The Bases

[Fred Shapiro]

I don't think anyone in this thread has consulted the Random House
Historical Dictionary of American Slang.  The HDAS defines "get to first
base" as "to meet with initial or preliminary success or approval, often
in romantic contexts; (specif.) to engage in lovemaking that goes not
further than kissing. -- usu. used in negative contexts."  The first
citation given is 1928.

"Get to second base" is defined as "to engage in lovemaking that goes no
further than fondling the woman's breasts," with a first use dated 1977.
"Get to third base" is "to achieve a level of sexual intimacy short of
intercourse; (usu.) an act of "below-the-waist" petting," with a 1947
first use.  "Home run" is "an act of seduction culminating in sexual
intercourse," with a 1963 citation for "homer" in this sense.  The volume
of HDAS covering "score" has not yet been published.


Fred R. Shapiro                             Coeditor (with Jane Garry)
Associate Librarian for Public Services     TRIAL AND ERROR: AN OXFORD
  and Lecturer in Legal Research            ANTHOLOGY OF LEGAL STORIES
Yale Law School                             Oxford University Press, 1998
e-mail: fred.shapiro at yale.edu               ISBN 0-19-509547-2