Terms for physical sexual activity
There are quite a number of common colloquial terms for physical sexual
activities that most people understand in an unambiguous way. A few
examples are:
- hand-job Stimulating a person's
genitals using one's hands, usually to orgasm.
- blow-job Stimulating a mans's
genitals using one's mouth, usually to orgasm. Doesn't generally
involve blowing, but does generally involve taking the man's penis in
one's mouth.
- rimming Stimulating a person's
anus with one's tongue.
Similarly, there are common clinical terms that most people know:
- intercourse A common form of
male-female sex where the penis is inserted in the vagina.
- fellatio Stimulating a man's
genitalia with one's mouth, not necessarily to orgasm.
- cunnilingus Stimulating a woman's
genitalia with one's mouth, not necessarily to orgasm.
- anilingus Stimulating a person's
anus with one's tongue.
New terms that might be useful
On the other hand, there are some common types of physical sexual activity
that lack common terms to describe them. As a result, the following
terms may be useful:
- lone-sex Unambiguously refers to
sexual activity that you engage in when no one else is present or
involved. Most people have lone-sex on a regular basis — it's
a great way to explore your own sexual desires and responses (see the masturbation page). On this site, as in the
culture at large, we do usually refer to lone-sex as "masturbating," but
it's also good to have a term which avoids the different meanings that
"masturbation" has.
- self-stim Stimulating yourself
sexually in a physical manner, whether by hand or using a prop or instrument
such as a vibrator. This can occur not only when you are by yourself but
also when you are with someone else. Also, doing something to yourself
usually feels quite different than when someone else does the same thing to
you.
- mouth-stim Sexual stimulation using
the mouth. Using this term simplifies such requests as, "I'd love
mouth-stim on my toes," or "My pussy could really use some mouth-stim right
now," or "Please give my balls some mouth-stim," or "Would you mind if I gave
your nipples mouth-stim?"
- hand-stim / finger-stim / etc. Sexual
stimulation using the hands / fingers / etc. Again, these terms make
specific requests easier to articulate. I'd like to mention in passing
that people sometimes regard hand stimulation as a kind of second-rate form of
sexual interaction, whereas in reality it can be among the most nuanced,
intense and wonderful ways of pleasuring and being pleasured, especially if
you're maintaining a strong emotional connection at the same time. Our
hands are amazing!
- lick-job Female counterpart of a
blow-job: bringing a woman to orgasm by stimulating her pussy with one's
mouth. If "blow-job" or "BJ" is one of the most common sexual
colloquialisms in the U.S., where on earth is an equally common female
equivalent??? The absence of such a term is a sad commentary on our
culture's sexual dysfunction.
- to pleasure This archaic
verb isn't intended here as a euphemism, but rather as a broad term for
intentionally giving sexual pleasure to another person in any way
whatsoever. In this usage, no particular activity is implied, but rather
a conscious intention successfully carried out to arouse and give sexual
pleasure to someone else. Since this type of sexual activity is among
the most lovely and rewarding, it definitely deserves a word its own.
Although the terms above make it easier to talk about physical sexual
activities, most people are already making the distinctions that they
express. The same is not necessarily true, however, of the terms for
mental sexual activities suggested on the following page.
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