8/24/09
Word of the Week: Schrodinger’s Date

cocktailsphoto by Southern_Foodways_Alliance

Okay, so it’s technically two words, but “Phrase of the Week” just doesn’t roll off the tongue in quite the same way. Anyway, “Schrodinger’s Date” is something that feels kind of like a date but may be more accurately described as a period of hanging out as a prelude to fucking. Even after you’ve actually had sex, you may still be unclear whether or not that was a date that preceded it. The term refers to the Schrodingers cat application of the uncertaintly principle: The date, like the cat, both is and is not. In fact, you may be sleeping with someone on a regular basis and still not be quite sure whether or not you’re actually dating. If you want to know for sure, the only way to let Schrodinger’s cat out of the bag is to say, “So, are we dating or what?” Of course, even that doesn’t imply exclusivity. To determine that, one must ask, “So, are we exclusive or what?”

For more hook-up terminology than you can shake a stick at, check out our book Rec Sex: An A-Z Guide to Hooking Up.



5 Comments

  1. kb:
    You can find the shirt, plus all manner of inspired geekiness, at http://www.thinkgeek.com. And I say, with little fear of contradiction, that except for thee and me the overlap of that site and this one is a null set.

  2. see, AlanK, I think that depends. For me personally, the guys who aren’t geeks don’t appreciate my geekiness. That T-shirt would be an excellent screening test. Saying you don’t want to date anyone who gets that shirt will just make some people unhappy. it’s okay to date a geek, it’s okay to be a geek.

  3. Big Bang Theory last episode of season 1 or 2 if I recall correctly……Quotes Schrodinger’s cat….

  4. I personally myself have a t-shirt (black, of course; this is NYC) that on one side says “Schrodinger’s cat is dead” and on the other “Schrodinger’s cat is not dead.” But then, I am a nerd and an ex-physicist. And I tell you, as truly as tantric sex is a Terry Southern running gag, that you do not want to date anyone who gets the joke. Really.

    Let’s leave this particular, really funny, phrase to those who also find xkcd (http://www.xkcd.com) a giggle a minute.

Comments are closed.