A visual guide to modern dating terms, from benching to orbiting

10 images from A visual guide to modern dating terms, from benching to orbiting!

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Modern Love is complex. It is complicated, and it is strange. And definitely something that the older generations don't get (confession: we don't get it either). Modern Love has got an entire vocabulary to itself. Some of these dating terms are easy to understand; some will need you looking them up in the Urban Dictionary. Here's a list to make it a little easy for you. So, the next time someone accuses you of benching them, or eclipsing them, you won't be left scratching your head.

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1. LOVE BOMBING Love Bombing is characterised by excessive attention, admiration and affection in the beginning of a relationship, often with the goal to make the recipient dependent and obligated to that person.

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2. CUFFING Cuffing and Cuffing Season refers to the period in the year when people tend to partner up for the winters for some kind of dating hibernation. FYI: Cuffing Season is coming.

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3. ORBITING It's when a person follows you, likes your posts, maybe even engages in a little cyber-flirting, but never actually takes their suggestive behaviour out of the realm of social media.

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4. ZOMBIE-ING Zombie-ing is when a 'ghoster' sometimes rises back from the dead and tries to come back into your life.

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5. BREADCRUMBING Breadcrumbing is when someone sends out flirtatious but non-committal social signals (i.e. "breadcrumbs") to lure a romantic partner in without expending much effort.

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6. ECLIPSING When someone overhauls their own interests and even personality traits to adopt those of their crush's.

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7. POCKETING Pocketing occurs most frequently at the beginning of a relationship, when someone keeps their partner separated from the rest of their lives - they are yet to introduce their partner to their friends and family.

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8. BENCHING When someone doesn't want to date someone but enjoys having them around when other suitors don't work out. They give you just enough attention and communication to keep you as an option in their life.

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9. GROUNDHOGGING Groundhogging refers to the idea that people tend to go for the same type of person over and over again, while expecting different results.