This is Edward...my prince.

Question.

If you are a courting girl and don't like the terms "dating" or "boyfriend," then precisely what do you call your significant other? I've heard (IRL!) the terms "best friend," and yes, even "Prince Charming" (gag) used in a VERY cheesy way. (Because "best friend" has too much of a first-grade ring to it, and "Prince Charming" is a phrase that should NEVER be used outside of a Disney movie. Just sayin'.)

What lovely examples, O Reader, have you seen?

-Violet

TDOC, Chapter 2: A Date By Any Other Name

That said, allow me to begin by saying that I in no way intend to engage in a battle of verbage. You may refer to the process of social interaction between a non-related male and female as “dating,” or you may call it “courting.” I do not care. It is one of my intentions in this essay to demonstrate that “courting,” as such, is not really an actual thing, but is more like a state of mind, enjoyed by a certain subset of people who basically sleep better at night if they are able to tell everyone that their family “courts.” Consequently, you may court and call it dating, you may date and call it courting, or use any other combination you can think of, but your vocabulary has little or no correlation to what actually happens to you. Naturally, it is this “what actually happens” category that this essay is concerned with.