The explosion in online dating has inspired an array of contemporary expressions such as gaslighting, ghosting and haunting.

And now there's another term to add to the list - 'sneating'.

The term refers to people who go on a date with someone they're not particularly interested in - just so they can eat at a nice restaurant without footing the bill.

But not everyone is a fan of the latest online dating trend.

'Sneating is awful. It lacks authenticity and integrity, and ruins if for the genuine people out there,' Australian dating expert Samantha Jayne told FEMAIL.

The term 'sneating' refers to people who strategically go on date because they want to eat at a nice restaurant without having to foot the bill

'To go out with someone purely for the purpose of a "free meal" and taking advantage of the generosity of a chivalrous man is an absolute no-no,' she added.

Ms Jayne said sneating was one of the reasons some men prefer to split the bill on the first date.

She said it had a devastating impact on its victims and caused people to question the integrity of their dates.

'Sneating is awful and lacks authenticity and integrity and ruins if for the genuine people out there,' Australian dating expert Samantha Jayne told FEMAIL

Ways to spot or avoid being sneated - If your date has made no effort in their appearance and their conversations with you seems to be very short - If your date won't accept anything but an expensive restaurant there is a chance they are looking to sneat you - If your date orders the most expensive meal on the menu and continues to order, entree, mains, dessert and wine without even engaging with you it's alarm bells - If your date doesn't give you eye contact, there's no warmth or they don't ask you questions then it is likely you are being sneated - To avoid being sneated it's best to avoid expensive restaurants on a first date, stick to something more casual Advertisement

'If you are the one that is sneating it's important to think about what you are doing,' she said.

'At the end of the day it's just food and spending time with someone you have zero interest in, comes at a consequence.

'Time is something that you can never get back so it is a waste being sneaky when you could be spending time with someone that you genuinely want to connect with.'

Just because someone buys you a meal doesn't mean you owe them anything, but Ms Jayne said was important to 'practice common decency'.

'If you happen to go on your date and think you have zero interest, then be polite, keep things short and sweet, and keep things simple,' she said.

'You just never know who they might know!'

Just because someone buys you a meal doesn't mean you owe them anything, but it's important to 'practice common decency'

Although the term was added to the Urban Dictionary in 2011, the phrase gained little momentum until a woman called Lucy wrote a piece for Whimn about her own experience with 'sneating'.

Lucy wrote how she was struggling to make ends meet, and went on a series of dates simply to enjoy delicious meals.

Rather than lobster or anything lavish, she opted for fruit and vegetable-based dishes because that was the type of food she was missing out on most due to her 'student poverty'.

'I've been dating like this for about six months now, and I've scored probably close to 40 free meals from nice restaurants,' she said.

'And the bonus is that I'm casting my net more broadly than I otherwise would, so I'm meeting lots of interesting guys.'

This story gained even more momentum when it was shared by the New York Post where they said sneating 'feeds on chivalrous men'.