We've all been there. You're out to dinner with friends, and the conversation is flowing, but then suddenly one person is dominating the room.
They're reminiscing over that holiday everyone's heard about a million times. Or recalling a funny moment - 'oh, you just had to be there' - except none of you were, so you don't care.
Everyone's eyes are glazing over while the person rattles on - somehow unaware everyone grew bored of the topic five minutes ago. Should you intervene?
It's the question one woman had to ask herself recently during a lunch with her husband and some new friends.
During the conversation, their pals asked her hubby about his job in IT.
"If it had been me, I'd have said something short and sweet like 'I work in IT, I’' the person people call when they need a hand with their computer' for example," the wife claimed in a post to Mumsnet.
Unfortunately for her, her husband had other ideas.
"Before he answered, I even half jokingly said 'Try to keep your answer under 2 minutes' as I know what he's like," she recalled. "His answer was more like 'My company was formed back in 1992, I joined in 2005 and now run a team of 12, we work with a system called xx blah blah blah…'."
Meanwhile, the group reportedly grew so bored that their dissatisfaction was plain to see.
"He went on and on about details that you wouldn't understand unless you worked in his industry," his partner complained. "Our friends were shifting around in their seats, clearly (to me) bored by the detail he was going into.
"I felt embarrassed and kept trying to interject to stop him talking but he couldn't take a hint."
Her post concluded: "Why the hell can't he judge what is and isn't a reasonable amount of detail and recognise when people are bored?!! It makes me so uncomfortable!!!"
However, several commenters urged her to be more considerate - though others agreed they'd be annoyed.
"At least he's trying give him some credit - maybe he's just nervous about how much to tell new friends," read one reply. Another commented: "But presumably he was the same before you married him? And it didn't bother you then? Anyway sounds interesting to me."
But someone else replied: "Oh blimey. I often think that people would do well to be videoed and have to watch back their interactions.
"I think it applies to everyone actually to see what they are doing right and wrong. I've been on dates with quite a few men like this. First date only!"
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