Yes! that's exactly how I meant it. One dude who asked was a coworker who I was obviously not dating at the time.
In both situations, we knew a lot of the same people through work and school. The way it was phrased was something to the effect of "you could date anyone here" which implies that conversations have taken place amongst a bunch of bored guys sitting around on the patio. However, I'm thinking "funny that these guys must have a vial of floo powder and disappear anytime I'm in the area because I don't see a whole bunch of guys tripping over themselves to come ask me out."
It's a tricky piece of flattery to interpret. I think some men would use that as a line to endear themselves to you without really meaning it literally, in which case he probably hasn't talked about actually dating you with the other guys in the vicinity. "You can date anyone" is, for him, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" At the same time it is a silly ploy to roll out his ingratiating, cloying, self-deprecating, regular-guy persona ("What, you mean you'd go out with a guy like
me? You, who could have anyone? Shucks!") as a means of stroking his own vanity.
On the other hand, he might well have talked about you 'round the campfire. It is not unknown around certain male circles to do so-- and it doesn't necessarily mean they talked about you in tones of disrespect, either. You might well rank atop the list of desirable females in the area.
I would reflect for a moment on what sort of self-esteem these guys have, who they seem to be. IMHO, if it's the first kind of guy I described saying "You can date anyone", he is likely betraying his own feelings of inadequacy, meaning you are being flattered by a person whose flattery means zilch. He doesn't know how to ask you out (I hear the voice of Jonathan Pryce in the film adaptation of
The Rachel Papers castigating poor Charles: "I see you wankers, tripping over your own cocks...
they don't like it either!") which may indicate either or both a weak grasp of reality or a lover prone to glib temporizing. Maybe you'll find that charming, I dunno.
If it's the second guy, hmmm...watch out, he might be a bit of a player. He might well have talked about you with his buddies and if he's the one who stepped forward it shows some nerve, I think, but maybe there's some worrying overconfidence there, too. Again, not sure if that's your cup of tea or not.
In any case I'm not sure how reliable this information is. You will need to dig deeper to uncover the facts of the case. I suggest you find subtle and above all safe ways of testing the hypothesis that you can, in fact, have any bloke in the area if you so chose. Unfortunately your success or failure is far more reliable than any flatterer or any mirror, mirror on the wall ever could be.
