Third Wheel

"third wheel"

The "third wheel" refers to the person who is the outsider when there is a group of three. Example: "You two go on ahead without me. I don't want to be the third wheel." An analogy can be made to a two-wheeled bicycle or cart; adding a third wheel would not be helpful and would limit mobility. To be the "third wheel" is to be the extra, unnecessary person in a group of three people. Example: "Missy and I were going to go to the dance with another couple, but when I got sick she decided to stay home also. She didn't want to be the third wheel."

(From http://www.goenglish.com/ThirdWheel.asp)

And this is what I had experienced tonight. My friend and her new boyfriend came over and we went to go eat at The Cheesecake Factory, watch "27 Dresses" and shop at Barnes and Nobel. This is a new experience for me, being a third wheel. Normally when I go out it is in a big mixed group or a group of girls, I've never just tagged along. But my friend wanted me to meet her new man and I was curious myself. He turned out to be a nice guy. Being a third wheel is interesting. You don't want to be obtrusive when the couple is doing their "couple thing" (i.e. holding hands, smooching, making cow eyes at each other, etc.) and yet you don't want to seem like some stalker following the couple, so you have to maintain proper distance. It was an odd experience but I tried not to dwell on the fact that I was the third wheel.

The movie "27 Dresses" was excellent! James Marsden is a cutie and Katherine Heigl was funny as the main characters. I enjoyed the movie so much this was the second time I went to go see it. The ending is predictable but still there are surprises. I can't wait until it is out on DVD!