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Making out is an American slang phrase and usually serves as a colloquial term or euphemism for the act of two people engaging in prolonged kissing. Making out is usually done to express affection to a boyfriend, girlfriend or spouse, or to express sexual attraction to a prospective sexual partner. Making out usually consists mostly of French kissing, although this is not a requirement. An episode of making out can also be referred to as a make-out session.
After a period of prolonged kissing, two people may choose a more sexual form of making out, known as necking. Necking, as the term implies, involves kissing and licking of the neck, often considered to be an erogenous zone, because of the relatively high sensitivity of the skin there. Necking is usually done one partner at a time, since a couple both kissing each others' necks is usually difficult or uncomfortable. Because one person is usually inactive during necking, that person can rest their head on the other's shoulder, if they wish to rest their neck. Giving or receiving a love-bite may be involved in the act of necking.
The couple may also continue to kiss various other body parts, though kissing on more sensitive and private body parts is usually less of a romantic act and more of an act done for sexual arousal. Sexualized touching of other sorts, such as groping or heavy petting may also commonly occur during making out. Although making out does not only exist as foreplay to sexual intercourse, it is sometimes understood as an impetus to intercourse.
Other phrases related to making out
- From baseball, reaching "first base," "second base," "third base," and "home run" or "scoring" is a euphemism or an innuendo for referring to the successive stages of an intimate encounter.
- First base is usually understood as making out, with second and third considered to be the touching of breasts (at least in a heterosexual couple) and fingering, respectively. (Due to the growing popularity of pre-coital oral sex, "third base" has recently been occasionally used to describe this act.) In this case, "making out" is used to mean foreplay, with sexual coitus as the home run or "scoring".
- "Frenching," as short for French kissing.
- "Lip-locking," as a couple engaged in making out looks to be locked at the lips.
- "Sucking face," as a couple engaged in making out looks as if they are sucking one another's faces. This can be used as a slightly derogatory term, usually to refer to a couple who are making out in full view of someone who would rather not witness it.
- "Pulling a Connery" Often used to describe the act of promiscuous kissing with foreign women.
- "Swapping spit," since a kisser can get his saliva in his/her partner's mouth. Again, this can be used derogatorily.
- "Lip wrestling," since French kissing causes lips to overlap.
- "Tonsil Hockey"
- "Tongue Wrestling," when the couple is enjoying it so much they will sometimes wrestle quite literally with their partner's tongue.
- "Pulling"; more common in the UK
- "Getting Off"; also common slang in the UK
- "Trapping Off"; again, a UK phrase (esp. in the North)
- Snogging
- Tongue Tango
- Mouth to mouth Mambo
Variation in age
The intensity and ramifications of making out can vary from person to person depending on their age and past sexual experiences. For instance, teenagers who are having their first experiences with sexual and intimate relationships often perceive making out as a serious act of intimacy. However, as knowledge and experience increase, the seriousness tends to decrease. Experienced teenagers sometimes play party games in which making out is the main activity, such as Seven Minutes in Heaven. Teenagers are also known to have social gatherings in which making out, often with someone they are not formally romantically involved with, makes up the bulk of the activities. These gatherings are often referred to as "make-out parties". Sometimes this will only make up a section of a party, often referred to as the "make-out room."
See also
"Making out"