in the biblical sense

1 8.6

To say that two people have had sex in a polite or joking way

idiom

NSFW

: en el sentido bíblico

He humorously claimed they knew each other in the biblical sense after only a week of dating.

Examples

Are you two living together in the biblical sense?
She insisted their friendship was not in the biblical sense, just purely platonic.
It was clear they were close, but not in the biblical sense.
They have been together, in the biblical sense.
He humorously claimed they knew each other in the biblical sense after only a week of dating.
She insisted their relationship was not in the biblical sense, emphasizing their platonic nature.
Are you two living together in the biblical sense or just as roommates?

Synonyms

to have sex

vsin the biblical sense

NSFW

∞ 3.0

To touch each other's private parts for physical pleasure

is a euphemistic expression used instead of this blunt phrase

to have intercourse

vsin the biblical sense

NSFW

45 8.1

To have sex with someone

is a euphemistic, indirect way to refer to this activity

to be intimate

vsin the biblical sense

NSFW

41 7.9

Have sex with someone

is used specifically to say two people have had sex

to sex

vsin the biblical sense

NSFW

15 5.1

To have physical contact with someone for pleasure, usually in a casual way

is a euphemistic phrase used in polite rather than casual speech

to couple

vsin the biblical sense

NSFW

8 8.1

To have sex with another person or animal

is a euphemistic phrase focused on two people, not general mating

to know

vsin the biblical sense

NSFW

1 9.9

To have sex with someone

is a modern euphemism used in ordinary speech instead

to effing

vsin the biblical sense

Offensive

1 9.9

To have sex with someone

is a euphemistic expression that avoids coarse explicit wording

to jazz

vsin the biblical sense

Offensive

1 9.9

To have sex with someone

is a euphemistic phrase used in more polite contexts instead

Surface Forms

in the biblical sense positive

in-the-biblical-sense positive

Morphology

in + the + biblical + sense

The literal meanings of the constituents ('biblical' = relating to the Bible; 'sense' = meaning) yield 'according to the Bible,' which does not by itself signal sexual intercourse. The euphemistic reading ('had sex') depends on cultural/allusive knowledge and pragmatic inference, so a B1 learner who only knows the word meanings would not reliably derive this sense.

Etymology

In the biblical sense comes from the Bible, where the verb 'to know' was often used to mean having sex, not just to know someone. So saying in the biblical sense is a polite or joking way to suggest that two people had sex.