PUAmoreCuffing Season
Definition
The colder months of the year, roughly autumn to winter, when many people look for a relationship to get through the season.
Contents · 3 sections
Cuffing season is the stretch of autumn and winter in which many singles say they want a partner, “cuffed” like a handcuff, rather than staying casual. It starts around October and usually ends around Valentine’s Day or when spring arrives. The idea is that cold, dark evenings, holidays and family gatherings make being alone feel harder.
The term comes from US slang and is a popular saying more than a research finding. Many people do feel more like settling down in winter, but it is far from universal, and it says nothing about any one person’s intentions.
What it looks like
- More activity on dating apps and more invitations to dinner and movies.
- Faster talk of “exclusive”, meeting friends and spending the holidays together.
- Shorter talking stages and quicker moves to a relationship.
- Some of these relationships end when spring comes, once the reason for pairing up has gone.
Example
Her: Are you coming to the holiday party on Saturday? Would be nice to have a plus-one.
You: I’d love to. Are we going as a plus-one, or as something more?
Asking early avoids misunderstandings later.
How to handle it
- Know why you’re dating. Choosing someone because winter is lonely is different from choosing someone because you like them.
- Be honest about it. Say whether you want a long term relationship or just company for a few months. Pretending leads to hurt or an awkward situationship.
- Watch the pace. Strong feelings in November are not automatically wrong, but give them time to prove themselves.
- Don’t force it. If it feels forced, being single through winter is perfectly fine.
Cuffing season is also a good time to work on your profile and your first messages. Our guides on Tinder pick-up lines and what to talk about on a first date help with both.
Keep reading
Keep exploring
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- Situationship A situationship is something between friends and a relationship.
- Talking Stage The talking stage is the early phase in which two people text or call, flirt and see whether they want to take things further.
- Zombieing Zombieing is when a person who vanished from your life suddenly comes back to life.
- Day 2 Day 2 is the second meeting with a woman after you met her for the first time, for example at a bar, in the street or through friends.
- Average Frustrated Chump An Average Frustrated Chump is a guy who simply has no clue as to how to attract a female.
- Alpha Male "Alpha male" is a popular label for a man who seems confident, dominant and high in status, the one others follow and women notice.
- Beta Male "Beta male" is an informal label for a man who is seen as passive, shy, approval-seeking or easy to push around.
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- Inner Game Inner game is the mental side of dating: your confidence, your beliefs about yourself and women, your self-image and the way you handle…
- Cold Approach A cold approach means starting a conversation with a stranger, with no earlier contact, no introduction and no shared context such as…
- Daygame Daygame (also written day game) means meeting and approaching women during the day: on the street, in parks, shops, cafés, libraries or on…
- Outer Game Outer game is everything other people can see and hear: how you look, dress and move, your voice, your body language, what you say and how…
- Peacocking Peacocking means wearing something eye-catching on purpose, for example an unusual hat, a bold scarf or striking jewellery, so that people…
- Hot Babe HB stands for Hot Babe (or sometimes Hunny Bunny) and refers to an attractive women.
- Banter Banter is playful back-and-forth talk: light teasing, jokes and quick comebacks that both people enjoy.
- Cold Reading Cold reading is a way of making statements about a person that seem highly personal but are in fact general or based on clues you can see.
- Disqualifier A disqualifier is a playful remark that jokingly "rules you out" as a match, or her as one for you.
- Negging Negging means giving a woman a backhanded compliment or a mild put-down, so that she feels slightly unsure and starts to look for your…
- Push-Pull Push-pull means alternating between closeness and playful distance in a conversation: a compliment or warm moment (the "pull"), followed by…
- Day 2 Day 2 is the second meeting with a woman after you met her for the first time, for example at a bar, in the street or through friends.
- One Night Stand A one night stand is a sexual encounter that is both brief and casual in nature.
- Sex Drive High Sex Drive (Libido) refers to a man's physiological and psychological urge or desire to indulge in sexual activity with a woman.
- Kiss Close A Kiss Close or KC is when a man successfully kisses a girl he is attempting to seduce.
- Ejecting / Premature Ejectulation Premature Ejectulation, or 'Pre-Me' is the term given to a guy who exits (or, 'ejects') from an interaction with a girl much too soon.
- Mystery Method The Mystery Method is a pickup system created by the Canadian Erik von Markovik, who goes by the name Mystery. It is also called M3.
- Real Social Dynamics Real Social Dynamics, usually shortened to RSD, is a dating-coaching company based in Los Angeles.
- Red Pill "Red pill" is internet slang for waking up to an uncomfortable truth. It comes from the film "The Matrix"
- Friend Zone The 'Friend Zone' refers to a situation whereby a man has found himself stuck in a platonic, non-sexual relationship with her a girl he is…
- Fuck Buddy A Fuck Buddy (FB) is a girl that a man enjoys frequent but casual sex with no real desire for making the relationship monogamous or…
- Long Term Relationship A long term relationship "LTR" is typically when a man and woman pledge exclusivity to one another.
- Let's Just Be Friend “Let's Just Be Friends” is something that a girl will say to a guy with whom she has no interest in pursuing a sexual relationship.
- Flake A 'flake' is the term given to a girl who does not get back in touch with you after either the initial meeting or an exchange of messages.
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- Breadcrumbing Breadcrumbing means dropping small bits of attention, just enough to keep someone hoping, without ever following through.
- Catfishing Catfishing means building an online relationship under a false identity. The "catfish"
- Gaslighting Gaslighting means getting another person to doubt their own memory, judgement or feelings.
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