What is flirting?

This entry describes flirting as attention that signals sexual or romantic interest to someone who is not the spouse, whether as a joke, a habit, or a private game. It notes that couples often have not named what the word covers, and that a joke for one person can be a bid the other did not agree to share.

What this entry does not do

It does not decide that flirting is an affair, and it does not replace the entry on friends of the opposite sex.