November 5, 2024
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The site for ranting and reporting by John Masters

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Where Does the Phrase, “The Birds And The Bees” Come From

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Several sources give credit to the great Cole Porter for coining the phrase. One of the legendary musician’s more famous songs was “Let’s Do It.” The 1928 standard contains the lyrics:

Birds do it, bees do it
Even educated fleas do it
Let’s do it, let’s fall in love

World Wide Words goes on to explain that the first “explicit use of the phrase” didn’t occur until 1939. An article on filmmaking from the Freeport Journal Standard stated: “A Frenchman was born sophisticated: he knows about the birds and the bees.” Hey, hey — vive la France!

The Straight Dope believes poet Samuel Coleridge was the likely originator. His poem, the cheerfully titled “Work Without Hope,” opens with:

All Nature seems at work. Slugs leave their lair–
The bees are stirring–birds are on the wing–

In other words, when the birds start moving and the bees start grooving, it’s on like Donkey Kong.While there’s no real consensus on how the term came about, most folks cite Mr. Porter. If you’d like a final opinion on the matter, we suggest you ask your health teacher.

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Where Does the Phrase, "The Birds And The Bees" Come From

B. John 193 Views , , , ,

Several sources give credit to the great Cole Porter for coining the phrase. One of the legendary musician’s more famous songs was “Let’s Do It.” The 1928 standard contains the lyrics:

Birds do it, bees do it
Even educated fleas do it
Let’s do it, let’s fall in love

World Wide Words goes on to explain that the first “explicit use of the phrase” didn’t occur until 1939. An article on filmmaking from the Freeport Journal Standard stated: “A Frenchman was born sophisticated: he knows about the birds and the bees.” Hey, hey — vive la France!

The Straight Dope believes poet Samuel Coleridge was the likely originator. His poem, the cheerfully titled “Work Without Hope,” opens with:

All Nature seems at work. Slugs leave their lair–
The bees are stirring–birds are on the wing–

In other words, when the birds start moving and the bees start grooving, it’s on like Donkey Kong.While there’s no real consensus on how the term came about, most folks cite Mr. Porter. If you’d like a final opinion on the matter, we suggest you ask your health teacher.

B. John

Records and Content Management consultant who enjoys good stories and good discussion. I have a great deal of interest in politics, religion, technology, gadgets, food and movies, but I enjoy most any topic. I grew up in Kings Mountain, a small N.C. town, graduated from Appalachian State University and have lived in Atlanta, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Dayton and Tampa since then.