ON the whole there are some unwritten rules between men.

You never ever criticise the bloke in front his family.

You never sit in ‘his’ chair when you visit his home, and you never take someone’s spot at a urinal.

These unwritten rules between men have stood us in good stead over the years.

But there is one thing we, as men, hate more than anything else. We hate it when other men say things that obviously aren’t true.

We hate it even more when other people believe these stories.

Take, for instance, this bloke I met this week who said he could change a nappy in 22 seconds flat.

Having the nerve to suggest this in front of a whole load of other men takes guts. But stating the impossible is just plain stupid.

I am an expert nappy changer, but 22 seconds is pushing it.

I think some of us get away with stating things because we, as British folk, are extremely polite and don’t like to tell the other person he is lying when it is obvious he is.

You can be at a party, or simply at someone’s home, and the familiar faces will say things to impress other people in the room.

Some take advantage of telling stories in front of people who don’t know who we really are.

Just last week, while having a burger in a kebab shop, one fellow was mouthing off about being involved in a multi-million-pound deal.

It was a huge deal that would mean him earning thousands of pounds a month.

All this would take place at some plush office in London.

We patiently listened to this man spin a tall tale.

I have to say, though, I was impressed with the way he linked living in a terrace home with stocks and shares in petro-chemical companies.

If you are going to lie, you might as well go the whole hog.

In the end, when it came to pay, he didn’t have three quid for the burger.

It seems people involved in multi-million-pound deals don’t carry loose change around.