the.com/puppy love
Love's rough draft — all butterflies, zero editing skills.
means An intense but usually short-lived romantic infatuation felt especially by children or teenagers.
from First recorded in the early 1800s, built simply from 'puppy' — a young, clumsy, over-eager dog — plus 'love.' The image is of affection with all the enthusiasm and none of the coordination: puppies bound at you with total devotion but no finesse, which is exactly how the phrase frames teenage crushes — sincere, a little goofy, and not expected to last into adulthood.
- term origin
- coined 1823, comparing teen crushes to clumsy puppies
- neuroscience
- same dopamine rush as adult romantic love, less impulse control
- duration
- average teen crush lasts about four months
- function
- practice run for real heartbreak and real bonding later