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Thursday, January 15, 2026

THE ONE THING… ‘They Did That Gave Me the Ick’

In a recent poll of Capsule readers, 76% of you said you’d experienced ‘the ick’ in a past relationship. But, what exactly gave you the ick? We have 26 incredible answers telling the one thing their partner/potential partner did that gave them the ick!

Welcome to The One Thing! Every week we’re bringing you the one nugget of info that you need to know or didn’t know you needed to know! Whether it’s a tip to make your life a little easier, a pearl of wisdom, something to make you think, or maybe something to make you laugh, The One Thing is here to serve you every Friday!

If you’ve got a suggestion or submission for The One Thing – maybe something about the industry you work in that you think others should know! – please send your thoughts to alice@capsulenz.com. We’d love to hear from you!

It’s ‘the ick’. It might be something trivial that a love interest does, but once you’ve seen them do it or realise this thing about this person, it’s too late. The disgust has seeped in. In most cases it’s impossible to overcome the ick – and it soon causes the end of the relationship. If it’s not the exact thing that causes an end of the romantic relationship, it sure is the seed that plants the idea that you should fleeeeeeeee!

So, what might give you the ick? What has given Capsule readers the ick?

Twenty-five wonderful readers told us about the one thing that their partner – or potential partner who ruined their chances before a relationship could blossom – did to give them the ick.

  1. He blew his nose on the inside of the t-shirt he was wearing.
  2. He met my dog for the first time and said, “I’m your new Daddy”.
  3. Saying ‘money’ when shooting a shot in beer pong.
  4. He cheated
  5. He wore those silky boxers with the Tasmanian Devil on them. *Shudders*
  6. I don’t know how to describe it but the way he put on chapstick gave me the ick.
  7. He never wore socks with his shoes.
  8. I didn’t know he was DJ sometimes and he asked me to come watch him and it was so awkward I couldn’t do it.
  9. He lived next door to his parents.
  10. He sat next to me on the couch and started clipping his toenails. We’d been seeing each other for two weeks.
  11. I realised he had a tattoo of Tweety Bird on his butt.
  12. He did this weird smacking thing with his mouth/lips after every bite of food he took.
  13. I got into his car for the first time and had to clear about 20 old drive through takeaway bags to be able to sit down.
  14. He still thought riding a skateboard was okay at 28 years old.
  15. I asked what he thought we should do about birth control and he said, “Do whatever you want – that’s up to you”.
  16. His spelling. He’d get your and you’re wrong, their/there/they’re.
  17. He had a Harry Potter poster in his room (he was 32).
  18. He left me a voicemail where he called me “baby doll”
  19. She had a pet bird.
  20. He only changed his underwear if he had a shower and he DID NOT shower every day.
  21. He stayed over after a big night out and in the middle of the night got out of bed, totally drunk, opened my beside drawers and peed in it.
  22. I looked up David Seymour’s Instagram page coz a friend had told me about something vile he’d posted… and the guy I was seeing had liked it. Goodbye!
  23. He mansplained my friend’s job to her.
  24. He yelled at his mum. Especially bad because he was in the wrong.
  25. He’d get into bed wearing all his clothes from his gross workday and then take them off under the covers.

Feel free to drop us a line to tell us about the thing that gave you the ick at hello@capsulenz.com

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