For some time now, I sometimes hear African Americans use the word “freak” (as a noun–judging how I heard an AA woman use the term on tv, I am pretty sure the verb form means fellatio [but please correct me if I am wrong on this]). I guess you don’t hear people using the word too much anymore. But in the 1970s and early 80s, it was quite popular. It was esp. well-known in Rick James’ song “Superfreak”. I would set up a link to the lyrics for this song. But I have often gone to lyric sites only to accidentally let in a virus on my computer. So I won’t. But I do clearly remember in the song, James gets to a point where he says “she’s a superfreak, superfreak, she’s super freaky…!”. What on earth does that word mean?
Yes, freaking can be consider the same kind of slang as “doing the nasty,” “gettin’ down to bizness,” and in general having sex but usually with more of a kinky twist.
But also, someone can be “getting their freak on” and just be letting out their party animal or wild side. It just means letting loose, in both a sexual and non-sexual way.
I was reading around a while ago to answer one of those “is there a term for this” questions that pop up here now and then and found a page detailing how “freaking” originated separately from a “polite way” of saying “fucking” and meant something regarding masturbation (or was it mutual masturbation, I found it on a word somewhat related to metonymy, only a few jumps, started with a “c” I think, but I can’t trace it from wikipedia anymore).
Anyway, since I figure that use is long forgotten I turned to our friend urban dictionary.
Apparently it’s someone (many of them specify women, but it doesn’t seem to be a consensus) that is either really kinky, promiscuous, or will do pretty much any sexual act (which I guess somewhat falls under kinky). Though it appears the older (60’s/early 70s) meaning of the word involves being a doing drugs, dressing like a hippy, well I guess being a hippy (if it walks like a duck…).
Also, “freaking” is a really, really um… intimate dance among modern teens. Involving um… not really a graceful way to say this… rubbing your (clothed) genitals against your partner’s and grinding your pelvis. Usually to some godawful rap or hip-hop music.
n. a person who likes to do kinky shit in bed or have sex a lot
v. to have intercourse or makeout
n. That guy is a huge freak.
v. She likes to freak on a regular basis.
ETA: I don’t associate it with black culture at all. Seems pretty common term to me.
I’ve always known “freak,” in that context, to mean somebody who is sexually adventurous, kinky. I don’t think I’ve ever known the verb form to specifically refer to oral sex, though, just sexual intercourse in general.
A propos of nothing, in his book “A Man in Full”, Tom Wolfe describes a party in downtown Atlanta (Georgia) that was known as “Freaknic” or “Freaknik”, popular with black urban youth. It seems that the Atlanta Freaknic is now a thing of the past.
If you look at the full range of definitions given in the Urban Dictionary for “freak,” you’ll see that it can be understood in a wide variety of ways, from “weird” to various specific sexual senses. In fact, it probably deliberately can be understood in many senses. It’s like “hook up,” I think, which can be understood to mean anything from “meet with someone” to “have sex with someone.” It’s deliberately ambiguous.
