# Grinding the beans - Euphemism? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 19, 2008, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grinding-the-beans-euphemism/473449 "2008-11-19T14:57:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fat\_Chance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8baadc/32.png) [@Fat\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fat_Chance)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grinding-the-beans-euphemism/473449/1 "2008-11-19T14:57:16Z")
Maybe I am crazy, but I’m trying to convince someone here that “grinding the bean(s)” is a euphemism for female masturbation. I am choosing to not google it here at work for fear of where it might bring me, so I reach out to the dope for an answer. Am I making this up, is it local culture limited to the street I grew up on, or has anyone else heard it? ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grinding-the-beans-euphemism/473449/2 "2008-11-19T15:09:07Z")
Are you sure you’re not thinking of “flicking the bean”? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grinding-the-beans-euphemism/473449/3 "2008-11-19T15:09:13Z")
Urbandictionary doesn’t have it. ---
**Author:** ![seodoa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@seodoa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seodoa)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grinding-the-beans-euphemism/473449/4 "2008-11-19T15:10:57Z")
A quick search on Google (at home, of course!), revealed no references to female masturbation. Even after I filtered the thousands of coffee-related sites and further filtered out tofu-making sites, the paltry few hundred sites left didn’t seem to have any references to anybody putting anything in her hoohoo. ---
**Author:** ![Fat\_Chance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8baadc/32.png) [@Fat\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fat_Chance)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grinding-the-beans-euphemism/473449/5 "2008-11-19T15:50:24Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Are you sure you’re not thinking of “flicking the bean”? This is probably what I was thinking! So perhaps the verdict is that I am indeed crazy. Just to give the story a point - I was at work this morning and heard a woman say, as she poured a cup of pantry swill, “You know, when I used to work from home and was alone every morning I always started my day by grinding my beans.” I giggled, she looked over and asked me why. I told her, I think that means something else also. She didn’t believe. Still sounds dirty though, right? ---
**Author:** ![Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rube_E.Tewesday)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grinding-the-beans-euphemism/473449/6 "2008-11-19T15:53:41Z")
> [@Fat\_Chance](#): > > This is probably what I was thinking! > > So perhaps the verdict is that I am indeed crazy. > Just to give the story a point - I was at work this morning and heard a woman say, as she poured a cup of pantry swill, “You know, when I used to work from home and was alone every morning I always started my day by grinding my beans.” > > I giggled, she looked over and asked me why. I told her, I think that means something else also. She didn’t believe. > > Still sounds dirty though, right? Anything sounds dirty if you say it right: “Grandma’s chicken salad”. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grinding-the-beans-euphemism/473449/7 "2008-11-19T15:55:19Z")
Just because something isn’t a well-known and commonly-used term doesn’t make it a perfectly valid metaphor. Too often people get too hung up on whether or not terms, even slang terms, are “officially recognized” and ignore the fact that language is fluid and ever-changing and all that matters is that you communicate your chicken salad effectively. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grinding-the-beans-euphemism/473449/8 "2008-11-19T15:57:02Z")
I’ve heard of “grinding the corn” as a euphemism for female masturbation. ---
**Author:** ![Fat\_Chance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8baadc/32.png) [@Fat\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fat_Chance)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grinding-the-beans-euphemism/473449/9 "2008-11-19T16:19:56Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > I’ve heard of “grinding the corn” as a euphemism for female masturbation. I must have combined “flicking the bean” and “grinding the corn” in my head. That makes me a little crazy I think. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grinding-the-beans-euphemism/473449/10 "2008-11-19T18:10:43Z")
You’re in the right place, then. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grinding-the-beans-euphemism/473449/11 "2008-11-19T18:20:32Z")
> [@Fat\_Chance](#): > > Still sounds dirty though, right? It will from now on. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grinding-the-beans-euphemism/473449/12 "2008-11-19T18:33:27Z")
> [@Rube\_E.Tewesday](#): > > Anything sounds dirty if you say it right: > > “Grandma’s chicken salad”. In keeping with the rest of the thread; that would be “Grandma’s 3-bean salad” ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grinding-the-beans-euphemism/473449/13 "2008-11-19T18:36:03Z")
In one Cheers episode, Sam was upset when he found out Diane had coffee with a new lover (Frazier?) He asked her “Did you grind the beans real fine?” ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grinding-the-beans-euphemism/473449/14 "2008-11-19T18:41:43Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > In keeping with the rest of the thread; that would be “Grandma’s 3-bean salad” Sounds like old-woman lesbian fetish porn to me. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grinding-the-beans-euphemism/473449/15 "2008-11-19T19:25:22Z")
And, not to leave water sports out, I hear playing with the man in the canoe is quite popular. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grinding-the-beans-euphemism/473449/16 "2008-11-19T19:34:31Z")
> [@Fat\_Chance](#): > > I must have combined “flicking the bean” and “grinding the corn” in my head. That makes me a little crazy I think. I know that always makes _me_ a little crazy. ---
**Author:** ![Rhisiart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/47e85d/32.png) [@Rhisiart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhisiart)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2026, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grinding-the-beans-euphemism/473449/17 "2026-09-13T10:55:51Z")
I just came across this funny Scottish sketch where this meaning is alluded to: [https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18JK7XF1ec/?mibextid=wwXIfr](https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18JK7XF1ec/?mibextid=wwXIfr) ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2026, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grinding-the-beans-euphemism/473449/18 "2026-09-13T14:30:16Z")
The comment “Anything sounds dirty if you say it right” makes me think of the Frantics sketch “Make Up Dirty Words”. “I have URGES in my AREAS…” [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/9qmUJpcPAaM/hqdefault.jpg "The Frantics - Boot to the Head - 14. Make Up Dirty Words") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qmUJpcPAaM) ---
**Author:** ![Arjuna34](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Arjuna34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arjuna34)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2026, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grinding-the-beans-euphemism/473449/19 "2026-09-13T17:25:45Z")
Although apparently undocumented back in 2008, recent scholarship has produced this wiktionary entry for “flick one’s bean”: [flick one's bean - Wiktionary, the free dictionary](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/flick_one's_bean#English) , first added in 2024: _(vulgar, slang)_ To masturbate by manually stimulating one’s clitoris.