ENGLISH
REFERENCE

meat market

idiom
Meaning

A place where one goes for a casual sexual encounter, such as a bar (establishment) or nightclub.


Origin

The colloquial sense was coined in the 1950s. Sex has been likened to meat since as early as the 16th century, with such references to it as "have a jumble in the giblets" and "have a bit of mutton", not to mention "carnal relations".

Examples
SIMPLE

That nightclub is just a meat market.

CONTEXTUAL

He refused to go to the new bar because he heard it was a total meat market.

COMPLEX

The crowded lounge functioned primarily as a meat market, where patrons prioritized fleeting encounters over genuine conversation.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    black market

    Trade that is in violation of restrictions, rationing, or price controls.

  2. 02

    bring one's own hide to market

    To create one's own fate, as a result of one's chosen character and actions; to experience the appropriate consequences of one's behavior.

  3. 03

    chew the meat and spit out the bones

    To take in a great deal of information and selectively disregard some of it as invalid or inapplicable.

  4. 04

    corner the market

    To monopolize a resource or commodity, as with the intent of driving up prices.

  5. 05

    dead meat

    Someone in danger of being killed or severely punished.

  6. 06

    drug on the market

    something which is overabundant at the moment and thus not in demand.

  7. 07

    meat on one's bones

    An amount of flesh on one's body that prevents one from being very thin.

  8. 08

    meat on the bones

    A substantial addition to or augmentation of the content of something, especially something which is unfinished or incomplete.

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