In your desperate search for tantalizing bits of dialogue, you saunter into a coffee shop and slither into eavesdropping mode.
A few tips:
- Leaning your ear toward a conversation–not cool. [Just nudge and point your voice-recording smartphone in the right direction.]
- Dropping the fork toward the speaker–just plain desperate. [Go with a napkin and hope the air currents are friendly. Quieter. Caution: don’t use the napkin afterwards.]
- Cupping your hands behind each ear–pathetic. [You might as well just slide in next to the folks and start jotting down their every word.]
And if you’re too busy to intrude, there are probably a few non-virtual assistants willing to help out.
Word Inventions 
ROFL!!