Many of us have experienced first-date flashbacks with horror, thinking to ourselves: "I should never have said that!". So in the interests of making your next first date a hit, here are some phrases to stay away from

1. “My ex . . .”

When you hear these two words play in your head, stop before the sentence makes it out of your mouth. You don’t want your date to think you’re not over your ex and that they’ll have to deal with a broken heart still stuck in the past. There’s nothing wrong with acknowledging your past, but rather leave the anecdotes for a later stage . . . of life, not the date.

2. “How come you’re still single?”

You might as well say “tell me what it is about you that puts people off so that I know whether to run now or later”. It’s a bit of a rude question and one can never really answer it in a way that would help the continuation of the conversation.

3. “I’m not leaving a tip”

Stingy has never been attractive. Unless the waiter set your table on fire, almost killed you and your date and still forgot to bring the food – then definitely leave a tip.

4. “Who are you texting?”

This question has “trust issues” written all over it. It is impolite of your date to text during your time together, but if there’s a good enough reason, your date will probably let you know who he or she is texting. If they don’t tell, don’t ask.

5. “Is Biggie Smalls dead?”

This is a mistake I’ve made in my own personal life. I quickly learned that not knowing that Biggie Smalls was no longer alive is detrimental to anyone’s reputation, cultural acuity and overall general knowledge.

6. “So, what are we?”

It’s the first date . . . at this point you’re still just friends (or even strangers) that are trying to get to know each other. Asking “what are we” can put unnecessary pressure on your date and this could be a huge turn-off. If it’s love at first sight, then there will surely be a second date and at some point what “you are” will be defined.

7. “How much do you earn?”

Too personal? Think of how long you’ve known your mother . . . Have you asked her how much she earns? It’s a bit of an invasive question and can cause your date to start questioning your intentions.

8. “Sorry, I tend to be a bit too honest, but I really need to poop, lol!”

No, no, no, and no. If you need to go to the bathroom, go to the bathroom. You want to be as attractive as possible on your first date, save this one for the third date – when your date knows you a little better and isn’t likely to be taken too far aback by your TMI statement.

9. “Sex…?”

However well the date went, don’t take it there. This is still your first date. Sometimes that fourth glass of wine can get the better of you, but try your best to remain uncreepy.

10. *silence*

There are two types of silences on a first date. Firstly, there’s the awkward silence and secondly . . . there’s the awkward silence! Try to keep the conversation going by asking open-ended questions and genuinely engaging with your maybe soon-to-be-partner. This shouldn’t be a problem if you’ve both made it to your fourth glass of red wine.