If you don’t know your ‘ghosting‘ from your ‘breadcrumbing’ or your ‘catfishing’ from your ‘kittenfishing‘, this guide could be the key to save from some pain. This complete dating slang will hopefully help you through your modern day romance.

BREADCRUMBING: Is the act of sending out flirtatious, but non-committal text messages (ie “breadcrumbs”) or leading someone on.  Imagine leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for someone to follow.

BENCHING: Benching is when you keep someone “on the bench” or on “standby”. You’re not that into them, but you’re not ready to completely cut all ties either but you keep them as an option.

CUFFING: When people partner up because it’s cold. That’s right, it’s the act of finding a significant other for the sole purpose of staying warm in the winter.

DEEPLIKING: Showing you like somebody interested by scrolling back through their social media pictures and posts and liking them from months or even years before.

DTR: Define the relationship.

E-FIT: When your social media posts and pictures are carefully curated so they serve as an online dating profile.

FBO: Acronym for making a relationship “Facebook official”.

GHOSTING: The act of suddenly ceasing all communication with someone, with no explanation as to why you have been dumped. Radio silence.

HAUNTING: Haunting is when someone from your romantic past lingers in your digital present by occasionally watching your Instagram or Snapchat story, or sporadically liking your posts.

IRL: Meaning “in real life”. When you finally go on an actual, physical date with the person you have been flirting with online.

JELLY: Slang for jealous.

KRAY BAE: When your great new love interest turns out to be a crazy boyfriend/girlfriend instead.

LAYBY: When you date somebody who is just about OK while flirting with better options in the fast lane.

MONKEYING: When you move from one relationship to the next without any time in between. Like a monkey swinging from the branches of a tree.

NON-DATE DATE: You didn’t plan to get together. You should not assume that there is any romantic future awaiting you on your non-date.

ON A THING:  “On a thing” is your new term for casually dating in 2017. Or basically seeing someone casually.

PEACOCKING: Dressing up for Instagram, or even in real life only to gain attention. Much like how peacocks use their tail feathers to lure a mate, hence the term.

Q: Cool new slang for . . . cool. For instance, you might say: “The girl I’m dating is really Q.” Or: “We broke up, but we’re still Q.”

R-BOMBED: When your love interest reads your message but doesn’t reply, you have been R-bombed.

SHIPPING:  Imagining people in relationships.

SLOW-FADING: Apparently a kinder version of ghosting. A passive, aggressive method of disappearing from a relationship all together over an extended period of time.

THRIST TRAP: A sexy photo posted on social media with the only intent of drawing attention and adoration from others. Intending to get potential lovers to check out your assets.

TUNNING: Getting to know someone through  flirting before deciding to go on a date.

UNCUFFING: Winter is over! Ditch your “cuff” in time for a summer of love. Uncuffing season is all about starting fresh.

VDB: A very bad date.

V CARD: Still a virgin? Then you are officially still carrying your V Card.

WERK: When you had to put a lot of hard work to get that girl or guy to agree to go on a date with you.

YODO: Another acronym, this time meaning: “You only dump once.”
ZOMBIEING: To be zombied is to have someone you care about disappear(ghoster) from your life altogether only to have them bring a relationship back from the dead with an out-of-the-blue text or interaction on social media.