Hardballing
Voicing expectations before the first date
Example
Katie began hardballing all of her dates because she wasted 6 months with that idiot Brad
Oh man, that guy was a total waste of time
Hardballing a potential BF
Related Slang
| Fishing | Sending out several messages on a dating app |
| Hiberdating | Ignoring friends while dating a person |
| Pocketing | Dating a person you are uncertain about |
| Roaching | Secretly dating many romantic partners at the same time |
| Stashing | Dating a person but unwilling to publicly acknowledge it |
| Submarining | Dating a person, disappearing, then reappearing |
| Caspering | Ending a relationship in a friendly, but confusing way |
| bf | Boyfriend |
| gf | Girlfriend |
Can you survive our Dungeons & Dragons slang quiz?
Hardballing is a dating trend in which single people express their expectations before going on a first date with someone. People employ this technique so they date only others with similar relationship goals.
The trend, which became popular in December 2021, is derived from "playing hardball," which is when a person acts aggressively to get what they want. Of course, people have been hardballing long before 2021, but the trend became popular among Gen Zers (people born between 1997 and 2012) as a refreshing change of pace that counters the fake lives projected on social media.
Examples of hardballing questions include asking if a potential romantic partner wants kids, their goals for the next five years, and what their political/religious beliefs are. Keep in mind that hardballing may scare off people who are expecting extreme honesty.