Meaning & use
sewing your wild oats
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Meaning
phraseidiominformalfigurative
Behaving in a wild, fun, or irresponsible way, especially having many romantic or sexual relationships, before settling down.
Grammar: Used as a fixed phrase, often after a verb like 'be' or in the progressive: 'He's sewing his wild oats.' The subject is usually a young person, especially a man.
Patterns
- be sewing your wild oats
- sow your wild oats
He spent his twenties sewing his wild oats in different cities before finally settling down.
She says she's just sewing her wild oats now and isn't ready for a serious relationship.
Some people think sewing your wild oats is a normal part of growing up.
Common combinations
- sow your wild oats
- He decided to sow his wild oats before getting married.
- be busy sewing your wild oats
- She's been busy sewing her wild oats all summer.
- spend time sewing your wild oats
- He spent a few years sewing his wild oats in Europe.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sow one's oats
- A shorter form of the same idiom, used in the same informal way.
- play the field
- Means to date several people without committing; it focuses on dating, while 'sewing your wild oats' can also include other wild behavior.
Opposites
Word family
- sow verb
- To plant seeds; the literal base of the idiom.
- wild oats noun
- A type of grass; in the idiom it stands for wild behavior.
Commonly confused: sewing your wild oats or sewing?
sewing your wild oats vs sewing
Learners may confuse 'sewing' (with a needle) with 'sowing' (planting seeds), which is the correct word in this idiom. The idiom uses 'sowing', but the -ing form 'sewing' is also seen in the phrase 'sewing your wild oats'.
Practice
Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Choose one answer.
The idiom means to behave wildly, especially before settling down. 'Sew her wild oats' is the correct form here. Option 0 is literal, option 2 is awkward with 'at the party', and option 3 mixes the idiom with a literal meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sewing your wild oats”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.