1. Jul 17, 2019 Knowledge Article. Open dating (calendar date as code) is stamped on a food product a product's package. It helps stores to determine time to display products, and the purchaser to know time limits to use the product at its best quality, not a safety date. Open dating is found on perishable foods: meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products.
  2. Dating app Hinge recently conducted a study in which analysts sorted 100 of the most common opening lines and put them to the test. Unsurprisingly, the outcome between men and women was vastly.
  3. Dating message tips: you might not think you need them, but then you filled out your online dating profile. You took the perfect profile pictures. You searched for potential matches and even found some that caught your eye.
  4. Pronunciation: KUSH-on-ing As above, cushioning is the process of staying in contact with one or more romantic prospects as a backup in case things don't go smoothly with your main.

The dangers of online dating don’t just include things like being ghosted or heartbroken — there are actual risks involved in meeting strangers online, and it’s important to go into it with your eyes open and alert to potential threats. We’re big proponents of online dating, but we understand how it can be a scary thing to do.

Jeannie has been writing online for over 10 years. She covers a wide variety of topics - hobbies, opinions, dating advice, and more!

Yeah, I've Heard That Line Before

Online dating is a very popular way to meet a new special person in your life. It doesn't matter if you are looking for a soulmate or a hookup, chances are, you can find someone on the same page with you. Of course, this means you've got to weed through a lot of really 'interesting' people and online profiles. After going through profile after profile, some phrases appear more often than others. Some phrases are so overused, they've become annoying online dating cliches.

If you are new to the online dating scene, you might need a little help trying to decode the true meaning behind many popular phrases you will encounter online. You also don't want to become an online dating cliché either. It is OK to use a phrase or two in your own profile, but you want to avoid looking like everyone else. I am here to help you determine the true meaning behind many phrases you will see while looking at profiles on dating websites.

Phrase Used On Site... Then the Actual Meaning


'I like to stay drama-free. I am looking for someone who also wants to be drama-free.'

Real meaning: I have two restraining orders out on my exes. I am looking for someone who is not a psycho this time.


'I live with two roommates. They are really great and I've known them all my life.'

Real meaning: I live with my parents.


'I am a few pounds overweight.'

Real meaning: I am 50 pounds overweight.


'I am a little overweight.'

Real meaning: I am 100 pounds overweight.


'I am very curvy.'

Real meaning: I am a female and I am overweight.

Online Dating Lines That Work


'What you see is what you get.'

Real meaning: I am not changing for you and I am brutally honest. I might make you cry.


'I am trying to find myself.'
Real meaning: I don't have a job.


'I love to workout. Fitness is important to me.'

Real meaning: I am skinny and you'd better be, too.


'I love to curl up on the couch and watch a movie with my girl.'

Real meaning: I can't afford to take you out to dinner.


'I like to have fun.'

Real meaning: I like to party. I hope you enjoy drunken binges.


'I enjoy going to bars or clubs.'

Real meaning: I like to party hardcore. I want someone that is willing to hold my hair when I vomit.


'I have a shaved head.'

Real meaning: I am going bald, but I am pretending this look is a fashion choice.


'Looking for someone stable who has her life together.'

Real meaning: I sure hope you have a job. Bonus points if you don't live with your parents.


'I am really good looking and in great shape.'

Real meaning: I am conceited.


'I work long hours at a job I love.'

Real meaning: You will always come in second. I will spend all my time at the office.


'Let's get together for drinks.'

Real meaning: I am hoping to get you drunk. I sure hope you put out on the first date.


'Looking for someone open-minded.'

Real meaning: This either means A) I have a sex dungeon in the basement, or B) I like threesomes.


'I would like to keep this relationship private.'

Real meaning: I am married. Don't tell my spouse about us.


'Must like children.'
Real meaning: I have 6 kids and still want more. I hope you are fertile!


'Must like cats.'

Real meaning: I am the cat lady. I am filming for Animal Hoarders next week.


'I like dining out.'

Real meaning: I've run out of ideas for this profile. Please just date me.


'Looking for someone serious about a relationship.'

Real meaning: I am not picky. I am getting old and I want to try this marriage thing as soon as possible.


'I am tired of women that play games.'

Real meaning: I email women on this site all the time and creep them out. I can't figure out why everyone keeps blocking me.


'The perfect date to me is going out for dinner, then maybe drinks, or a little dessert. We can see where it goes from there.'

Real meaning: I sure hope you put out after I spend so much money on food and drinks.


'I am pretty sarcastic.'

Real meaning: I am pretty rude, but I'll try to pass that off as humor.


'My friends tell me I am good looking, nice, and fun to be around.'

Real meaning: I am pretending to be modest, but I believe I am awesome.



'I am really laid back.'

Real meaning: If dating you means I have to get off the couch a lot or deal with any drama, I am not going to be very happy.


Jeannie Marie (author) from Baltimore, MD on August 18, 2015:

I am glad you liked it. I can't even begin to tell you how many times guys told me they had roommates, and then I find out it is their parents, grandparents, etc. Thanks for checking out my hub!

Jelly Baby from United Kingdom on August 05, 2015:

'I live with two roommates. They are really great and I've known them all my life.' Real meaning: I live with my parents.'

I literally fell of my chair with laughing so hard at this one! I think they should post this on every dating site. Would make it so much easier to weed out the idiots. Great hub!

Jeannie Marie (author) from Baltimore, MD on May 10, 2013:

Thanks so much! I am happy you enjoyed it.

Amanda Jones on May 10, 2013:

Voted up! Funny, interesting and useful!

Jeannie Marie (author) from Baltimore, MD on April 02, 2013:

Thanks so much! I am happy you enjoyed my hub.

Derrick Bennett on April 01, 2013:

This is very funny, but also true. love reading this hub.

Jeannie Marie (author) from Baltimore, MD on January 14, 2013:

Thank you both so much for your comments. I am happy you enjoyed the hub.

MartieCoetser - Oh, I like that message. I might state something like that in my profile. I am about to give up on Match and switch back to POF, so I need some new ideas for my profile. Thanks!

teaches12345 - Thanks for the vote up and for sharing! I have learned the hard way that any guy that continues to stress how much he enjoys curling up at home is never going to go out on a real date again once the first 'curling up' incident occurs. :-)

Dianna Mendez on January 14, 2013:

'I love to curl up on the couch and watch a movie with my girl.'

Real meaning: I can't afford to take you out to dinner.

This is a real code for the guy's preference to stay home and forego any exciting adventure out of the house. Good advice on these sayings. Love your humor added and still laughing from some of your thoughts. Voted up and shared.

Pennsburg

Martie Coetser from South Africa on January 14, 2013:

Hilarious!

LMAO for: 'Looking for someone serious about a relationship.' Real meaning: I am not picky. I am getting old and I want to try this marriage thing as soon as possible.

Marriage thing! Lol!

After I've graduated, my profile message changed to: 'If you don't live at the most half an hour away from me, and if you cannot meet me for an interview at The Palace and pay the bill of whatever we eat and drink, DON'T stay out of my inbox! And even if you qualify, I am not into online chatting. Let me look into your eyes while you tell me who you are. I am a journalist researching online dating.'

And so I've met my BF 10 months ago. Exactly the kind of friend I was looking for.

Jeannie Marie (author) from Baltimore, MD on January 14, 2013:

Trust me, you are very lucky if you have never tried online dating. I am back to being feed up with it again. I was on the date from hell this past weekend. Thanks for the votes and the comment!

Sherri from Southeastern Pennsylvania on January 14, 2013:

Very cool! I've never tried online dating, but if I do I think I'll be well-prepared for staying out of at least some kinds of trouble. :) Up, funny, interesting.

Jeannie Marie (author) from Baltimore, MD on June 18, 2012:

Thanks so much! Yes, there are some interesting phrases used on all dating sites. It is funny how cliched some it all seems. I've obviously been using dating sites for just too long. Thanks for the comment!

tmfisher on June 18, 2012:

Haha this was brilliant! I've often had to 'decode' various phrases on Plenty of Fish and this article is exactly right.

Jeannie Marie (author) from Baltimore, MD on April 05, 2012:

Hahaha... maybe I do need to date the guys I would least expect to like. Some men are just outright scary on those dating sites. I am logged into Plenty of Fish right now! Thanks for sharing your experience.

aethelthryth from American Southwest on April 05, 2012:

I did not take the man who became my husband very seriously at first, because his profile said he was open-minded and an artist. I expected I was meeting a wacko, who would be my fourth in a row of first-and-last dates. As it turned out, he is not close-minded, and he draws pictures. Go figure.

Jeannie Marie (author) from Baltimore, MD on February 12, 2012:

Thanks so much! Yes, I've been using online dating sites off and on for years now, and even though I joke about these things, I honestly believe most of them are true. There are some scary people out there!

Bella Nina from USA on February 12, 2012:

Super cute hub. I bet this is so close to the truth that it's not only scary . . . it's actually all true!!!

Voted up!!

Jeannie Marie (author) from Baltimore, MD on February 12, 2012:

Thanks, Sheila Lee. I am glad you liked it. Thanks for the votes!

Sheila Lee from Canada on February 12, 2012:

Open Line Tv

Jeannie, this was awesome! Kudos, girl! Loved it! I voted up!

Jeannie Marie (author) from Baltimore, MD on February 04, 2012:

Thanks, Angie. I think I've been using dating sites for too long now!

Angie Jardine from Cornwall, land of the eternally youthful mind ... on February 04, 2012:

This was really funny, Jeannie ... and soooo true!

Jeannie Marie (author) from Baltimore, MD on January 11, 2012:

Thanks for the votes and the comments! Online dating is such a challenge. It is especially frustrating for someone like me who is not a fan of dating in the first place. First dates are such a pain!

Open

Stephanie Henkel from USA on January 10, 2012:

Wow, I'm glad that I'm not planning to use on-line dating services! Even with your helpful on-line dating decoder in hand, it sounds like a challenge! :) Thanks for a fun hub - as usual! Voted up, funny and useful!

Jeannie Marie (author) from Baltimore, MD on January 08, 2012:

I am glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for dropping by!

Alecia Murphy from Wilmington, North Carolina on January 08, 2012:

Very funny! Great job!

Jeannie Marie (author) from Baltimore, MD on January 08, 2012:

Thanks so much! I am glad you enjoyed it. It is kind of like an online dating dictionary.

shuck72 from Seattle on January 08, 2012:

This was really clever, liked it and voted up.

January is a boom month for the online dating industry as millions turn to the internet to find love. But composing a profile that makes you sound fascinating and unique is harder than it sounds.

Post-Christmas to the Wednesday after Valentine's Day is the peak season for dating websites, according to Plenty of Fish's Sarah Gooding.

In the process, millions of people will try to summarise their characters in just a few paragraphs. But anyone who browses a few profiles will quickly become very familiar with a handful of phrases.

This betrays its author's discomfort about using an internet dating site, says William Doherty, professor of family social science at the University of Minnesota.

For him, it shows that there is still a stigma to online dating.

The meaning of open line in dating sitesSite

'When people are in a setting where they feel there's some stigma, they like to talk as if they are unfamiliar with it,' he says.

I love laughing

Dating coach Laurie Davis loves laughing at this generic assertion. She is paid to rewrite people's dating profiles and this is one of the phrases she sees - and urges her clients to ditch - time and time again.

'Doesn't everyone love laughing?' she says. 'They are trying to show that they are fun and that they have a light-hearted side, but it means nothing.'

Other meaningless phrases, she says, include: 'I'm a glass half-full kind of person.' Then there's: 'I try to see the best in every situation.' But it's highly unlikely that someone looking to attract a mate would ever say: 'I try to see the worst in every situation.'

Davis says the problem with phrases like these is that they don't help with the main purpose of the profile - they're not 'prompts' that act as conversation-starters.

'You can't start a conversation by saying, 'I see you love laughing. I love laughing too.' If you love comedy shows, though, that's a conversation-starter,' she says.

I like going out and staying in

'In other words, you like existing,' jokes serial online dater Willard Foxton.

The anonymous 'single mother on the edge', who writes Gappy Tales, writes in her blog that she would 'take a vow of celibacy' if she saw this phrase one more time. 'Why do perfectly intelligent people write that?' she asks.

Covering too many bases is a particular bugbear of Ben England. The 28-year-old marketing director was only on Guardian Soulmates for one month before he found his girlfriend. But he had enough time to be irked by descriptions in profiles that were consciously trying to please everyone.

In his blog, Everyday Heartbreak, he takes particular displeasure at someone who lists liking going to public lectures at the London School of Economics - along with stripy tops.

Looking for my partner in crime

Some people may even go as far as to specify they are after a Bonnie to their Clyde - or vice versa.

This is an attempt to be light-hearted, says Doherty. 'It's not heavy, it's saying 'I'm a normal person, I'm interesting, I'm low-key - I don't have all these deep needs that are going to bother you.' It's a way of saying, 'Hey, I'm a jolly fellow' but there aren't a lot of ways of saying that.'

It keeps popping up because most people have a limited vocabulary for expressing what they want romantically, he adds.

I'm here for some good banter

'They are saying, 'I don't need anything deep,' says Doherty. 'I'm having fun - so to say 'I'm not desperate, I'm low-key, I'm safe.'

'It's all a way to say I'm not going to be a burden to you, to push too hard to get serious too fast.'

Lists of descriptors such as smart, attractive, romantic, thoughtful, trustworthy, sexy, passionate, fearless, honest or friendly are labelled 'empty adjectives' by dating coach Erika Ettin.

She says on the advice blog for the dating site Plenty of Fish that the problem is that these words 'can't be proven until someone gets to know you'.

'This is where the concept of 'show, don't tell' really comes into play. For example, rather than saying that you're funny, say something that you find funny.'

'A list of adjectives doesn't mean very much,' says Davis. People may say they're funny, but how? Is that humour going to resonate with a potential partner? People say they're kind but unless they demonstrate that, it's meaningless. 'It's better to show it in actions,' Davis explains.

Davis also takes issue with starting sentences with 'My friends say...'

'That doesn't speak very confidently of you,' she says. 'It seems like you're not comfortable about yourself.'

I like walks in the park, watching movies and going to the pub on Sunday for roast dinner

Along with its cousin - 'I like Sunday brunch in the pub with the papers and trawling round bric-a-brac markets' - this is a potentially bland description of weekend leisure time.

Doherty thinks this kind of stuff is appropriated from romantic comedies, novels and reading other people's profiles. 'It's all saying, 'I'm a regular person.'

My friends (and family) are really important to me

England highlights this as one of his top meaningless phrases. 'It tells you absolutely nothing about someone. Find me someone that doesn't think their friends are important to them,' he says.

His point is that far too many people put their likes as things that it's very rare to dislike. 'One put that she likes sunshine. Really?'

My life is fab. I just need someone to share it with

Usually accompanied by a fulsome description of a high-powered, achievement-filled and cosmopolitan life.

Doherty says this is signalling that 'I'm not desperate, I'm not needy, I'm not lonely. I'm a very happy, full person. My already rich life would be enhanced'.

He says people who say phrases like this are trying to say 'being on here does not mean that I have deficits as a person'. The reason people feel the need to state how good their life is is because they still feel uncomfortable being involved in online dating, Doherty suggests.

I'm easy-going

Variations on this are 'I'm laid back' and 'I'm down to earth.' In his list of 10 things he hates about Plenty of Fish profiles, Greg Hendricks writes that these are so common that he ignores profiles that include them.

'What are any of these even supposed to mean? These stock traits are in so many profiles, I practically skip right over them.'

Plus, who would ever describe themselves otherwise, says Foxton. 'No-one thinks, 'I'm really uptight.'

A variant on this is 'I like cosying up in front of the fire'. It's a phrase that irks Match.com's chief scientist Helen Fisher. She says people should avoid it.

'These are things that we see in the movies. It seems to be linked with intimacy and they don't have the imagination to come up with what is meaningful to them. It's boring and shows no creativity.'

The key lies always in being specific, according to Gooding.

'One thing I see a lot of in profile descriptions are really generic descriptions. So a typical description would be 'I'm a fun active girl who likes to hang out with her friends and watch movies'. So you've pretty much described everyone on the website.'

Genuine guy seeking genuine girl/guy

'Western culture values authenticity,' says Doherty. But trying to demonstrate one's sincerity very often appears contrived.

'It's saying 'I'm in this fake setting, but I'm telling you I'm genuine even though I'm doing this thing that feels weird.' But he warns against 'over-asserting'. Normal people don't feel the need to prove themselves.

'No-one is saying, 'I'm running out of people to date, I just want to find someone to marry, have children with and grow old with - that is my deep need,' says Doherty.

I enjoy long walks on the beach at sunset

As an anthropologist, Fisher says she understands that people are trying to express their love of nature, downtime and intimacy.

But it doesn't help them stand out from the crowd. 'The bottom line is, who wouldn't want both of those scenarios?'

Dating coach Julie Spira concurs. She suggests on dating website Your Tango that it makes people look unoriginal. 'Putting it on your profile just makes it look like you've copied and read every other profile on the internet.'

England isn't a fan of profiles where all the photos show the dater in an impoverished country doing something mildly dangerous. According to him, 'we've seen it all before'.

Greg Hendricks echoes this complaint. 'People who put this in their profile are trying to sound adventurous and diverse, but in actuality they sound just like every other profile.'

The Muddy Matches blog suggests people bring this up time and again because talking about travel is also a good way to establish common interests, but it warns 'don't jabber on about your trip for ages without drawing breath. Try to find out where you've both been and where you'd both love to go'.

Attitude towards height is one of the most curious aspects about straight dating sites. Women looking for men often demand someone over 6ft and men often lie about how tall they are.

Foxton says that when he was on his mission to date 28 women, what seemed to surprise them most was that he was exactly the height he had said he was. Dating website OK Cupid notes that this is the most lied about aspect on online dating. On average, it suggests, people are two inches shorter than they say they are.

Fisher says men lie about two things - their height and their salary. Women lie about their weight and their age to emphasise their child-bearing potential.

Open Line Cars

Don't get in contact if you don't know the difference between 'your' and 'you're'

Grammar fanatics are over-represented on some online dating sites. But it's not always advisable to advertise just how important apostrophe usage is to you.

'Your profile isn't a place to vent. It's somewhere you're trying to find someone fabulous,' says Davis.

But the problem is deeper than that for her. 'People are trying to attract someone who is educated, someone who has a distaste for bad grammar, but there are many people who are not educated who know the difference between your and you're.'

I'm a 42-year-old man looking for a 27-year-old woman

Christian Rudder argues on the OK Cupid blog that while the ratio of men to women on straight dating sites stays stable as people get older, the male fixation on youth distorts the dating pool.

He says data from the website suggests that as men get older, the age gap they might countenance beneath them widens.

So a 31-year-old man might look for someone between 22 to 35 - up to nine years younger than him. A 42-year-old might look for a woman up to 15 years younger than him, Rudder suggests.

But the men's stated age range doesn't tell the full story. When Rudder looked at men's messaging habits, he found they were pursuing women even younger than their stated age range.

'I'm not going to stalk you,' is the subtext behind a range of commonly seen phrases, suggests Doherty.

'It's the ultimate stranger dating so it's not surprising that there is this emphasis on safety and normality.'

It's not a phrase to take at face value, he says. It's a good idea to be suspicious of anyone who has to assert that they are normal.

I don't watch television

An increasingly common statement on some dating sites. It's often a prelude to a list of varied and often esoteric interests from someone who is 'achingly hip, unflinchingly bright and invariably bearded', as Guardian Soulmates daters are described on Bella Battle's blog.

'With any other dating site, I can peddle out a profile with the usual likes and dislikes and some junk about country pubs and DVDs,' she writes.

Online Dating Messages That Work

It's not enough to be average. 'You have to have hobbies too - hobbies so boldly idiosyncratic they make you unlike any other person on the planet. The first guy I went on a date with from Soulmates was into astronomy and 17th century harpsichord music.'

The Meaning Of Open Line In Dating Site In English

'It's not accepting the truth. Why are you lying about something? It doesn't matter whether you met them in Waitrose in a club or on the internet. What matters is that you have met each other.'

Again, for Doherty, it indicates that people are still uncomfortable about looking for love on the internet. This is changing, Davis notes in the Huffington Post. She cites Pew research to mark 'the official demise of the online dating stigma'. Some 59% of internet users agree that 'online dating is a good way to meet people' and 42% of Americans know an online dater.

Plenty of Fish also gives a sense of the scale of online dating. It says its own data from Comscore from 2012 in the US shows they have 55 million members, 24 million messages sent per day, 50,000 new signups per day, and 10 billion page views every month.

Find out which online dating cliches our readers find most irritating

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Best Lines For Online Dating

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