Sneaky link
Etymology
Built on “link” as slang for meeting up with or hooking up with someone (a “link-up”), modified by “sneaky” for the secrecy. The phrase surged in 2021, propelled by a viral song and by usage rooted in African American Vernacular English, and quickly became standard online shorthand for a hidden casual partner.
noun · /SNEE-kee link/
A secret casual romantic or sexual partner, kept hidden from other people.
What it names
It names both the person and the arrangement: someone you see quietly, off the record, without going public or defining anything. The appeal it captures is discretion itself — a connection deliberately kept out of view of friends, feeds, and labels.
Example
Nobody in her group chat knows about him — he’s strictly a sneaky link.
Related idea
Distinct from a situationship, which is an undefined but usually open-to-the-world relationship; a sneaky link is defined precisely by being kept secret.