Spilling food all over yourself, your date leaving halfway through dinner or being stood up are the UK's most feared dating mishaps.

將食物撒了一身，飯吃到一半對象卻中途離席，約會被人放鴿子，這些都是英國人約會時最怕遇到的情況。

It also emerged that just under half of women believe it is the man's responsibility to pay for the meal, whereas over half of men think they should go Dutch.

除此之外，誰來買單也是個問題。有近五成的女性認為應該由男士買單，而超過半數的男性則認為賬單應該AA制。

And a fifth of men check where the nearest hotel is before they book a restaurant on the assumption that they'll get lucky.

另外有五分之一的男性會假定自己很走運，在餐廳訂位前查好離餐廳最近酒店的位置。

A study into the nation's dating etiquette revealed that men and women both have their own dating bugbears and fears.

一項研究英國約會禮儀的調查表明，男女雙方都有各自對約會的擔心和恐懼。

It found that three fifths of Valentine's dinner dates were booked by men - and half of wooing couples would ditch their dinner date on Valentine's day if they turned out to be ugly or boring.

研究發現，五分之三的情人節約會晚餐都是由男士預定的——如果約會對象令人生厭或單調乏味，則半數人會放棄他們的晚餐約會。

It was also discovered that the majority of females - seven out of ten - believe that the fastest way for a man to win someone's heart is to act like a gentleman, whereas only a tenth of guys believe this is important.

此外，研究還發現，大多數女性（七成）都認為紳士風度是男性贏得女性芳心的最快捷徑，而僅1成男性認為這事很重要。

Experts think this is one of the many reasons that over a sixth - 17 percent - of women claim men have lost the art of chivalry.

專家認為，這是造成逾六分之一（17%）女性抱怨現在的男性沒有騎士精神的諸多原因之一。

Women also admitted to going hungry if they fancy someone, with a third saying they would eat less on a date if they found a person attractive.

女性也承認，當自己陷入愛河時會感到饑餓。有三分之一的女性表示，當約會對象十分迷人時，她們會吃得少一些。

And a quarter admitted the most awkward moment on a date is when the waiter brings the bill.

另有四分之一坦言，約會最尷尬的時刻就是侍者拿來賬單的時候。

Over a third of men (37 percent) say they would be more willing to splash out on a big meal if they were guaranteed sex afterwards - more than double the number of women who would do the same, as only a sixth agreed.

超過三分之一（37%）的男性表示，如果用過大餐后能開房，他們掏錢買單的興致就會更高。這一數據是持相同觀點的女性的兩倍，只有六分之一的女性會這么做。

Dating expert Caroline Brealey, who worked with Bookatable on the research, said: 'Splitting the bill after dinner makes the date feel more like a catch up with friends than it does a romantic dinner for two.

與Bookatable一起開展這項研究的約會專家卡羅琳?布萊立(Caroline Brealey)說：“餐后各自付賬會讓人感覺是在和朋友聚餐，而不是屬于兩人的浪漫晚餐。”

'Don't end up in the friend zone before you've even got started. Why not take turns?

“既然你已經開始了，那就不要止于朋友關系。為什么不輪流買單呢？”

'The man can pick up the tab for dinner before you move onto another restaurant for dessert, and cocktails on her.

“在你們前往另一家餐廳吃甜點前，男士可以支付晚餐的賬單和女士的雞尾酒。”

'Far more romantic than getting your calculator out to split the bill and you get to discover more restaurants; a win-win situation.'

“比起拿出計算器計算各自的分擔的費用，輪流買單能讓約會浪漫得多，你們還能發現更多餐廳，實現雙贏。”

Of the other dating woes, just over a quarter said burping is the most embarrassing date mishap, while one in five women say it's when their date goes in for an unwanted kiss.

另外，還有一些約會時令人煩惱的事。四分之一以上的受訪者認為，約會時打嗝是最尷尬的事。五分之一的女性說約會災難莫過于一個根本不想要的吻。

Eighteen percent of women said they cringe when they're invited back to their date's home or hotel prematurely.

18%的女性表示，她們反感約會對象貿然提出一起回家或去酒店開房。

And nearly half are put off by a messy eater.

近半數受訪者表示，他們不喜歡吃相不佳的約會對象。

Joe Steele, CEO of Bookatable, who organised the research, said: 'Our research reveals that people have varying opinions when it comes to dating etiquette, but what is clear is that good manners are still a valued commodity when it comes to dining at a restaurant.

組織這項研究的Bookatable首席執行官喬?斯蒂爾（Joe Steele）說：“我們的研究表明，人們對于約會禮儀的看法各不相同。但是有一點很清楚，用餐時得體的舉止依然受到人們的重視。”

'Everyone clearly has different standards and beliefs on the topic of paying the bill and finding their opposite attractive - finding a common ground on these types of issues is often the key to a compatible relationship.'

“約會對象是否合心意，賬單誰來買，在這些問題上，每個人很明顯都有自己的標準和觀點。建立和諧關系的關鍵在于找到這些認識的共同點。”

Vocabulary

etiquette: 禮儀

bugbear: 恐懼或煩惱的原因

chivalry: 騎士精神

tab: 賬單

woe: 苦惱

burp: 打嗝

（譯者： orchismessi 編輯：丁一）