Idioms

x-rated

This page is about the idiom x-rated

Meaning

If something is x-rated, it is classified as pornographic and therefore not suitable for young people.

For example

  • One of the first x-rated movies to get a general release was "Last Tango in Paris" with Marlon Brando.

  • I checked the brower's history and saw that my teenage son had been looking at x-rated websites, as all healthy, normal boys do.

Origin: From a film classification system in which films with pornographic content were given an "x" rating. This led to "xxx", a symbol mostly used in marketing pornographic material, or pornographic live shows.

Quick Quiz

If you watch an x-rated movie, you'll see a movie

a. about a treasure hunt

b. showing people having sex

c. about nurses taking x-rays
a) about a treasure hunt b) showing people having sex c) about nurses taking x-rays

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Common English Idioms

Contributor: Matt Errey