breadcrumbing
Keeping someone mildly interested with just enough contact to stop them from leaving.
What it actually means
Sometimes deliberate, often not. Either way, the useful read is behavior over weeks, not intent.
More dating
- the ickA sudden, hard-to-explain turn-off.
- situationshipMore than friends, less than a relationship, undefined on purpose.
- the talking stageThe period after you’ve started texting and before you’re anything official.
- soft launchPosting a person without showing who they are: a hand, a shoulder, two drinks.
- ghostingDisappearing with no explanation.
- green flagSomething small that suggests someone is a good person to be around.