“Sowing wild oats” refers to frivolous and potentially harmful activities, often associated with young men engaging in sexual adventures. Wild oats are damaging weeds that infiltrate crop fields, requiring repeated hand weeding or plowing to remove. Some cultures encourage this behavior for young men, while young women are expected to remain modest. However, prolonged periods of such behavior are frowned upon in most societies.
Since at least the 16th century, English speakers have referred to periods of youthful hijacking as “sowing wild oats,” with variants such as “so and so he was sowing his oats.” This colorful phrase has appeared in some form of another since Greek times, and different cultures have their own versions of this concept, which refer to irritating weeds that can wreak havoc on agricultural crops.
Wild oats are the indomitable predecessor of oats, a valuable cereal grown in many regions of the world. Wild oats, however, do not produce any useful ears of corn, and they are also very adept at infiltrating crop fields. The only way to get rid of wild oats is to repeatedly hand weed a field and in some cases a field can be plowed and reworked to get rid of the invaders.
Therefore, wild oats are associated with damage and lost time. Someone who is sowing wild oats is engaged in frivolous and potentially harmful activities. In many cases, the term is used specifically to describe harmful occupation that could damage a family’s reputation or pose a threat to someone’s future. While planting wild oats, someone is not taking steps to advance their career or do anything worthwhile in life.
This term also has another cruder meaning. Most people only talk about sowing wild oats when it comes to young men, with the obscene implication that young men engage in a variety of sexual adventures while sowing wild oats. These adventures might be harmless learning experiences, but they could also lead to more serious problems, such as unexpected pregnancy or illness.
Youthful dissipation is a time-honored occupation, especially for young people. Many cultures assume that young men need to spend some time sowing oats before settling down, and in some cultures the activity is actually actively encouraged, sometimes to the desperation of young women. Historically, the concept has been applied in a very sexist way, with young women remaining honest and modest, while young men are allowed to have adventures and see the world.
Some youthful adventures could probably be considered character-building, and many young people of both sexes today find themselves in trouble. However, a prolonged period of unnecessary occupation tends to be frowned upon, as most societies would like all of its members to be productive and honest citizens.
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