Dear AC,

My American boss is always asking me if I've hit any home runs lately. Of course, I say "no", because I don't play baseball, which he knows. Is that some kind of code? Or do you think my boss has a mental problem?

Sincerely,

Dieter


Dear Dieter,

Yes, it is a code. Yes, your boss has a mental problem.

You know how obsessed Americans are with baseball, right? We use baseball metaphors for many things, and in this case, it's to describe degrees of sexual success.

I got to first base = I kissed someone
I got to second base = I touched her body above the waist/outside the clothes
I got to third base = I touched her body below the waist/inside the clothes
I hit a home run/got to home plate = I had sex

What each expression means varies slightly depending on where you grew up, but that's the basic idea. Needless to say, women rarely, if ever, use these expressions. And these days, most men don't use them either - they're considered old-fashioned.

The next time your boss asks you about this, I recommend saying, "Why yes, thank you. I didn't understand your meaning before, but fortunately, your wife was happy to teach me."

Your pal,

A. C. Kemp

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