Stashing
Dating a person but unwilling to publicly acknowledge it
Example
I really think Amir is stashing Lindsey. She doesn't even know where he lives and isn't on social media
Yeah, maybe his name isn't even Amir
Sus stashing behavior
Related Slang
| Breadcrumbing | Leading someone on romantically |
| Catch and release | To flirt with someone then stop when the person wants commitment |
| Tuning | Subtly flirting with a person |
| Benching | Using a person as a backup date |
| Catfish | To assume a false identity |
| Cuffing | Linking up in a relationship with a person |
| Friends with benefits | Friends that often get intimate |
| DTR | Define the relationship |
| fbo | Facebook official |
| ship | Relationship |
| Roaching | Secretly dating many romantic partners at the same time |
| Soft launch | Teasing a new relationship on social media |
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Stashing is when a person dates someone but doesn't publicly acknowledge the relationship. The name comes from how people and animals stash items to hide them.
While stashing has been done ever since the first person attempted to hide a romantic affair, it did not receive the "stashing" label by Metro.co.uk until 2017. People stash their partners for various reasons, including embarrassment, fear of their spouse finding out, fearing family disapproval, or doubt in the relationship's viability.
What does stashing look like?
A person stashing their partner avoids posting evidence of their relationship online, inviting them over to their residence, and introducing them to their friends and family. Instead, they keep details of their life pre-relationship to themselves and spend all their time in their partner's "world," whether it be on social media or in real life.
Stashing is incredibly difficult to pull off in modern days with the Internet and social media. Most relationships progress to a social media "coming out" moment in their early stages, so when a partner is resistant to participate, serious questions arise about their commitment.