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When referring to nothing, we are, apparently, referring to sex.


StrangeStory

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StrangeStory

"Doing it" could mean doing anything, yet it means having sex.

"Getting some" could mean getting anything, yet it means having sex.

"Getting lucky" sounds like it means someone's luck has changed for the better, yet it means having sex.

 

Does anyone else find these really irritating? What other ones are there?

 

When these come up in conversation I always pretend I don't know what they mean, for example, "Did what?" Ha ha.

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Adam_Jensen

It is infuriating because I hate how people draw their own conclusions based on nothing.Just because "doing it" in your mind translates on having sex doesn't mean the same thing applies for other people.This is just another reason why I find people self centered.

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NerotheReaper

Well I am guilty of this, mainly because I have a dirty mind. Plus I don't feel comfortable being explicit about sex. I know I am an odd asexual :P 

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Literally everything seems to have some reference to sex. This can make it very hard to talk when you're trying not to say anything that could be interpreted sexually.

 

Because of the topic, I feel obligated to point out the phrasing of your title, because the word "nothing" used to have a sexual connotation, too. It's not used that way anymore, but it definitely was in the 17th century (see "Much Ado About Nothing").

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Grumpy Alien

I thought this would be about Shakespeare 

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1 minute ago, Graceful said:

I thought this would be about Shakespeare 

Yeah, same. That's why I mentioned it. :D

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15 minutes ago, Graceful said:

I thought this would be about Shakespeare 

I thought it was a Shakespeare reference too! It's very appropriate, though, that the title of this topic contains an obscure and unintended sexual reference, isn't it? It's proving StrangeStory's point rather well, I think. Almost too well, to not be deliberate. :lol:

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RoseGoesToYale

Since talking openly about sex in public settings is largely considered taboo or obscene, people have to find some pragmatic work-arounds. The perfection of phrases like "doing it" or "getting some" is that they can be used in any setting, and they're vague enough on the surface that you could argue that you were talking about something completely different. The rest is context.

 

I'm not really too bothered by them, though. I'd rather hear the euphemisms than people saying it outright.

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Lord Jade Cross

I really dont understand the notion of coding talk on sex. For a subject in societies that are supposed to be oh so free, people still act like repressed teens and then make fun of those who dont want to outright talk about it?

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9 hours ago, StrangeStory said:

"Doing it" could mean doing anything, yet it means having sex.

"Getting some" could mean getting anything, yet it means having sex.

"Getting lucky" sounds like it means someone's luck has changed for the better, yet it means having sex.

 

Does anyone else find these really irritating? What other ones are there?

 

When these come up in conversation I always pretend I don't know what they mean, for example, "Did what?" Ha ha.

Getting jiggy with mr biggy 

getting laid

potting the pink (or brown if you prefer)

feeding the pony

getting your willy wet

There must be some more

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Anthracite_Impreza

Typical society rules are that sexual talk in public is taboo, so euphemisms were invented. Nowadays it's just become ingrained because people are still uncomfortable about talking blatantly about sex. It's not some conspiracy to get back at us aces, it's just how things evolved linguistically, like how people often use euphemisms when talking about death (passed on, gone to a better place, brown bread, pushing up daisies...). It should come as no surprise people are uncomfortable around death too.

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While the euphemisms are kinda annoying sometimes (like when you accidentally say one in a different context and it derails the entire conversation 😑), I find some of them to be so stupid that they're hilarious 😂. It's like how ridiculous of a metaphor can you construct for it without actually saying it?

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7 hours ago, RoseGoesToYale said:

Since talking openly about sex in public settings is largely considered taboo or obscene, people have to find some pragmatic work-arounds. The perfection of phrases like "doing it" or "getting some" is that they can be used in any setting, and they're vague enough on the surface that you could argue that you were talking about something completely different. The rest is context.

??? - Some 12+x years ago somebody shared a radio sketch about language that ended making "**** the ****ing ****ers!" the essence of contemporary American English.

I'm also recalling converstations: "Do you use English at work?" - "Yes, it's 4- letter words are just awesome to yell"

 

But yes: I do share the frustration. - I still regret buying a slang & euphemisms dictionary. I noticed that apparently 60% +x of its content are wasted upon sex. - Sorry I do understand a need for 50 Inuit words for snow. But why on earth does the 25th euphemism for sex exist at all?

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the only one of these kinds of phrases that bothers me a little is how "sleeping with person" can mean having sex or literally sleeping with them, although I use the phrase's two meanings a lot so......>_>

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StrangeStory

All of the posts above are great - I've learnt a lot (but I will still have to google the Shakespeare thing!).

13 hours ago, Mermaidy said:

the only one of these kinds of phrases that bothers me a little is how "sleeping with person" can mean having sex or literally sleeping with them, although I use the phrase's two meanings a lot so......>_>

I nearly added this one to my initial post. For most of my teen years, I thought sleeping with your partner was something that couples do - I mean sleeping next to them without any sex. But apparently that is not high on the "to do" list of new couples... I used to like the idea of it, but now I'm way too self-conscious to share a bed with anyone, but having a dog on the bed is fantastic. 

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TheGrumpyBear

Weirdest ones I have heard are:

 

Going to the soda stand.

Jumpstarting a Jeep.

Going ditchdigging.

Shaving an ape. (Thank Order of the Stick for that one)

Petting a dog.

 

As for ambiguity, there is the perennial favorite! 


Getting busy.

 

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TheGrumpyBear
21 hours ago, chandrakirti said:

All misappropriation of language by people whose genitals rule them completely. glad I'm different.

Kind of funny, really. Though it is now recognized in the way we use it, the word asexual was initially misappropriated. It originally was the word used for organisms that reproduced without sex.

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Lord Jade Cross
On 3/22/2017 at 7:59 AM, TheGrumpyBear said:

Weirdest ones I have heard are:

 

Going to the soda stand.

Jumpstarting a Jeep.

Going ditchdigging.

Shaving an ape. (Thank Order of the Stick for that one)

Petting a dog.

 

As for ambiguity, there is the perennial favorite! 


Getting busy.

 

I never heard any of these before o.o;; 

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Some of the phrases used today I don't get, but I'll either snicker or roll my eyes at the "That's what she said" jokes. I mostly have a sense of humor about these things. 

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StrangeStory
On 23/3/2017 at 11:10 PM, CBC said:

Not true. Very few people, even highly sexual ones, are completely ruled by their genitals. These phrases came about because of the way society treats sex as a taboo topic that's in need of a euphemism, not because people obsessed with getting laid routinely sit around and make up expressions.

Agreed. I just wish these expressions would be more specific. It's like for every other imaginable activity, it is necessary to state what it is, but because sex is (apparently) so important, one can simply say, "doing it".

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On 28/03/2017 at 10:22 AM, StrangeStory said:

Agreed. I just wish these expressions would be more specific. It's like for every other imaginable activity, it is necessary to state what it is, but because sex is (apparently) so important, one can simply say, "doing it".

It's not that sex is so important it's that society makes sex talk somewhat taboo. How many people would be offended if you were in a cafe listening to someone talking about how they had oral sex with their partner the night before. This forum would be awash with criticism for it as it's too in your face. I think it's more about being polite.

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StrangeStory
25 minutes ago, James121 said:

It's not that sex is so important it's that society makes sex talk somewhat taboo. How many people would be offended if you were in a cafe listening to someone talking about how they had oral sex with their partner the night before. This forum would be awash with criticism for it as it's too in your face. I think it's more about being polite.

Yes, I see your point. It's a euphemism, similar to what we use to describe bathroom activities...

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"Feeding the pony"? Really, lol! A lot of the people I know use that literally and it has nothing to do with sex! 😳

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