People have their pet hates, dislikes and irritations. These maybe rational or irrational. What really annoys one person may seem trivial and harmless to another. The code signals: I don't think you are trying to upset me but you have forgotten that this (action, behaviour, etc.) is very annoying to me.' A partner who butts in on the other partner's jokes and wrecks them may see this as cooperation, but the effect can be very annoying. As with many other codes, this one is a 'reminder' rather than a condemnation. Instead of a sharp word or a dark glance there is the simplicity of the code.