know how to pick 'em

present singular third person knows how to pick 'em · participle present knowing how to pick 'em · past knew how to pick 'em · participle past known how to pick 'em

1. colloquialyou have chosen the wrong person

   "Jesus, Kozak, you sure know how to pick 'em. Promise me you won't go near him again."

   2011, Kate Flora, Death at the Wheel (The Thea Kozak Mystery Series, Book 3), ePublishing Works!, →ISBN, page 89

   5 more examples

   But they both turned out to be wrong for me. “Yeah, girl, you sure do know how to pick 'em.”

   2007, T.N. Baker, Dice, St. Martin's Press, →ISBN, page 137

   He let out a long slow whistle between his teeth, shaking his head. “Boy, you know how to pick 'em, don't you?”

   2008, Marcus Wolf, One Lie, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN, page 413

   Garrity closed his eyes and shook his head. “Damn, Tai, you know how to pick 'em.”

   2012, Tina Whittle, Darker Than Any Shadow, Head of Zeus, →ISBN, page 69

   I sure know how to pick 'em. Except I don't know as I've got any credit coming for this one, because it's hard to make the case that it was me that picked her.

   2013, George R. R. Martin, Gardner Dozois, Dangerous Women, Macmillan, →ISBN, page 275

   “You sure know how to pick 'em, Frank. That bar, Miguel, a racist bartender. That's a hell of a way to start a night,” Jefferson said. “Yeah,” I said. “I sure can pick 'em.”

   2014, Dean Klinkenberg, Rock Island Lines, Travel Passages, →ISBN, page 58

2. colloquialliterallyyou are good at picking people or things