Ghosting, Nanoship, Pocketing: Are labels making dating more complicated?

Sit this one out, Cupid. The best pairing of our time is not Tom and Zendaya or Meghann Fahy and Leo Woodall. It’s the dating scene and the dictionary. We’ve found terms for every little behaviour that previous generations either didn’t know or dismissed. We started with Ghosting (a date who disappears halfway into courtship). Then, we coined Zombeing (when the ghoster returns). We learnt about Micro-cheating (minor flirtations), Pocketing (hiding a partner from your social circle), Nanoships (short-lived connections) and Kittenfishing (like catfishing but without a fake identity). You know how exes reappear with no intention to reconnect? There’s a name for that too: Paperclipping.