The Language of Modern Romance - A Study

Posted on: 03/07/2018
"I'm not benching her - she's a worldie. It's time for us to DTR and get FBO."
Who says romance is over? These days people are still falling in love, but what has changed is how they express themselves. With this in mind, we decided to conduct a comprehensive survey looking at dating today.

Getting Together

When it comes to referring to relationships, our study revealed that we all have different ways of doing this. These are the major terms used:

• Getting with someone is the choice of those who are 18-24, with 42% of respondents in that group saying that this is classed as being in a relationship
• Seeing someone was also popular with the 18-24 group (19%)
• Sharing a kiss was considered by 23% of our respondents to be dating. Those who are 65+ are the most likely to believe that this is serious (32%) and those who are 18-24 the least likely (19%)
• Friends with benefits was classed as dating by only 9% of our respondents. However, 11% of men would consider this to be dating, meaning women are more likely to consider this to be a causal relationship (or even just a 'ting')

Getting Serious

We all have different ways of describing serious relationships - ranging from 'together' to 'FBO' - but one interesting fact that our research unearthed was this: only 32% of people would remove their dating profiles to confirm a relationship. So, we can only assume that people prefer to keep their options open at the beginning of a relationship or to have a backup plan ready in case things don’t work out.

Showing the Love

It seems that no matter what words we use, the important thing is how we act. If we show our partners love and respect, there can be no room for misunderstanding. But of course, it never hurts to DTR just to make sure you're not being breadcrumbed.

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The Dictionary of Dating

We asked our respondents to read certain popular terms in the dating world and to explain what they mean. And the good news - for anyone who feels lost when it comes to the latest lingo - is that most respondents got the definitions wrong. Very wrong. Let's have a look at some of the words, shall we?


Cuffing - What it means: When a guy won't let his partner have male friends. What people think it means: 'Getting arrested together', 'Slapping', 'Holding Hands'

DTR - What it means: Define the Relationship. What people think it means: 'Doing the rounds', 'Dating Two Rugby Players'

FBO - What it means: Facebook Official. What people think it means: 'French boyfriend', 'Friends, but only', 'Friends before others'

Fit - What it means: Attractive. What people think it means: 'Physically strong', 'Fit for the purpose of being a partner'

Getting with - What it means: Kissing, cuddling. What people think it means: 'Dating', 'Chatting up', 'Moving in together'

Necking on - What it means: Kissing. What people think it means: 'Being silly', 'Dating', 'Trying to steal a crush from a friend'

Official - What it means: In a serious relationship. What people think it means: 'Together', 'Engaged', 'Both verified Twitter users'

On a thing - What it means: Being in a physical relationship that isn't official. What people think it means: 'On a good thing', 'On a date'

Peng - What it means: Very attractive. What people think it means: 'Looks like a penguin', 'Punching above your weight'

Pulling someone - What it means: Kissing. What people think it means: 'Sleeping together', 'Dating', 'Chatting up'

Salty - What it means: Being angry or bitter. What people think it means: 'Sailor', 'Uninterested'

Sliding into DMs - What it means: Sending each other direct messages. What people think it means: 'Sliding into dark moods', 'Deep massage'

Submarining - What it means: Coming back suddenly after disappearing from someone's life. What people think it means: 'Getting off with someone', 'Sinking someone's hopes of being with you'

Tashing on - What it means: Kissing. What people think it means: 'Chatting', 'Jealous', 'Growing a moustache'

Ting - What it means: A no-strings attached relationship. What people think it means: 'Cheap phone', 'The sound glasses make when you toast your relationship - Ting!'

Keep coming back to The F.Hinds Blog for more articles about love, relationships and everything else to do with the world of F.Hinds.