
IdiomDaily Life
EnglishCrude
know someone in the biblical sense
Meaning: To have had sex with someone.
Example: “"So you two know each other?" "Not in the biblical sense, if that's what you're asking."”
Origin: Older English Bible translations use "know" for sexual relations, as in Genesis 4:1 in the King James Version (1611): "Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived." The jokey phrase "in the biblical sense" is a modern way of pointing to that usage.
Equivalents in other languages
French: Connaître bibliquement Literally: To know biblically
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