Dating Tips

10 of the best bad date exit strategies

With the best will in the world, not all dates are equal. Unless you’re extremely lucky (or ultra selective), the chances are that you’ll experience a bad date at some point in your dating days.

When your date is excruciatingly bad, you can be forgiven for wanting to bail out – but you might at least try to do so as nicely as possible, rather than going to the toilet and never coming back. Here are our top 10 exit strategies for getting yourself out of a bad date!

1. The crisis call exit

If you’ve got friends willing to play along, then you could pre-arrange for someone to phone you halfway through your date with an emergency crisis.

If things are going well, you don’t need to act on it, but if it’s all going pear-shaped, then hearing about a sudden crisis is good exit strategy to have. Don’t get too carried away with your crisis ideas though – keep them believable!

2. The double-booked exit

Pretending to have double-booked yourself is a good way of gently letting down a bad date, but you do need to implement the plan at the beginning of a date.

When you arrive for your date, make a point of saying that you’ve discovered at the last minute that you’ve accidentally double-booked yourself and might have to leave early. Be creative, but realistic, with your reasons – for example, it could be your workmate’s leaving do, a work event you should have been at or a friend’s party.

If your date is less than inspiring, then you can use the excuse to head off early.

Don’t worry if all goes swimmingly well and you don’t want to leave. Your date will be even more impressed that you’ve given up your time to spend with them!

3. The spillage exit

This isn’t ideal if you’re wearing your favourite frock or designer suit, but if things have got really boring and you’re hating every minute of your date, then you could always put to use the spillage exit.

This is a move best made with a bit of prior thought – it’s better to use white wine, vodka or gin, rather than red wine or beer. Put simply, you need to engineer a situation where you accidentally spill your drink all over you, with monumental effect.

If you make enough of a fuss about the whole incident, not bearing to stay in the clothes a minute longer, you can subsequently rush off home to change and get the stains out.

4. The tiredness exit

This one is ideal for anyone who is already bored to tears by their date and can’t help but yawning and looking bored. Yes, it’s the tiredness exit.

In order to pull this one off, you need to be able to suitably fake extreme tiredness, where you can’t stop yourself yawning. It’s also good to team it up with the idea that you have to be up super early the next morning for work, so need to go home early to get a good night’s sleep.

5. The illness exit

No-one wants to be suddenly struck down with dire illness on their date, but if the date is the worst you’ve ever been on, then you could enlist the help of the illness exit strategy.

This is the one where you suddenly feel unwell and have to rush off home straightaway. It could be a faked dodgy stomach (you may have to rush to the toilet several times before to really pull this one off), feeling sick or, for the girls, you could fake sudden women’s problems.

6. The parking ticket is running out exit

If time is ticking on and you can’t wait for your date to end, then you could always use the good old line that your parking ticket is running out, so you really must go.

It can work too even if you haven’t driven – just make sure he doesn’t then spot you carless and walking, as your guise will be blown.

7. The scaring him witless exit

If you don’t fancy any of the other exit strategies, and don’t feel up to faking an illness, tiredness, prior commitment or spilling something all over yourself, then you could always go for the scaring him witless exit strategy.

With this novel method, the idea is to be as scary and off-putting as possible. This could be through disagreeing with everything he says, coming up with weird and wacky made-up hobbies and activities, or indulging in raucous laughter or giggling for no apparent reason.

If successfully used, this should have your date making their own excuses pretty pronto, leaving you alone as you’d desired.

8. The long-term commitment exit

The first or second dates aren’t the place to start talking about long-term commitments – that comes further down the line – so if you’re keen to lose someone sharpish, talking about commitments is a good way of doing so.

For example, you could suddenly start talking about how you’re dying to get married as soon as possible, want to have his babies, would like your date to meet your parents tomorrow and want to move in together straightaway.

As long as you’re not out with someone who really is desperate, then you’ve got a jolly good chance of putting them off and ending the date – and any future ones – in a shot.

9. The ‘must catch my train, bus or plane’ exit

Another useful transport-related trick to have up your sleeve is the notion that you need to suddenly rush off to catch a train, bus or plane.

It could be that it’s the last train or bus back home, or that you’re need to dash to catch a plane away for work (and what an even better reason to be unable to see your date again soon, or get their calls).

As with the car park ticket exit trick, just be sure to be well out of his view if you’re not heading towards a station or airport.

10. The honesty exit strategy

If all else fails and you’re really far too nice at heart to pull off any of our other exit strategies, then there’s always the honesty exit.

Some people find it hard to do, but if you’re not enjoying the date, know you won’t get on and there’s no chemistry at all, why not just be honest and tell them. You don’t have to go into a great long explanation of what’s wrong, just keep it simple, tell them it’s not going to work and leave.

Tags: bad date, commitment, dating, exit strategies, exit strategy, honesty

5 things he really means when his dating profile says…

Discover what he really means!

Online dating is a great way of meeting new men, but whilst his dating profile may seem self-explanatory, you can’t always take what he says at face value.

Whether it’s his views on what he’s looking for in a woman, a description of his personality or his employment status, sometimes you have to look between the lines to discover the reality.

If you’re wondering what the statements in his dating profile may really mean, then read on to discover the truth!

1. His Ideal Woman

If his profile says that he’s “looking for a woman who cares about her appearance and looks good,” you may think that sounds positive.

But in reality, it could mean that he values looks as far more important than personality, plus it could be a sign that all he wants is some great looking arm candy on his arm to wow his friends.

2. What He’d Like to Do On His Ideal Date

Cheesy sunset beach walk

If his profile simply says, “My ideal date is a romantic candlelight meal or a long walk on the beach in the sunset,” it may seem nice on the surface, but really reeks of lack of imagination. It’s a sign that he can’t think of anything better to say and hasn’t really given it that much thought.

3. Employment and Salary

The profile section that deals with employment and jobs should give you an insight into what he does for a living. But it’s not always clear cut.

If his profile has the words, “I’m in between jobs” in it, alarm bells should start ringing. Put simple, this probably means, “I’m unemployed and out of work.”

Likewise, if there’s a space for him to include his yearly salary – and some dating sites do have one – then take it with a pinch of salt. It’s especially so if he’s picked one of the highest salaries, as he may just be trying to impress you with illusions of money.

It’s probably better if he’s left it blank – he may be too shy to share this with the world, but you can find out for yourself when you vet him in person.

Football comes first

4. His Hobbies and Lifestyle

Of course you want to know about his hobbies and lifestyle, but you may need to use your own imagination here too.

If his profile says he, “loves sports and football,” then what it could really mean is that his Saturday’s are dedicated to sport, so don’t expect to go out on a date then.

5. What He’s Looking For

Finally, when he describes what he’s looking for, if his profile says, “I’m not looking for anything serious,” “I’m just looking for friendship,” or “Let’s just see what happens,” it all means he’s looking for sex.

Tags: dating profile, men, online dating, what he really means

40 Dating Acronyms Revealed

Online dating can be great

Online dating is a great way to meet new people, but when you’re browsing online dating profiles or communicating with new people, you’ll no doubt come across acronyms used. These are a set of letters used instead of words, which help shorten phrases.

There are a now a massive amount of weird and wonderful acronyms used online, especially in the dating world. If you’re new to online dating, or not familiar with acronyms, then it can be really confusing knowing what they mean.

To help avoid any confusion, and ensure you’re clear about what people mean from the start, here’s a useful reference list to help you grasp the meaning of 40 commonly used dating acronyms.

1. AKA – Also Known As
2. BBW – Big Beautiful Woman
3. Bi – Bisexual
4. D – Divorced
5. D&D Free (D/D Free) – Drug and Disease Free
6. DTE – Down to Earth
7. F2F – Face to Face
8. FYI – For Your Information
9. GBM – Gay Black Male
10. GWM – Gay White Male
11. GLBT – Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgendered
12. GSOH – Good Sense of Humour
13. HNG – Horny Net Geek
14. HWP – Height/Weight Proportionate
15. IR – Interracial
16. IRL – In Real Life
17. ISO – In Search Of
18. LD – Light Drinker
19. LDR – Long Distance Relationship
20. LS – Light Smoker
21. MBA – Married But Available
22. MM – Marriage Minded
23. MSM – Man Seeking Man
24. MSW – Man Seeking Woman
25. NBM – Never Been Married
26. ND – Non-Drinker
27. N/Drugs – No Drugs
28. PDA – Public Display of Affection
29. RL – Real Life
30. SBF – Single Black Female
31. SBM – Single Black Male
32. SD – Social Drinker
33. SI – Similar Interests
34. SO – Significant Other
35. SOH – Sense Of Humour
36. STR – Straight
37. SWF – Single White Female
38. SWM – Single White Male
39. TLC – Tender Loving Care
40. WAA – Will Answer All

Don’t forget that if you’re not sure what someone you’re sending messages to means, then always ask for clarification. You don’t want to find yourself in a sticky situation further down the line when they think you know what they’re looking for, and you’ve actually got no clue!

Tags: acronyms, communication, date, dating

10 Greatest Flirting Tips

Here are 10 of the greatest tips to help you learn to flirt like a pro!

1. Make eye contact

Catch his eye

Eye contact is one of the easiest methods you can use to flirt with your date and it can be plenty of fun too.

The knack is to not end up staring at them for too long. Instead go for a sneaky glance that lasts a couple of seconds, then look away. Repeating this, perhaps with a smile or two along the way, can gain their interest and help let them know you’re flirting with them and interested in them.

2. Lightly touch them

If you’re interested in your date and want to let them know, then lightly touching their arm, shoulder or knee is a good flirting technique to try.

Do keep the touches nice and light at this point (you can move on to more intense touching at the next stage) and they should get the message that you fancy them.

3. Lean in towards them

If you’re sitting or standing next to someone you rather like, then leaning a bit closer towards them is a useful technique to add to your flirting repertoire.

This doesn’t mean moving right on in and cramping their space, but gently moving in closer as you talk to them – it’s a great signal that you’re interested and want to get close in so many ways!

4. Smile at them

Smile seductively

It sounds totally obvious, but it’s easy to get knocked off course when you’re trying to flirt with a hot man or woman.

Whether you’re sitting chatting to your potential new date, or gazing longingly at them across a crowded room, don’t forget to smile at them. It’s most effective if you manage to make eye contact at too – they’ll know for sure that you’re flirting with them.

5. Keeping walking by

If you’re trying to flirt and attract the attention of a stranger, then a great way of sending out those essential flirting skills is to keeping walking by.

Even if it means going out of your way to walk past, make the time to do so. Eventually the lucky man or woman won’t be able to help but notice you’re there!

6. Play with your hair or flick your hair

Play with your hair

If you’re a woman flirting with a man, and whether you’ve got long or short hair, you should make the most of the opportunity to play with your hair or flick your hair.

It’s a simple gesture to make, but twirling your hair in your fingers whilst casually looking over to your flirting target and smiling seductively can have the desired effect and gain their attention.

If you’re a woman with long hair, then you could also try letting your hair down and doing a wonderful and extravagant head shake along the way. Seeing hair cascading down can be a real head turner.

7. Mimic their body movements

Body language is an important element of flirting like a pro and it’s well known that when people are interested in one another, they begin to pick up on their mannerisms and traits.

Although you may not yet be at the total infatuation stage, you can certainly put this technique into action by beginning to mimic their body movements. So, if you’re sitting or standing together, you could move position to sit in the same way as them, hold your drink in the same way, push your glasses up as they do or move your hands in the same way as them.

These are all subtle signals that you’ll be sending out to them that you’re keen and interested.

8. Draw attention to your mouth

Seductively sucking a straw

For both men and women who are learning to flirt expertly, drawing attention to their mouth can work wonders and be very seductive.

It may something as simple as licking your lips, or running a finger along your lips. For women, they could apply lipstick or lip gloss, or suck from a straw in a drink. All of these actions will draw attention to the lips – those lips you so want to be kissed – and can positively influence your flirting success.

9. Play with your accessories

This sounds a bit naughty, but we’re talking fashion accessories here, like necklaces, belts, ties, scarves or earrings.

It’s a similar body language gesture to the hair twirling one and will help draw attention to you and away from other surrounding people. Once you’ve got their attention, you need to keep it right there.

10. Make sure your body language is open and inviting

Flirt with open body language

Finally, the crucial step to get right, especially if you’ve managed to achieve all the other points, is to make sure your body language is open and inviting at all times.

Open body language is where you’ve not got your legs crossed or arms folded, you’re sitting or standing in a relaxed position, turning towards the person you’re interested in. Smiling at them and looking interested in what they say are added bonuses.

If you follow these tips, and learn to use your body language to your advantage, you should greatly improve your flirting skills and hopefully score a date too!

Tags: flirt, flirting, flirting like a pro

Five great first date ideas

Stuck for ideas as to what to do or where to go on your first date? Here are five great first date ideas to get you going!

1. Go out for a meal

Table for Two

Going out for a meal gives you time to enjoy each others company and get to know each other without loads of other noise and distractions. Going for a meal is also a flexible choice, as it can be at lunchtime or in the evening.

If you’re going for this option and need to book in advance, it’s a good idea to check out your dates dining preferences in advance, so that you choose a cuisine style that suits you both. Just remember to choose your meal choice carefully, as some messy foods, like spaghetti, can be a tad off-putting for your new date!

2. Go bowling

Go bowling with your date

A laid back activity like bowling is a fun way to get to know each other in a relaxed manner. It doesn’t matter if you’re good at bowling or not (although you will be able to get an idea about the competitiveness of your date) and you can still fit in a good deal of flirting during the bowling. You never, you may even be bowled over by your date….!

3. Go to the theatre or see a movie

It’s a classic first date scenario, but still one of the good ones. If you share a passion for theatre, opera, musicals or certain films, then you can indulge in it together on your date. Plus, being in an atmosphere where you’ve got to sit and enjoy a stage show or movie takes some of the pressure off the need for lots of small talk. You can always top it off by going for a drink or a meal afterwards.

4. Go for a walk

Simply walking together can offer you both a good chance to get to know each other – and it’s free! There’s time to chat, enjoy the outdoors and leisurely get acquainted.

If you’ve never met your date before, then do try and choose a place that’s not too remote, like a park or regularly used walking route. If you know that you’ve both got dogs, you can even take your furry friends along too.

5. Go to a theme park

The ride of your life

Another fun way of relaxing, having a good time and getting to know your date is to go to a theme park. It’s best to suss this one out in advance, to ensure they’re up for the challenge, but sharing a theme park ride or rollercoaster can be a good way of breaking the ice.

It also shows you’re up for a challenge and not afraid to face your fears, and you can always snuggle up or hold hands on the scary rides!

5 foods to avoid eating on your date

So, you’ve got a date lined up and it involves going out for a meal. Meals are a great way of getting to know someone, but if you’re keen to make a great impression, it may be best to avoid certain foods. Here’s why!

1. Spaghetti

Spaghetti

It’s a lovely Italian favourite and much-enjoyed pasta dish, but unless you’re totally au fait with twisting and twirling spaghetti around your fork in the true Italian way, it’s best avoided. Eaten gracefully, spaghetti is fine, but if you’re less adept at dealing with it, you could find yourself in nightmare date alley.

Imagine the scene: you’re eating spaghetti, chatting up your date and trying to look really cool. As you attempt to manoeuvre your next mouthful of spaghetti onto your fork, it all goes out of control. The spaghetti slips, the sauce flicks and your calm composure is lost. Flicking sauce on yourself is bad enough, but it gets worse if it goes anywhere near your date. No, spaghetti is definitely one of the top five foods to avoid if you’re on a date.

2. Garlic

Garlic

Unless your date is also happily consuming garlic-based dishes, or foods such as garlic mushrooms or garlic bread, then it’s another best avoided date food. You don’t want to end up reeking of garlic for the rest of the evening and, if you’re hoping for a kiss (or two!), then your chances could be seriously dashed by the garlic lingering on your breath.

3. Hot and spicy curry

Spicy curry

In a similar vein to garlic, it’s also a good idea to give a wide berth to a hot and spicy curry, or at least on your first date. The smell of curry is well known to stay with you and, if you want to make a memorable good first impression and not one that’s based on the smell of what you ate, it’s best to not choose a spicy curry.

4. Seafood that involves shell removal

Seafood platter

Even if you love seafood and can’t get enough of it, it may be best to avoid eating seafood that involves shell removals on your date. That includes plates of food that come with the seafood still in the shells, like paella or other dishes. Although you may enjoy picking apart the crab shells or pulling out the lobster meat, doing that at the table with a potential new date isn’t the most alluring thing.

Not only is it cumbersome and messy, but you’ll also end up with an extra plate on the table – full of empty seafood shells – and as many tables for two aren’t oozing with space, this could take up valuable hand-holding room. So definitely think twice before you order and avoid the seafood on your date.

5. Greasy or messy foods

Greasy and messy foods - avoid!

As much as you may be yearning for a plate of greasy chips, it’s not the best choice for a date. As a rule, it’s best to avoid any obviously greasy foods, as the grease could easily get transferred to your hands. If you’re touching your date, they’ll not end up too impressed by the feel of your greasy hands.

Likewise, any obviously messy foods, like a burger that may squish out of the bun, spare ribs that involve being picked up to eat or corn on the cob that could get stuck in your teeth, are all best to avoid eating on your date. After all, you want to be remembered as someone who was fun to be with – not someone who made a mess or spent the remainder of the time picking food out of their teeth!

Tags: date, foods, foods to avoid, messy