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Terms of endearment (and not): Updating your love lingo

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Photo: Ian Racoma

Cuffing season Refers to the fall and winter months, when it’s cold outside and cuddling by the fire alone isn’t so fun. Single or promiscuous individuals find themselves desperate to be “cuffed” in a relationship, so as to avoid the existential crisis of Christmastime depression. Or, maybe they just want someone to buy them gifts.

Comet You know that person, the one who decides to pop back into your life when you didn’t even know you missed them. Your quick flings are almost always amazing—the kind romance novels are written about—and then, poof! They’re gone again … until the next time.

Throuple If a relationship between two people is a couple, this one’s between three people, with any combination of sexes. See also: threelationship.

Sus Short for “suspect” and used to describe someone shady online—like that guy who keeps hitting you up on Tinder even though he only has one photo. Example: You can’t even tell what he looks like. He’s hella sus.

Slow fade This passive-aggressive rejection method details the disappearance over time of someone with whom you’re “talking,” because they’re either too afraid or don’t care enough to straight-up reject you. See also: ghosting.

DTR Define the Relationship. It’s the term that comes up after you’ve been FWBs for too long, and one of you is no longer on the same page. Are you dating, or what?

Catfish When you finally meet the beautiful, young woman you’ve been Tinder-messaging for months ... and she turns out to be a 50-year-old man hiding his insecurities behind the veil of the Interweb. Can also be used as a verb, as in: That balding man catfished me.

Curve Millennial speak for, “It’s not you, it’s me.” Curves are typically non-confrontational ways of letting someone know you’re not interested in them, without actually saying it Tip: It’s better just to tell them.

IBF/IGF A boyfriend or girlfriend you’ve never met in real life, only virtually through the Internet. Beware of the IBF/IGF. See also: catfish.

Extra When someone you might have been interested in tries way too hard. Example: We matched on Grindr two days ago, and he won’t stop messaging me. He’s being so extra.

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