In P.G. Wodehouse's finest novel, The Code of the Woosters, there appears the following insight:
She was trying to give the boyfriend a build-up, and, like all girls, was overdoing it. I've noticed the same thing in young wives, when they are trying to kid you that young Herbert or George or whatever the name may be has hidden depths which the vapid and irreflective observer might overlook...
I remember Mrs. Bingo Little once telling me, shortly after their marriage, that Bingo said poetic things to her about sunsets--his best friends being perfectly well aware, of course, that the old egg never noticed a sunset in his life, and that, if he did by a fluke ever happen to do so, the only thing he would say about it would be that it reminded him of a slice of roast beef, cooked just right.
In other words, when someone wants to fool you, he or she will often try too hard. Here, then, is Rick Santorum (talking to National Review) on Sarah Palin:
“Sarah has jumped onto the scene and has been hammered by the mainstream media. This is an opportunity for her to show a more thoughtful side. She has a gift for prose. Hopefully that comes across.”