Swinger Terms Glossary – Lifestyle Lingo Explained
Confused by swinger lingo? An A–Z glossary of swinging lifestyle terms — from bull, ENM and full swap to unicorn, vanilla and the upside-down pineapple.
By the Pineapple Lifestyle team · · 2 min read
New to the lifestyle and wondering what everyone's talking about? Here's a plain-English glossary of the swinger terms you'll see on profiles, at events and on Pineapple Lifestyle.
A–F
- Bi-curious — interested in exploring with people of the same gender.
- Bull — a single man who plays with a couple, typically focused on the woman.
- Compersion — feeling happiness when your partner enjoys being with someone else. The opposite of jealousy.
- Cuckold / hotwife — a dynamic where one partner enjoys the other playing with someone else, sometimes while watching.
- ENM — ethical non-monogamy: any relationship style where everyone consents to non-exclusivity.
- Full swap — full sex with someone other than your partner. See soft swap vs full swap.
G–O
- Hall pass — permission for one partner to play alone, without the other present.
- Lifestyle, the — the community's own name for swinging.
- MFM / FMF — threesome configurations (male-female-male / female-male-female).
- Moresome — any group of four or more.
- NSA — no strings attached.
- Off-premises club — a lifestyle venue for socialising, where play happens elsewhere.
- On-premises club — a venue with play areas on site.
- Open relationship — partners free to see others, often independently.
P–Z
- Pineapple (upside-down) — the classic swinger symbol. Read what it means.
- Polyamory — having multiple loving relationships, with everyone's consent. Related to swinging, but usually more about emotional connections.
- Same room — playing in the same room as your partner.
- Separate room — playing in different rooms from your partner.
- Social swinging — enjoying the lifestyle's events and community without much playing.
- Soft swap — everything except full sex with others.
- Third — a single person who joins a couple.
- Throuple / triad — three people in an ongoing relationship.
- Unicorn — a single person, often a bisexual woman, who joins a couple. See our unicorn guide.
- Vanilla — people outside the lifestyle, or conventional activities.
- Voyeur / exhibitionist — someone who enjoys watching / being watched.
Put it into practice
Now you speak the language, it's time to meet people who do too. Download Pineapple Lifestyle, the verified swingers app built by swingers.
