From cuffing season to orbiting and yassify, the A to (Generation) Z of modern dating terms – how many do you know?

Scottish Sun

19 hours ago

Scroll down to find out what terms like 'zombieing' and 'FLR' mean
LOVE LINGO From cuffing season to orbiting and yassify, the A to (Generation) Z of modern dating terms – how many do you know?
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SHAKESPEARE said that 'the course of true love never did run smooth' – and that was before online dating.
Finding your perfect match has its challenges, and Gen Z boasts an ever-evolving glossary of terms to describe their romantic lives.
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To help you keep up, read our A-Z of modern dating lingo and know your DINKs from your kittenfishers.
A – Affordating: Low-cost dates, like a picnic in the park or a romantic stroll, if you can't afford fancy flowers and expensive meals.
B – Benching: Keeping a potential partner on the back burner while you pursue others.
C – Cuffing season: Spanning from October to just after Valentine's Day, this is the time it's deemed best to commit to a relationship.
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D – DINK: Both working and you've got no kids? Lucky you — you're a DINK. The acronym stands for 'dual income, no kids'.
E – Ethical non-monogamy: It's not cheating if you talk about it first — or so say believers in this dating style, where couples agree to have other partners.
F – FLR: A 'female led relationship' sees traditional gender roles flipped. Women make the majority of the decisions or earn the most money. It should hardly be worthy of comment in 2025!
G – Green flag: The opposite of red flag, this term is used by Gen Z for positive qualities in a romantic partner, such as being a good listener, sharing interests or getting on with your friends.
H – Hard launch: Not just for celebs, this is where one or both partners confirm the relationship on social media with pics or a status change.
I – Ick: Olivia Attwood made the term popular on the 2017 series of Love Island. Getting the ick involves developing a sharp revulsion towards a potential or current partner.
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J – Jekylling: When someone shows you their 'best self' at first, but later reveals a much darker or toxic side. Named after alter-egos Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
K – Kittenfishing: If catfishing is creating a completely fake online ID, then kittenfishing is its less extreme cousin. It involves, for example, using old photos or exaggerating qualities.
L – Love bombing: Showering a potential partner with excessive affection and gifts early in a relationship.
M – Micro-cheating: Any blurred-line interactions which could be seen as cheating, such as private messaging someone of the opposite sex without your partner knowing or even liking their Insta snaps.
N – Negging: Using insulting or negative comments about someone.
O – Orbiting: Being ghosted means never hearing from someone again — but an 'orbiter' is an ex who lurks, watching your social media.
P – Pocketing: When a date avoids introducing you to friends and family or posting about you on social media, keeping you 'in their pocket'.
Q – Quiet quitting: The act of emotionally disengaging from a relationship without actually ending it.
R – Rizz: Shorthand for the word charisma, rizz is the ability to charm and attract someone using confidence, style or good chat.
S – Ship: To ship two people means you're rooting for them to be together.
T – Talking stage: The period before a couple commit to a relationship, but do have some level of romantic or sexual involvement — which, confusingly, often goes beyond just talking.
U – Undercover dating: Otherwise known as sneaking around, this is when you keep a relationship secret as you get to know each other.
V – Vibe check: Basically a first date, and a chance to check if you click.
W – Win: A successful move in dating or flirting, like scoring a kiss.
X – Xennial dating: The outdated practices of Gen X and millennials. If you prefer face-to-face to WhatsApp and have never used Hinge, this term may well apply to you.
Y – Yassify: To make yourself look good to impress.
Z – Zombieing: When someone who ghosted you suddenly reaches out, it's like they are back from the dead — hence, zombieing.