Name: Fast-forwarding

Meaning: Dating, but without all the faff. Fast-forwarding is all about looking ahead to the future and figuring out whether the person you’re seeing fits your plans. If they do? Great. If they don’t? It’s time to wave goodbye. If there’s one thing fast-forwarding is not about, it’s wasting time.

Origin: Fast-forwarding has been around for a while now (in fact, there are blog posts about the term dating back to 2010), but it resurfaced earlier this year after appearing on Bumble’s 2022 dating trends list. And now, as we head into so-called cuffing season, it’s becoming a way for people to work out a potential partner’s true intentions before they invest too much time or effort. Smart, right?

OK, so we’re moving at 2x speed – but what does fast-forwarding actually involve? In a nutshell, fast-forwarding is the complete opposite of keeping things casual. Forget the days when first dates consisted of small-talk and flirtatious banter; fast-forwarding is all about asking the important questions, and deciding whether or not to pursue someone based on how well their intentions match up with yours.

Tired of the uncertainty of dating? ‘Fast-forwarding’ could be the answer