What is Flirting?

I often read people asking "Is this flirting?" And I often read, too, that a flirt has told their partner, "Me flirting? You're crazy." But I think flirting is easy to see and it's not a problem to define it. Flirting "is willingly or unconsciously showing sexual attractiveness and attraction to someone."

Flirting consists of a combination of or all of the following: showing keen unfailing interest in talking to a person while ignoring everyone else; smiling and laughing continually; complimenting or flattering someone; touching or touching repeatedly; holding their hand longer than is normal when meeting; standing or sitting close to; touching inappropriately; lowering the eyelids and batting the lashes; playing with or patting your hair; straightening your hem or smoothing your dress (drawing attention to your legs); mentioning certain topics of sexual interest (dreams, old boyfriends, dates, lovers, spankings, sex toys, etc.); lifting your own spoon to the lips of another so as to give them a taste of your food; letting that person drink from your glass; patting their cheeks; giving them more than a peck goodnight-- say, patting their cheek and kissing that person's neck or cheek. You get the picture.

Advertising your sexual interest is what flirting is. There is no mistaking its main signs. Animals flirt, primates flirt, we flirt. You can quibble about the details but the big picture is always obvious.