# Getting to 'first base' in sexual relations? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 8, 2002, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-to-first-base-in-sexual-relations/135809 "2002-11-08T01:14:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![poohpah\_chalupa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/91b2a8/32.png) [@poohpah\_chalupa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/poohpah_chalupa)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2002, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-to-first-base-in-sexual-relations/135809/1 "2002-11-08T01:14:05Z")
What is the general definition of getting to “first base,” “second base,” etc. when referring to sexual relations? A friend of mine and I were discussing this and as far as we could figure, the bases were: First Base: kissing. Second Base: manual stimulation/“petting” Third Base: oral Home: …well, that should be obvious. Is this the general consensus or is there a more accepted variation? ---
**Author:** ![TitoBenito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2acd7d/32.png) [@TitoBenito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TitoBenito)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2002, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-to-first-base-in-sexual-relations/135809/2 "2002-11-08T01:47:59Z")
I beleive oral was added in the last decade or so. From what I can gather from tv shows books and movies back in the day it was First-Kissing Second-BOOOBS! Third-hand Homer-Sex Now what if you’re a women? What replaces second? I don’t think they had the whole base thing besides being the object of the game. I could be very wrong but this is just the impression that I have. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2002, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-to-first-base-in-sexual-relations/135809/3 "2002-11-08T02:03:17Z")
It’s regional, and I think it’s changed quite a bit in the last several years, as IMO oral sex wasn’t originally on the chart at all. Where I come from, it was: 1. Serious kissing (not nec. w/tongue, but not merely a buss, either) 2. Fondling breasts 3. “Fingering” Note that this is all from the male perspective. Also note, this conforms to the usage in the film “American Pie.” –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2002, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-to-first-base-in-sexual-relations/135809/4 "2002-11-08T02:20:54Z")
I’ve heard it the same as **TitoBenito** and also hear it called the 4 f’s frenching, feeling, fingering, fudge ---
**Author:** ![peepthis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9d8465/32.png) [@peepthis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peepthis)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2002, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-to-first-base-in-sexual-relations/135809/5 "2002-11-08T02:30:47Z")
Ann Landers always reported that it was: 1st = Kissing 2nd = Petting above the waist 3rd = Petting below the waist Home = Lashing her with the wet noodle ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2002, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-to-first-base-in-sexual-relations/135809/6 "2002-11-08T03:07:09Z")
> [@](#): > > Now what if you’re a women? What replaces second? getting your boobs felt? ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Magic8ball](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Miss\_Magic8ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Magic8ball)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2002, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-to-first-base-in-sexual-relations/135809/7 "2002-11-08T03:52:22Z")
As a teenage girl, I _Know_ the universal base rules. 1.Kissing, maybe frenching, if thats your thing, holding hands, touching each others asses, 2.for guys, its grabbing the girls boobs, girls, its giiving a hand job. 3For guys, its getting his hands down the girls pants and… well, you know. For girls, its oral. 3rd base also entitles of eating out a girl. ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2002, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-to-first-base-in-sexual-relations/135809/8 "2002-11-08T08:52:35Z")
Bases? Sheesh, aren’t we cultured? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2002, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-to-first-base-in-sexual-relations/135809/9 "2002-11-08T09:23:02Z")
Just bases? We had an entire vocabulary of words and phrases based on baseball to express our adolescent exploits. For the record, in my neighborhood in Chicago: 1 - kissing on the mouth, tongue involved usually 2 - breasts 3 - down the pants 4 - sex Other terms we had included: Scouting report - the low-down on a prospective date Caught stealing [insert base] - made the attempt, but denied Her contract’s in arbitration - (a bit silly that one) deciding whether to continue a relationship She’s been released from the team - break-up Leading off, as in “I took a huge lead off of second, but I was afraid of getting caught stealing, so I got back to the bag.” - Intentions of moving forward a base Adn there’s some more I’ll get to later ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2002, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-to-first-base-in-sexual-relations/135809/10 "2002-11-08T13:36:48Z")
> [@](#): > > eating out a girl God, how I hate this expression. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2002, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-to-first-base-in-sexual-relations/135809/11 "2002-11-08T18:18:15Z")
Same here, Lou. I wonder where that phrase came from. Anyway, just to add some substance here, I never used the term “bases” to describe my sexual progress in a relationship. ---
**Author:** ![poohpah\_chalupa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/91b2a8/32.png) [@poohpah\_chalupa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/poohpah_chalupa)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2002, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-to-first-base-in-sexual-relations/135809/12 "2002-11-09T03:24:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Silver Fire \* > \*\*…Anyway, just to add some substance here, I never used the term “bases” to describe my sexual progress in a relationship. \*\* Ooops. Sorry to be so crass **Silver** …I don’t believe I’ve ever utilized the analogy in the past myself (thus my ignorance on the subject). OTOH, it’s such a “guy thing” to equate sex and baseball, isn’t it? And, embassassingly, I guess I _have_ started my share of shallow threads here. You can take the man outta the gutter, but you can’t take the gutter outta the man. I hope this doesn’t mean I need to change my sig? ☹