the birds and the bees
Parental sex explanation
The birds and the bees is a euphemism for the basic facts of sex and reproduction, especially as explained to children: It's time we had a talk about the birds and the bees.
The phrase invokes nature as a gentle way to approach an awkward subject.
Parents dread the birds and the bees talk, and the expression itself has become somewhat dated and quaint.
- facts of lifeUnavoidable truths about existence
- matingReproductive pairing behavior
- intercourseCommunication or sexual connection
- fertilityCapacity for reproduction
- conceptionFormation of an idea
euphemism · adolescence · growing up · coming-of-age · sexuality · maturation · allegory · puberty · analogy · procreation · reproduction · storytelling · tradition · consent · intimacy · relationships · first crush · metaphor
the birds and the beesnaïveté
Inexperienced trustfulness
ignorance · childhood innocence · blissful ignorance · purity · shelteredness
the birds and the beessex education
Instruction about human reproduction
clinical terms · explicit language · straight talk · telling it like it is
the birds and the beessilence
Total lack of sound
avoidance · taboo · prudishness · repression · willful ignorance