Love is in the air: sappy with amour, vibrant with compassion, funky with sweet talk.

From Shakespeare’s sonnet lingo and beyond, “love slang” has always been around on this love-seeking and love-crazed human universe.

You may have heard “hey bae” in the hallways of a love-deprived middle school, or “babe” in the hallways of a drugged-out-on-so-called-love high school. I almost guarantee that you have heard “honey” or “sweetie” being a statement of endearment from one adult figure to another. Nicknames and “sweet talk” whisperings have, are, and will always be around, whether people like them or not.

A million agonizing years ago for example, in high school, my dad Dexter Villamor was called “cutesie and suggestive things” such as, “full of juice,” or something or the sort (he can’t quite recall).

“Some nicknames are cute and some are weird,” Junior Kacee Aultman said, perhaps referring to the more “suggestive” phrases like what my dad experienced when he was my age (what a concept).

Everyone has their little quirks, like quirky nicknames for loved ones, “I call people ‘bean’, ‘love’, and ‘boo,’” Junior Rachel Haley said, “I hate ‘sugarlips,’” she added.

Unique names such as this coincide with love it seems. Like in the show Friends – Phoebe called Ross and Rachel each other’s “lobsters.” What a thing to be called.

There’s always gonna be that one person who’s against all walks of life in the name calling realm. “‘Honey,’ ‘sweetie,’ ‘sweetheart’. . . UGH EW,” Junior Naz Dickerson bluntly said, showing her opinion without judgment.

Later, while on this subject of sweet talk, (let alone peculiar sweet talk) my dad sat me down, for a second time, and eagerly informed me of a nickname he was called back in the day with one of his first girlfriends: “stud muffin.” This made us both laugh. “Dawww,” I found myself saying, and in response to my response, he said, “when it came to me it made me smile.” How cute.

Maybe at the beginning of human time the caveman and woman moaned and groaned sounds of love and affection, maybe they blinked a certain way and kissed like butterflies–affectionate nonverbal communication. Sometimes words are overrated.

People today may find nicknames cringy, inappropriate, corny, ridiculous, (the list goes on), but love-dovey names have always been around, and will most likely continue to stick, absurdity and all. I wish for everyone to find their ¨stud muffin.¨