Are sweet nothings just innocent expressions of a man's appreciation for an attractive women, or are they something much more unpleasant? Experts say that virtually every woman experiences street harassment - whistles, sexual remarks, or touching by strangers in public places. But some comments are apparently harmless and funny. Susan, graphic designer, says the most hilarious comment was received from a medical student who once told her, "You have nice veins."

Marjorie Fuller (name changed), a businesswoman from Kingston, says she loves when men tell her that she looks nice. In fact, she says, she dresses to ensure that she receives such compliments.

Kamya Lennon, student in Kingston states, "The best sweet nothing I have heard is 'my girl, me would climb macka tree and pick cherry for you!"

Twenty-six-year-old Yahneake says that she has never heard a good pick up line. The worst she says includes:

"If I could, I'd rearrange the alphabet to put I beside U."

"Where are your wings? Why? Because Heaven is sure missing an angel."

"Babes, come out of the sun and come chill in my AC nuh."

"Babes, if you were my girl, you wouldn't stand up out here yuh nuh."

"Psssst. Baby girl, we were meant to be, you just don't know it yet ..."

"How is my future wife doing today?"

"My girl, yuh have a cute son, mek mi give yuh di daughter nuh ..."

Others have been offended when such comments include the often heard demand for a "struggle pon you structure" or "me would like to slap that up" (crude requests for sex) from men they do not know.

Sandra Davis, another Kingston woman told Outlook, "Sometimes they are downright funny and you can't help but laugh, but at other times, the comments cannot be considered 'sweet', they are crude and I consider them verbal attacks and an insult to womanhood. Just last week, I was walking in the plaza, and this man kept watching me walk. His eyes followed every step I made. When I was close to him, he said: 'Boy lady, you body have nuff movements, I would like to check you out, you think I have a chance?'"

Some cultures, especially in South American countries have refined the sweet nothing to an art form.

In Brazil, the practice is called a piropo, a sentence comical and poetic that does not offend the recipient, that men tell women when they go by in the street.

Nothing is expected in return other than to please the recipient with some reference to her beauty. They also should have a comical component to cause women to smile.