From nasty nails to eating while talking, the ‘icks’ that can kill a relationship

LONG or dirty fingernails, putting on a baby voice or clapping when the plane lands are among the most common relationship ‘icks’, a survey has revealed.

‘The ick’ is a dating term that describes being suddenly put off someone you were attracted to, usually because of something small or specific.

A poll of 2,000 British adults has found nearly half (49 per cent) have ended a relationship because of an ick, which range from being rude to a waiter to mispronouncing David Bowie’s name.

Smelling bad was the top ick, selected by 16 per cent of respondents. This was followed by those who pretend to be more knowledgeable about something than they really are, and those who are overbearing or rude (both 1 per cent).

Some 12 per cent of those polled have called it quits with a romantic interest because the other person was obsessed with star signs, while 11 per cent have ended it with someone who clapped when a plane landed.

A tenth of men would break it off with someone who wanted to share food on a first date, while 12 per cent of women find a brash watch an ‘ick’ and 14 per cent judge someone for referring to their football team as ‘we’. The study was commissioned by dating site Seeking. Spokesman and in-house dating expert Emma Hathorn said: ‘People are very set on what they want, which is empowering.

‘If an absolute deal-breaker for you is someone who wears sunglasses indoors or chews with their mouth open, that’s absolutely fair enough.’

The study revealed the top ten things that give British adults the ‘ick’ in romantic relationships are: 1 Smelling bad, 2 Pretending to be more knowledgeable about something than they actually are, 3 Being overbearing and rude, 4 Double texting (sending a secondary text if you’ve not responded after the first one), Having bad teeth, 6 Being rude to a waiter, 7 Living in a mess, 8 Having dirty fingernails, 9 Chewing with their mouth open, 10 Being too clingy.