A calling card is the first picture displayed on a Tinder profile, and it's seen before any additional information or photographs. You can assume that a user who chooses a calling card that does not include a clear shot of their face is unattractive.
Ex: "Why do so many guys have calling cards of themselves holding fish?"
The pivot is a shift from in-app messaging to text message communication. The pivot can occur either through conscious decision making or due to Tinder’s faulty messaging service. Once you have exchanged phone numbers and changed mediums, you have engaged in the pivot.
Ex: "What do you say we pivot? I'll give you my number."
Proof of previous use is the phenomenon of a user providing multiple pictures of themselves with an ex, presumably to signal what a potential match should look like. (This is a bold move that normally backfires, as viewers may get the impression that the user still has feelings for the ex.)
Ex: "He was cute, but he had a little too much proof of previous use for my taste."
A groucho is the act of rejecting someone’s profile solely based on the fact that you don’t like one or more of your mutual friends. This friend could be a former lover, an annoying person you forgot to drop from Facebook, or even a family member.
Ex: "I had to groucho that girl because she was friends with Stacy. Yep, that Stacy."
Acceleration error is the mistake you make when you are swiping too rapidly and accidently swipe left on an account that you actually liked, or vice versa. This normally occurs after the boredom has set in from using Tinder for a prolonged period of time.
Ex: "I didn’t mean to do that. Maybe these acceleration errors are a sign I should go outside."
Thursday panic is the surge of activity on Tinder that occurs when many users realize that they don’t have any plans for the weekend, so they come looking for any last minute takers.
Ex: "I can’t talk right now. If I don’t get in on the Thursday panic, I’m going to be spending Saturday night binge-watching Golden Girls."
Rock bottom is the feeling you experience when you arrive at the screen informing you that there are no more potential matches in your specified location and age range. It is usually met with an overwhelming fear that you are undatable, as you have either rejected or been rejected by all of the “fish in the sea.”
Ex: "Rock bottom? Maybe my ex was right. Where’s that bottle of wine?"
