birds and bees

English

Alternative forms

• the birds and the bees

Etymology

Derived from analogies of pollination and egglaying for sexual intercourse and ovulation respectively.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

birds and bees pl (plural only)

1. (euphemistic, idiomatic) Informal education about sex.

   Synonym: facts of life

   We learned about birds and bees back in school.

2. (euphemistic, idiomatic) Informal (by analogy) sex itself.

   I had the birds and bees with your mother.

Quotations

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:the birds and the bees.

Translations

euphemistic: sexual activity

• Danish: bierne og blomsterne
• Dutch: de bloemetjes en de bijtjes n pl (literally “the little flowers and bees”)
• Finnish: kukat ja mehiläiset
• German: die Bienchen und Blümchen n pl (literally “the little bees and flowers”), Tatsachen des Lebens f pl (literally “facts of life”)
• Swedish: blommor och bin (sv) c pl (literally “flowers and bees”)

See also

• the talk