the.com/flirtation
the negotiation where both parties pretend nothing is being negotiated.
means A playful display of romantic or sexual interest, usually light, teasing, and stopping short of commitment.
from From 'flirt,' a 16th-century English verb that first meant to give a sudden, jerky movement — to flick or dart something away. A 'flirt' could be a quick toss of the hand or a smart rap, and a person who 'flirted' was someone darting about, fickle and flighty. The romantic sense — flicking glances, darting attention from one admirer to another — grew out of that same restless motion, with the noun 'flirtation' arriving by the 18th century. The word may owe some of its shape to imitation, echoing similar flick-and-flutter words like 'flit' and 'flutter.'
- eye trick
- Prolonged gaze can spike attraction in strangers
- plausible deniability
- Every move stays deniable until someone risks it
- fan language
- Victorians coded entire flirtations into fan movements
- play, not promise
- The thrill lives in the maybe, not yes
jfk and marilyn monroe — alleged affair between u.s. president and hollywood actress in early 1960s
benjamin franklin in france — charmed french court and salons with wit and persona while serving as diplomat 1776-1785
cleopatra and mark antony — egyptian pharaoh's seduction of roman general, producing twins around 40 bce