To flick or not to flick?

No, but I really wanted to tell a young lady on the train that her trouser zip was down but I didn't want to embarrass her in front of a bunch of young man who were standing by us. So I did nothing. Cowardy custard!

Nope, not a good idea if touching is involved! he may get the wrong idea in all sorts of ways.If it had been a wasp then you could have told him or waved it away but not an innocent little bug (even a not so innocent one.)

Well, you left it too late didn't you! He could hardly have stood up and taken his shirt off to fish the thing out could he?

I think I would just tell him he had a bug on his shirt.

I agree with pompa

Perhaps you ladies could help me? If a lady has the label on her top showing, should I tell her ?

Yes. But not if it's the swing ticket. She might be going to take it back the next day.

Or just nicked it !

I once told a woman that her skirt was tucked up her knickers. She was furious!

This reminds me of the Robert Burns poem,"To a Louse, On Seeing one on a Lady’s Bonnet at Church". After much musing and light-hearted mockery of the young lady who thinks she looks so fine, but has a louse crawling on her hat, he comes to the well-known conclusion:

O wad some Pow’r the giftie gie us
To see oursels as others see us!
It wad frae monie a blunder free us
An’ foolish notion:
What airs in dress an’ gait wad lea’e us,
And ev’n Devotion!

Amazing, isn't it, how a poem can be made out of such a mundane observation. It strikes me that Burns must have been rather bored by the minister's sermon!

Does anyone remember the variety of euphemisms we used to use to let someone know her petticoat was showing? I'd completely forgotten that until I read this thread! I think there were similar expressions for 'Your flies are undone'.

Charlie's dead.

Followed by, 'it's clean and well paid for'.

It's raining in Paris was one of our euphemisms. For undone flies, I think I have heard, 'you're flying low'.

Oh yes - flying low without a licence.

'It's snowing down south'!!

It's snowing down south..slip showing.
Egg on your face-flies undone
pompa daren't speak, chair was giving us his speech!

spurs at the bottom of the league ... flies undone

I once worked for a very starchy cavalry officer - always immaculately turned out. I met him in the corridor of our building as he came back from lunch one day with a bit of his shirt poking it of his fly, which he had omitted to do up. As I passed him, looking straight ahead, I said "Good afternoon sir, your medals are showing!" He said, looking straight ahead, "Thankyou, sergeant. Good afternoon."

I have always flicked, in the past. On the whole, people are both surprised, and grateful. I would rather be flicked, I suppose. Having thick curly hair, I bring quite enough wildlife into my house after gardening, that I am not always aware of, to know that I would rather someone flicked.

Yes, always flick. I once got stopped in Morrisons to be told that my skirt was tucked into my knickers at the back. Since then not much has embarrassed me.

I reached forward to tuck a woman's label back in her t-shirt, and she thanked me with a smile. I said to her, "if I ever manage to get into a size 10 t-shirt again, please don't tuck my label back in!"

Don't forget it was Princess Margaret's (intimate) gesture, flicking a piece of fluff or a hair from Peter Townsend's jacket that let the cat out of the bag regarding their relationship!
It was not the "done thing"!
My mother always taught me to ask politely as in" excuse me, you have a piece of fluff/a hair/--baby sick-- on your shoulder/lapel may I remove it?"

I once told a woman in Fenwicks that her hand made dress was very swish. She asked how I knew it was handmade.
I told her she'd left the tacking stitches in.
Sorry if it's anyone here. It was about 40 years ago!

My worst moment was a woman at work that had a very embarrassing situation that she obviously not aware of, I did quietly tell her, I could not have let her walk outside, she would have been devastated when she got home (IMO of course), She was grateful and sent me off to get her a change of clothes. Could I do this for a stranger - no way.