Real rule: Take off your tie before eating. I don’t care where you are or who you are with. Even with a tie clip, life is too dangerous.
And another thing: Buy more ties from the thrift store. These should be used on wild nights out. Also, it would be good to have more ties anyway.
A fake rule: Our most brilliant moves are never planned. They are half luck and half subconscious maneuvering. However, a story must always be invented in which you consciously planned this from the beginning, foreseeing everything before anyone ever caught on. If it’s brilliant enough, even if you insist it’s luck, no one will ever believe it, not even yourself.