#initial-load-header-loader { visibility: hidden!important; } #initial-load-content { visibility: visible!important; } .expandable .expandable-control { display: none!important; } .expandable .expandable-content { display: block!important; visibility: visible!important; max-height: none!important; height: auto!important; }

beat the meat

Masturbate, as in He was always beating the meat. This term, considered vulgar slang, is used for males, since it uses meat in the sense of “penis,” a usage dating from the late 1500s.

RELATED CONTENT

What does “delicatessen” actually mean? After deli meat recall, learn the name of what caused the risk.

On Tuesday, a division of Tyson Foods Inc recalled 380,000 pounds of deli meat, saying that it may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The meat was used in sandwiches sold at Wal-Mart stores. Luckily, there have been no reported illnesses. Unfortunately, we often hear about salmonella. (Read more about salmonella here.) How does it differ from listeria? Listeria is a hardy bacterium that can cause food …

Juju on That Beat

Read more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.