It’s always a huge relief when the person you’re closest to in this life gives your significant other a major thumbs up, but what happens when you have a sneaky feeling that your best pal isn’t particularly keen on the person you’re dating?

Sometimes it can be tough to outright point out that you don’t get along with someone, which is why this handy guide might prove helpful in determining whether your friend is keeping their true feelings about your S.O. under wraps.

'Let's get checking out whether a bunch of grown adults know their way around a penis...'

1. They don’t invite your partner to parties or social events

We don’t usually endorse sifting through WhatsApp with a fine-tooth comb, but if your BFF has a bad habit of excluding your partner from the group-chat and ignoring pretty much every single remark they make IRL, it might be a good time to start questioning their true feelings.

2. They get ratty whenever your S.O. is around

Ever noticed that your usually quite chill friend behaves like a bit of a dick whenever your boyfriend/girlfriend is around? If your best mate is snappier, colder, or just plain distant whenever your partner is within 50 feet of them, we’re gonna go out on a limb and assume they’re not exactly feeling the love.

3. They make increasingly bizarre excuses to cancel plans

Maybe your pal genuinely *is* having a tough time coming to terms with the 10th anniversary of their hamster’s death, or maybe the idea of sitting at a dinner table and listening to your partner so much as BREATHE for two hours is enough to push them over the edge.

4. They absolutely refuse to double-date

Good luck trying to pencil in a date with the flakiest person on Planet Earth. Either they completely ignore every single suggestion you shoot off, or they pin the blame on their own partner for not being able to commit to a date until 2019.

5. The love bitching about your S.O. with you

Nothing makes your best mate happier than the opportunity to let off steam about how shit your partner is. While most pals might try and cool down your temper when you’re complainingabout the small stuff, BFF #1 practically pulls out a three-page list organised into neat sub-sections about why you should bin the bae.

6. They're always trying to lure you away with better options

Nothing screams ‘I loathe your partner and curse the day the two of your first crossed paths’ like a few poorly-disguised hints about some friend-of-a-friend who is the ultimate catch; charming, good-looking, funny, and all around the perfect person for you. How convenient.

7. They’re repulsed by any form ofPDA

It’s not what we’d call a promising sign when your best mate practically pulls out the sick bag when the two of you so much as hold hands. As for any loved-up Instagrams? The pal who double-taps on even your most cringeworthy posts goes MIA when a couples selfie hits the web.

8. They don’t follow your S.O. on Instagram

In a world where following someone on social-media means you’ve accepted them into your own private little universe, your best friend’s decision to keep your partner at an arm’s distance suggests they’ve got their fingers crossed thisromance will be temporary.

9. They boast about being single

Is your best palpainting an overly idealisticpicture of how great it is to be young, wild, and single? Is it possible they *might*have an agenda tucked up their sleeve?

10. They’re always bringing up your ex

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that your pal will find a way to steer every conversation into the direction of the ex-partner that actually earned their approval. Either they’ve been on a total nostalgia trip for the past six months and are working through their own personal crisis, or they’re hoping you’ll ditch your current partner and track down the one that got away.

The ball's in your court, people.