James Baquet

    The meaning of today’s expression, “Two’s company, three’s a crowd,” is quite clear: When two people want to enjoy private time (“keep company”), the presence of a third is intrusive (“a crowd”).

    By the way, the saying has given rise to a riddle:

    Q: If two’s a company and three’s a crowd, what is four and five?

    A: Nine! (4 + 5 = 9; get it?)

    Sorry. Here’s the dialogue:

    James sees his student, a boy named Adam, at a coffee shop on a Friday night.

    James: Adam! What are you doing here all alone? I thought you were on a double-date tonight.

    Adam: Oh, my girlfriend had to take a rain check.

    James: Couldn’t you go with the other couple anyway?

    Adam: Nah. You know, “Two’s company…”

    James: Sure. Don’t want to be a fifth wheel, huh?

    Adam: That’s right.

    James: So, what, you’re just going to sit here all night?

    Adam: No, some friends and I plan to go clubbing later.

    James: Sounds like fun. Are you kind of a night owl?

    Adam: For sure. The wee hours are my favorite time.

    James: So you’ll be out past the witching hour.

    Adam: Sure!

    James: What about your “beauty sleep”?

    Adam: Come on. Does this face look like it needs beauty sleep?

    James: Truthfully?

    Adam: Hey!

    James: Just sayin’…

    Notes on the dialogue:

    — A double-date: When two couples (four people) go out together.

    — To take a rain check: To cancel, with a promise of doing something later; originally, when a ticket was bought for an outdoor event (like a baseball game), and the event was canceled due to rain, the “rain check” was a ticket that could be used for a later game.

    — “Two’s company…”: The expression is so common that it is often stated in a shorter form.

    — A fifth wheel: An extra person (like the fifth wheel on a four wheel car); sometimes, a “third wheel.”

    — To go clubbing: To go out to night clubs; an example of a phenomenon called “verbing a noun,” where a noun (“club”) becomes a verb (in this case, a gerund).

    — A night owl: One who enjoys staying up late.

    — The wee hours: The hours after midnight, called “wee” (meaning “small”) because the numbers are small: 1, 2, 3, etc.

    — The witching hour: midnight, when witches supposedly gathered.

    — “Beauty sleep”: It is widely believed that adequate sleep helps a person look more attractive; Adam jokes that he is already “beautiful” enough.

    — Truthfully?: A question like this implies that the speaker will give an answer that the questioner won’t like.

    — Just sayin’…: A modern coinage, meaning something like, “I don’t mean anything by it,” but often used when the speaker really does mean something by it.