# what it means to earn your red wings (TMI) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 18, 2004, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-it-means-to-earn-your-red-wings-tmi/269903 "2004-10-18T21:18:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Thinks2Much](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Thinks2Much](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thinks2Much)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-it-means-to-earn-your-red-wings-tmi/269903/1 "2004-10-18T21:18:52Z")
So, I made a new acquaintance. He has a tattoo of red wings and I didn’t know the signficance of it. Apparently it means he is willing to “eat carpet” at certain times… I have asked a few other friends if they have heard of that and they acted like this is common knowledge. I feel so uncool for not knowing! ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-it-means-to-earn-your-red-wings-tmi/269903/2 "2004-10-18T21:21:27Z")
> [@Thinks2Much](#): > > So, I made a new acquaintance. He has a tattoo of red wings and I didn’t know the signficance of it. Apparently it means he is willing to “eat carpet” at certain times… I have asked a few other friends if they have heard of that and they acted like this is common knowledge. I feel so uncool for not knowing! uhh imagine a child’s face after eating a melted chocolate bar. :eek: :eek: :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Thinks2Much](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Thinks2Much](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thinks2Much)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-it-means-to-earn-your-red-wings-tmi/269903/3 "2004-10-18T21:29:03Z")
He says they actually refer to it as “clown faced”. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-it-means-to-earn-your-red-wings-tmi/269903/4 "2004-10-18T21:50:40Z")
Ew. Ew. EW! That is NOT what I learned it meant. I learned that it meant that you had sex while the girl was menstruating. Upon completion of the act, one “finger-paints” a set of wings on the chest of the man using the resulting red-colored mix of bodily fluids, thus he has earned his “red wings”. clown-face…_snork_ ---
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-it-means-to-earn-your-red-wings-tmi/269903/5 "2004-10-18T21:59:53Z")
. **…** …\^//… …=.=… How’s this? ---
**Author:** ![Mithril](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mithril/32/3517_2.png) [@Mithril](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mithril)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-it-means-to-earn-your-red-wings-tmi/269903/6 "2004-10-18T22:00:01Z")
My Navy ex-boyfriend told me it was oral sex during menstruation. There were also gray wings, for intercourse with a woman over 40, and blue wings for being blueballed (sorry, I can’t think of a way to put that in technical terms). Why would you want wings for being blueballed? ---
**Author:** ![Grossbottom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ba8739/32.png) [@Grossbottom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grossbottom)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-it-means-to-earn-your-red-wings-tmi/269903/7 "2004-10-18T22:43:25Z")
I can confirm “red wings” as being oral sex performed on a woman who is mentruating. I first heard the term being used seven years ago at an EFNet party in Atlanta… Usually followed by some sort of chunky salsa comment. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-it-means-to-earn-your-red-wings-tmi/269903/8 "2004-10-18T22:46:10Z")
Why do I open these threads? _WHY do I open these threads?_ The OP title warned TMI, so _ **why do I open these threads?!?!** _ I only blame myself. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-it-means-to-earn-your-red-wings-tmi/269903/9 "2004-10-18T22:48:05Z")
This is an old Hell’s Angels term. At least they popularized this. Comes from at least the 1950’s. See Hunter S Thompson book Hells’ Angels, A terrible and Twisted Saga ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-it-means-to-earn-your-red-wings-tmi/269903/10 "2004-10-18T22:49:55Z")
I second **China Guy’s** origin. I’ve always heard it from bikers. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-it-means-to-earn-your-red-wings-tmi/269903/11 "2004-10-18T23:13:25Z")
I heard it from a Navy 'Nam vet who claimed it was a term they used when he was over there. He told me this in 1984. He defined it as eating pussy during her time of the month. Haj ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-it-means-to-earn-your-red-wings-tmi/269903/12 "2004-10-18T23:16:50Z")
> [@Mithril](#): > > My Navy ex-boyfriend told me it was oral sex during menstruation. There were also gray wings, for intercourse with a woman over 40, and blue wings for being blueballed (sorry, I can’t think of a way to put that in technical terms). Why would you want wings for being blueballed? Kinda like getting a Purple Heart, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-it-means-to-earn-your-red-wings-tmi/269903/13 "2004-10-18T23:45:24Z")
You’ve forgotten white wings and brown wings. Use your imagination. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-it-means-to-earn-your-red-wings-tmi/269903/14 "2004-10-19T00:00:18Z")
> [@Mithril](#): > > …There were also gray wings, for intercourse with a woman over 40 … Heh. Firstly, over 40 isn’t necessarily old and gray and secondly if one is gray it doesn’t rub off on someone else. I first heard the term “red wing” from a group of young men in IRC a couple years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-it-means-to-earn-your-red-wings-tmi/269903/15 "2004-10-19T00:40:03Z")
> [@Wile E](#): > > Heh. > Firstly, over 40 isn’t necessarily old and gray and secondly if one is gray it doesn’t rub off on someone else. You gonna argue with the Hell’s Angels? FWIW, I don’t find the act of earning “red wings” very bad or even out of the ordinary, especially if I’ve had a few drinks. If I actually got little plastic wings I’d probably have a drawer full of the things. Now some of the other wings I’ve read about in Hell’s Angels books…:eek: You don’t even want to know what purple wings are. ---
**Author:** ![The\_world\_s\_most\_deadliest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@The\_world\_s\_most\_deadliest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_world_s_most_deadliest)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-it-means-to-earn-your-red-wings-tmi/269903/16 "2004-10-19T01:06:55Z")
The first time I heard this term, oddly enough, was in 9th grade in Catholic school. I’m not sure what this fact implies about either Catholic school or the Hell’s Angels, but I’m sure there’s a correlation to be made. ---
**Author:** ![Kaboodle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8edcca/32.png) [@Kaboodle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaboodle)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-it-means-to-earn-your-red-wings-tmi/269903/17 "2004-10-19T01:49:05Z")
I remember hearing the term when I was growing up. This is how it was explained to me. The first time you perform oral sex on a girl you ‘earned your wings’. The term may have come from being in front and having the girl’s legs over your shoulders. You earned your red wings during her period. You earned your white wings after intercourse. Never heard of brown wings… ---
**Author:** ![adhemar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@adhemar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhemar)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-it-means-to-earn-your-red-wings-tmi/269903/18 "2004-10-19T01:55:07Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > You gonna argue with the Hell’s Angels? > > FWIW, I don’t find the act of earning “red wings” very bad or even out of the ordinary, especially if I’ve had a few drinks. If I actually got little plastic wings I’d probably have a drawer full of the things. > > Now some of the other wings I’ve read about in Hell’s Angels books…:eek: You don’t even want to know what purple wings are. Not unlike looking at a bad car wreck, now I want to know. Geez, i hate not knowing stuff even stuff I know I am going to regret asking… ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-it-means-to-earn-your-red-wings-tmi/269903/19 "2004-10-19T02:28:23Z")
The next time I hear some rabid homophobe describe the sex life of us gay people as “disgusting,” I shall remember this thread. We are all more alike than different. ---
**Author:** ![Mithril](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mithril/32/3517_2.png) [@Mithril](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mithril)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-it-means-to-earn-your-red-wings-tmi/269903/20 "2004-10-19T03:06:08Z")
> [@adhemar](#): > > Not unlike looking at a bad car wreck, now I want to know. Geez, i hate not knowing stuff even stuff I know I am going to regret asking… I googled [it](http://www.gang-busters.com/terms/html/..%5Chtml%5Cletter_p.aspx). I admit it. Yuck. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-it-means-to-earn-your-red-wings-tmi/269903.md?page=2)