What's 'benching', 'tuning' or 'mooning'? We're here to help

<p>The dating game has undergone a major shift in recent years - as many of us know. The digital world is fast moving, changing the way we connect and communicate with each other, and new technology and an ever-increasing number of online dating websites and apps has inevitably led to a dating culture that can seem very foreign to some us!</p><p>Have you ever found endless dates seem to go nowhere? That everyone you meet seems so non-committal? Or that you have a great date with someone, only for it to go quiet for a few weeks? The truth is, you&rsquo;ve probably been 'ghosted', 'catfished' or 'benched'. Confused? These are just some of the terms that make up modern dating lingo. Baffled? Don't fret. Travel dating website and app <a href="http://tourbar.com/" target="_blank">TourBar.com</a> has put together a handy guide to dating terms for the 21st century, so you can <em>finally</em> decode the confusing digital language of love.</p><h2>1. '143' </h2><p>A quirky alternative for expressing devotion, since the digits indicate the number of letters used in the phrase ‘I love you.&rsquo;</p><h2>2. Bae</h2><p>'Before anyone else&rsquo; is a title given to a dater&rsquo;s one true love or significant other.</p><h2>3. Benching </h2><p>A serial-dater puts another dater ‘on the back bench&rsquo; by messaging infrequently over a long period of time and making plans that they don&rsquo;t follow up on.</p><p><img alt="dating2" class="ci-image ci-original" src="https://ui3.assets-asda.com/dm/dating2_GL?scl=1"></p><h2>4. Catfishing </h2><p>A dater creates a fake online dating profile with photos that are not their own and usually the photograph is of someone more attractive than the dater, in order to fool others.</p><h2>5. Cuffing season </h2><p>When daters aim to find a partner to keep them accompanied during the cold and dark winter months.</p><h2>6. DTR</h2><p>'Define the relationship&rsquo; is used when a dater wishes to confirm the status of the relationship and possibly secure commitment.</p><h2>7. Ghosting </h2><p>A dater ceases all contact with a romantic interest without explanation (may also be known as ‘Patrick Swayzeing&rsquo;).</p><p><img alt="dating" class="ci-image ci-original" src="https://ui3.assets-asda.com/dm/dating_GL?scl=1"></p><h2>8. Layby </h2><p>A dater is unhappy in their current relationship so begins mildly flirting with a potential future date as a back-up option, should their current relationship fail.</p><h2>9. Mooning </h2><p>A user switches their mobile device to ‘do not disturb&rsquo; mode (sometimes symbolised as a half-moon logo), which mutes all notifications from messaging apps.</p><h2>10. Textlationship</h2><p>An entire relationship based on text and online messages, where the two daters are yet to meet IRL (‘in real life&rsquo;).</p><h2>11. Tuning </h2><p>A dater aims to ‘fine tune&rsquo; the relationship dynamic with another dater by making a subtle move, such as liking a profile picture or sending a cute viral video, without committing to any dates or proper conversation.</p>

Have you decoded the confusing digital language of online dating yet?

By Asda Good Living,11th October 2016

TAGS

RELATED ARTICLES