Whether you’re single or in a relationship, keeping up with dating jargon can be hard as viral words change constantly. Our writer NJAMBI WANJIKU compiles a list of new-age relationship lingua you should know about, lest you remain at sea…

1. HAUNTING

Haunting is when a partner disappears for months or years then resurfaces out of the blue trying to pick up from where they left off.

They show up to spook people from their romantic past without any warning. This horrifying phenomenon is a form of weird reminder that they once existed. How you respond to this is another matter altogether…

2. GHOSTING

Ghosting is when a man or woman you are dating suddenly stops communicating for no apparent reason.

Ghosting has become more common in dating since the rise of social media, because there is this feeling that there is an unlimited supply of people to take an ex’s place.

3. RECYCLING

Recycling is that on-again off-again cycle with one’s ex. The reason behind this pattern is missing the positive aspects of a partner after pushing each other away while looking the other way at the things that drove them apart.

Such relationships are bound to fail because their core fundamentals are shoddy to begin with. 

4. CUSHIONING

Cushioning is an avoidance strategy for those afraid of fully investing in a relationship or afraid of a heartbreak.

A man or woman will date his or her partner, but also date other people to provide back-up options just in case their real partner disappoints them.

What such people do not realise is the steps they take to avoid the potential negative outcome hinders them from enjoying the positives.

5. MICRO-CHEATING

Micro-cheating is when a man or woman in a relationship is not having a full blown affair yet, but is doing certain things that have whispers of infidelity.

Such behaviour might not be cause for concern. It is only when one starts to cross an emotional or physical line that trouble arises.

6. PEACOCKING

Peacocking is when a man dresses up for attention with the sole intention of luring women much like peacocks show off their feathers to attract a mate.

Such men highlight their strong points in order to stand out from their competition.

Peacocking can backfire big time if a guy tries too hard because it makes him look like he cares too much about how people perceive him.

7. MONKEYING

After a breakup, some people may opt to jump into another relationship too soon without taking a break. They are never single.

This behaviour is called monkeying and it can lead to repeating old bad habits and poor patterns in partner selection.

8. STASHING

Stashing is when a man or woman keeps their partner away from their family and friends and will not post about them on social media because they are either embarrassed of them or are seeing somebody else.

This behaviour can lead to negative consequences and cause the person being ‘stashed’ to feel unimportant.

9. CATCH AND RELEASE

Catch and release lovers put in a lot of effort into pursuing their objects of desire.

They ask them out countless times and establish the relationship up to a certain level of commitment and intensity, but quickly lose interest and embark upon a new search leaving their exes wondering what exactly went wrong.

Catch and release can be a conscious or unconscious dating behaviour.

10. LOVE BOMBING

Love bombing is a weapon of choice for narcissists. They will shower lots of love, affection and gifts on their partners during the initial phase of a relationship leaving the victim feeling deeply indebted to their supposed romantic partners and thus vulnerable to whatever their partner might want of them.