What is ‘clearing season’? Everything you need to know about the latest dating trend

Cuffing was so 2017

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Another year, another seasonal dating trend.

Introducing clearing season, where singletons scramble for dates like they’re hunting down an HD television in the Boxing Day sales.

In a post-drafting/cuffing era, where everyone around you is already cuffed and coupled-up, a frenzied period of desperation may well ensue.

Clearing season, as coined by Vice, is a term for those who remain unwillingly single and alone come January - i.e. they’re the ones left on the dance floor after the lights come on.

That’s not to say one should underestimate clearing as just another way to legitimise randy single behaviour.

After all, it has been statistically proven that January is the busiest time of year for dating apps and with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, dating coach James Preece explains that this time of year is also one of his busiest.

So, why is it that new year, new love life has become such a prevalent concept, one worthy of its own snazzy moniker?

It might be that a lot of people take a break from dating during the Christmas period, intentionally or not, Preece tells The Independent.

“While they are spending time with their friends and family, they'll be asked lots of questions about their relationship status, this will put added pressure on them to find someone” he explains.

“Then along comes New Year and New Year’s resolutions will be made, which means dating becomes a priority again.”

And so the frenzy begins.

According to Vice, clearing season runs from January to the end of March.

So, why on earth are you wasting your time reading this?

Get back on that saddle pronto, or prepare for the driest January, February and March of your life - that's quite a drought.