beat one's meat

Verb

beat one's meat (third-person singular simple present beats one's meat, present participle beating one's meat, simple past beat one's meat, past participle beaten one's meat or beat one's meat)

1. (euphemistic, slang, vulgar) To masturbate manually by stroking or rubbing one's penis.
   • I beat my meat instead of having intercourse.1948, Psychiatric quarterly (New York State Dept. of Mental Hygiene), volume 22, page 243
   • 7. Is masturbation harmful? Does it cause acne, etc.?
     8. How does a girl beat her meat?1967, American Academy of Psychotherapists, Voices: The Art and Science of Psychotherapy, page 41

   Synonyms:

   masturbate

2. (broadly, slang, vulgar) To waste time; to engage in an unproductive activity.
   • He had had the theory that all this space stuff was just the Soviet Union beating its meat, shooting off into space. Other than that he couldn't imagine the slightest use for it all. Space was, after all, space — with nothing in it.1991, William Barton, Michael Capobianco, Fellow Traveler, Spectra, →ISBN

   Synonyms:

   fanny about, spin one's wheels