded to return the ice cube to the glass The final sip is the best sip Is this so horrible GENTLE READER Yes By all means take that final sip But Miss Manners will have to insist that you find a way to do so without the ice coming back up naked DEAR MISS MANNERS As a preteen I was reported by someone that it was rude to eat one food on my plate at a time that I was supposed to move around my plate eating bites of each item in succession I like enjoying all of one food before moving on The only thing I can liken it to is watching a TV show and someone changes the channel in the middle of it I want to finish the show I m watching before moving on to the next The day I was explained this I made a silent vow to myself that I would consistently eat one food at a time the way I prefer But I m wondering if you have ever heard of the rule this person was trying to impose on me I would think it s rude to surveil other people s eating but then this person was still trying to do this when I was in my s I am no longer in this person s life but the question has nagged at me for decades Who was right Related Articles Dear Abby We re not even married and she s pestering me about my clothes and eating Asking Eric I m annoyed that this co-worker keeps barging in on me Harriette Cole I can t get over what my child noted about my drinking Miss Manners Am I petty to think my neighbors parties are unfair to single people Dear Abby Is there a way to tell the crass shirttail relations that they re not invited GENTLE READER You Even Miss Manners does not have opinions on the order in which you eat your dinner and certainly would never monitor it As long as you are not trying to consume the bread bowl before the soup or making similarly chaotic choices she supports your decisions both on how you choose to eat and for distancing yourself from this nagging person Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website www missmanners com to her email gentlereader missmanners com or through postal mail to Miss Manners Andrews McMeel Syndication Walnut St Kansas City MO