If three (or four, five or six) is beginning to become a crowd in your relationship, it’s time to take action. While you can never make your boyfriend give up his friends, nudging them out of his life is well within your power. According to Janette Barber, author of the best-selling book “Breaking the Rules, Last Ditch Tactics for Landing the Man of Your Dreams”, all it takes to make your man break ties with his annoying pals is your showing him their true colors. “And if for some odd reason that fails,” she says, “there are always ways to drive them away!” For strategies on how to show your guy’s most irksome friends the door, read on.

The “Peter Pan” Friend
He won't grow up and hates that his buddy would rather hang with you than play Xbox with him all day.

Believe it or not, the Peter Pan Friend is actually one of the easiest dudes to deal with. “This guy—even if he’s 50—is about 14 years old, which means he’ll respond really well to maternal actions,” Barber says. Lull him into a sense of security by baking cookies and giving him beer, the grown-up equivalent of milk, when he’s around. “Really and truly, this will win him over if he’s certain to stick around,” she says.

If you goal is to speed up his exit from your man’s inner circle, take a different approach. “When he (finally) goes home and you are alone with your man, assert how much you like his fun-loving friend,” Barber advises. “Then pause and add something like, ‘Bless his heart, the poor thing. His mother must be devastated’ or ‘You are SO nice to be friends with him.’” If you keep this up, the message that his high-school antics belong back in high school—and not in your man’s grown-up life—should reach your guy in no time.

The Casanova Friend
This self-professed ladies man (read: cheesier than cheddar) is always hitting on you, but never in front of your guy.

If your goal is to make your guy aware of his pal’s annoying behavior, Barber advises loudly repeating every inappropriate thing he says to you. “If you find yourself alone in the kitchen with Cass (while your boyfriend runs to the can), and he slides up to you and croons something inappropriate, just shriek, ‘I’m sorry, what did you say about my butt?’,” she recommends. When your boyfriend comes running in just repeat word for word what his friend said. After this happens, it’s doubtful that your guy will want to be his pal for much longer. If you’re not comfortable being confrontational, Barber suggests laughing manically every time Cass hits on you. “Whip out your cell phone, call a girlfriend (or your voice mail at work) and tell her all about your boyfriend’s hideous, bald friend with bad breath who keeps hitting on you,” she says. “Then make some remarks about tweezers. This should do the trick.”

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