DIANE FARR: THE GIRL CODE

The ultimate handbook of dating euphemisms, relationship shorthand, and the common wisdom of girlfriends who've been there.

All women know that Training Wheels (fake diamond earrings) don't count as a Big-Ticket Item (a gift big enough to get a man out of trouble). Most have spent an evening doing Raw Cookie Dough Time (after they've been dumped), and when they were really desperate, dated men from the Recycling Bin (What did you hate about him? You don't remember).

But for anyone needing a translation, or just a laugh, Diane Farr offers a whimsical guide to dating vernacular. Some hilariously well-known, some newly minted, these are slang terms for the different stages of love and dating, for body parts and common sexual experiences, and for all the ways of making up and breaking up. The Girl Code is part not-so-secret code, part code of silence (remember: Never admit to collecting boyfriend T-shirts), and part code of honor (girlfriends never ditch each other at a singles bar, no matter what). As funny as it is familiar, The Girl Code is ultimately a tribute to girlfriends everywhere.