Remember your mom yelling at you to get your elbows off the table? She was trying to prevent the day when you'd be sitting across the table from a beautiful lady on a first date and a wayward elbow knocks the red wine off the table and onto her white silk skirt. OK, so maybe you managed to avoid that dating disaster, but there are many other ways men can (and do) screw up a date by not minding their manners. The purpose of a date is not to enjoy your meal, but to impress the lady. If that means avoiding tricky, slippery foods like cherry tomatoes and gassy, teeth-clogging foods like bean burritos, make the sacrifice! Here are a few simple ways you can score her with some basic etiquette:

Table Talk - Even if she drops the F-bomb a few times in her conversation, that doesn't give you license to make every other word X-rated. Keep foul language (cussing and crudeness) to a bare minimum if not completely out of date conversation. I'm sure the story of your friend's bad seafood experience that left him blowing chunks out of both ends when first meeting his in-laws is shit-in-my-pants hilarious, BUT not in tandem with a meal of mushroom risotto. Save your unsavory stories of barfing, bleeding or boils for bar time with the boys.

Junk Adjustment - However clever and deceitful you think you might be about scratching that itch or rearranging the package, we always know! Not only is it an unattractive and unappetizing move, it makes us wonder what unpleasant fungus might be causing your discomfort. Same goes for spitting, hacking, burping and gas. You can't always hide or disguise these bodily functions, so either excuse yourself or suppress the urge.

Table Manners - The key to good table manners is keeping your date's focus on you and the conversation and not on the pasta sauce dribbling out of your mouth. Other tenants of table masterdom include: remove your hat when dining, keep your elbows off the table, put the napkin on your lap, eat slowly, take small bites, use fork and knife, chew with the mouth closed and don't talk with food up in there. If you find this all too much to remember, just take your cues from the lady. As long as your eating habits are on par with hers, you're good to go.

Here are a few more places to find tips on dining etiquette:

Mistress Manners Says. . .

Ask Men: Basic Table Manners

A Man's Guide to Table Manners

Get Romantic: Dining Etiquette