Stand out like a spare prick at a wedding

Origin of: Stand out like a spare prick at a wedding

Stand out like a spare prick at a wedding

British vulgar slang from c. 1960 for being out of place or for being on one’s own when everyone else has a partner. It is sometimes expressed as ‘useless as’ a spare prick at a wedding. The expression is puzzling because not everyone who attends a wedding necessarily does so with a partner.