"Can I take you out for a meal"?

[RachelTopliss]

Would you find this odd? It sounds like it's come from the 70s. What's a meal anyway? It sounds creepy. Lunch or dinner maybe yes but a meal?

I said I was busy.

Christ - do you question everything ? He/she haven’t asked you for a threesome.

What’s so funny about being single at 36?

Lucky escape.

For him.

It's right up there with "picky bits", "popping out", "poorly", "lounge", "toilet", "pardon" and others that send my usually well-controlled snobbery into overdrive. Unfortunately the ghost of Nancy Mitford lives on deep within.

Just wanted to know, what do you prefer to toilet? (Please let it be lavatory)

I don't think it's weird or creepy. It's leaving it open as to whether it's lunch or dinner, which you could then suggest. Lunch is normally less intimate than dinner and would give you the option to go for lunch if you felt dinner was too much at this point.
"Can I take you out?" is slightly old fashioned but it's indicating that he will be paying, rather than "Would you like to go out for a meal?" where it's more open as to whether he'll pay or the bills will be split.

I think the fact you are questioning this and feel it's creepy is more a reflection on how you feel about him. It's him you feel is creepy rather than what he actually said. I don't think you want to go out with him and that's fine. If it was someone you fancied and didn't feel creepy you probably wouldn't have even noticed the wording and just said "Yeah, great, lunch would be nice, when are you free?" And if you prefer to split bills on a first date you'd have said that to the non-creepy guy you fancy.

The fact it's a problem indicates you should just turn the invitation down and think no more about it.

Bathroom

Perhaps he is (gasp) northern and has fallen foul of the regional 'dinner' split too many times.

Lavatory if being polite, loo casually.

God I'm not American!

Nooo - only if it's got a bath in it! I've never understood that one. It's a bit like "powder room" - a euphemism because you're too coy to indicate what you might actually be doing in there.

Also, what do you say instead of "pardon"? DH (who was brought up proper) has trained me to say Pardon? instead of What? or Eh? So I'm wondering what's left.

Aw this broke my heart a bit. I can just imagine him sitting there all sad with his picky bits wondering where you are.

"Say that again please" or "Sorry I didn't catch that"

Is this someone asking you out on a date? Sounds like a gentleman.
Take you out for a meal mean they want to treat you, and are clear they are paying 😀 what's not to like?

🤣

Pardon is apparently used by more aspiring middle class trying to seem posher. What is fine (according to my upper middle class parents!) I use both.

The putative host is trying to make it seem extremely casual so it’s no big deal if the offer is declined or if it’s not a success on either side.

‘It’s just a spot of lunch; it doesn’t mean we’re engaged or anything’.

I concur. It probably explains why I was single for most of my thirties before I copped on. I remember realising in horror I could well end up never having children or having a real relationship with anyone because I'd spent all of my twenties using any interested man as fodder for entertaining stories for my friends.

"What?" or "Sorry?" are both absolutely fine. "Say again?" is acceptable if you are from a military family.

Lucky guy... he's escaped.

OP's reaction is odd to say the least, sound's like you've done him a favour, at least he won't be wasting his time on you.

Nothing wrong with the phrasing, only the reaction

This is one of the strangest posts I have come across !