Baseball is boring. So, if you’re hoping to read about those bases, you’ve come to the wrong place. It’s all about the sexual bases we’re interested in.

There’s actually an interesting story behind baseball terminology being used to describe sexual bases. You’ve heard this before, everyone has. It was coined in America to use baseball metaphors in order to describe the levels of intimacy relationships go through. I mean, these aren’t newly discovered either.

Billy Joel, Meatloaf—maybe they’re too old for you, but these are classic artists from the seventies and eighties. So, you see where I’m going with that? Baseball metaphors have been around for a long time. And it doesn’t end there, sexual education instructors even use these metaphors when talking about sex to their students. They’ve become a part of sexual life.

Sexual bases and other baseball terms

Even I’ve used bases to describe how far I went with a guy. Usually, after sex, you tend just to say that instead. But until then, you use the sexual bases. I mean, first, your parents aren’t going to catch on right away if you say “third base” to your friend in front of them. So, it’s a good way to speak in code in front of people without describing what actually happened.

We all know what happened on second or third base, right? Well, if you’re reading this then maybe you need to freshen up on the definitions of sexual bases. You need to know this.

#1 First base. Everyone loves getting to first base. It’s the base that gives you hope, the base that makes you push forward, waiting to touch second. First base is kissing, a lot of kissing. Your hands aren’t touching major erogenous zones, you two are in the moment of just warming each other up with your mouths. [Read: How to kiss passionately and romantically]

#2 Second base. To go through and experience second base is a beautiful thing. It’s sweet, a little dirty, but clean fun. There’s skin-to-skin touching and kissing, grabbing or kissing the breasts, and heavy petting around the erogenous zones such as the genitals, ass, breasts, and neck. Though this is done above clothing, in second base you’re not nude. [Read: 20 tips for make out mastery]

#3 Third base. Now third base is when you’re on the edge of sex. Traditionally, it means there’s touching below the waist without having sex. However, it’s been updated a bit. Third base now refers to oral sex–blowjobs, cunnilingus, fingering–that’s all third base. 

#4 Home run. In baseball, to hit a home run means you hit all the bases, making a full circle, and got some points for your team. Well, this is basically the same thing for sex. You hit every base and then you have full-on sex. Congratulations, you scored the winning point. What all baseball players aim to do. [Read: 16 pop culture sex terms you need to know by now]

#5 Strikeout. Now, you may hear some guys say this after an unsuccessful night at the club. They’ll say, “Nah, man, I struck out.” What does that even mean? Well, in short, they didn’t get laid. To “strike out” means they failed in having any sort of sexual encounter. It doesn’t have to mean full-on sex, it also means they didn’t even speak to a girl or engage in foreplay.

#6 Pitching. This term is specific to gay guys and means that if you’re pitching, you’re the man who performs anal sex. It’s similar to the whole “pin and cushion” reference. Being a “pin” means you’re the giver while the “cushion” is the receiver.

#7 Catching. This is another term that’s specific to gay guys when talking about the roles they take on while having anal sex. A catcher is someone who catches the ball, right? So basically, a catch in sex means that he’s the man receiving anal sex. [Read: What you need to know about each sexual orientation]

#8 Switch hitter. This is another term used for someone who’s bisexual. I have to admit, I’ve never used it before, so I don’t think it’s overly popular but it’s still a baseball metaphor. Now that you know what it means, if you hear it, you’ll make the connection right away. Switch hitter literally means a player that bats from either their left or right side. Makes sense now, right?

#9 Playing for the other team. Now, if someone is gay or lesbian, you’ll be able to say that they’re “playing/batting for the other team.” It simply means they’re homosexual. The only sad thing about these baseball terms is that they haven’t been updated. What about the rest of the LGBTQ community? Back in the 60s when these terms were first created, being gay or lesbian was very “rare” and seen as unusual. 

#10 Playing for both teams. If someone is “playing for both teams” this means that you say this person is bisexual. If you think about it quickly it makes sense. They’re going from their own team to the opposing team. Though these terms were created in the 60s, they’re actually still highly used today. I mean, I say these phrases all the time.  You can also say, “batting for both teams.” [Read: All the ways to tell the difference between a pansexual and a bisexual]

 #11 Running the bases. You usually won’t be using this unless you talk about someone younger than you who’s experimenting with sex and intimacy. “Running the bases” means that someone is experimenting with sexual relationships. So, they may be sleeping with other people, trying different things. You can also say, “playing on the field” or “testing out bases.”

So, you now know all the sexual bases, right? You’re completely up-to-date, so the next time you hear someone talking about second or third base, you have an exact idea of what actually happened.