Groping

In a sexual context, groping is the act of intentionally touching another person in a sexual manner, usually without their consent.

Quotes

• The Flesh, or what so seems, he touches oft,
  Which feels so smooth, that he believes it soft.
  Fir’d with this Thought, at once he strain’d the Breast,
  And on the Lips a burning Kiss impress’d.
  ’Tis true, the harden’d Breast resists the Gripe,
  And the cold Lips return a Kiss unripe:
  But when, retiring back, he look’d agen,
  To think it Iv’ry, was a thought too mean:
  So wou’d believe she kiss’d, and courting more,
  Again embrac’d her naked Body o’er;
  And straining hard the Statue, was afraid
  His Hands had made a Dint, and hurt his Maid:
  Explor’d her, Limb by Limb, and fear’d to find
  So rude a Gripe had left a livid Mark behind:
  • Ovid, Metamorphoses (8 AD), Book X.
    John Dryden, "Pygmalion and the Statue", Fables, Ancient and Modern (1700)

•   Now sire, and eft sire, so bifel the cas,
  That on a day this hende Nicholas
  Fil with this yonge wyf to rage and pleye,
  Whyl that hir housbond was at Oseneye,
  As clerkes ben ful subtile and ful queynte;
  And prively he caughte hir by the queynte,
  And seyde, ‘y-wis, but if ich have my wille,
  For derne love of thee, lemman, I spille.’
  And heeld hir harde by the haunche-bones,
  And seyde, ‘lemman, love me al at-ones,
  Or I wol dyen, also god me save!’
  And she sprong as a colt doth in the trave,
  And with hir heed she wryed faste awey,
  And seyde, ‘I wol nat kisse thee, by my fey,
  Why, lat be,’ quod she, ‘lat be, Nicholas,
  Or I wol crye out “harrow” and “allas.”
  Do wey your handes for your curteisye!’
    This Nicholas gan mercy for to crye,
  And spak so faire, and profred hir so faste,
  That she hir love him graunted atte laste,
  • Geoffrey Chaucer, "The Milleres Tale" (1380s–1390s)

• A lusty wench as nimble as an eel
  Would give a gallant leave to kiss and feel;
  His itching humour straightway was in hope
  To toy, to wanton, dally, buss and grope.
  • John Taylor, Epigrams (1614; 1630)

• I feel thou art consenting ripe
      By that soft gripe,
  • John Cleveland, "To Julia to Expedite Her Promise" (1653; 1687)

• I took her by the lilly white Hand,
    And by the Twat I caught her,
  I swear and vow, and tell you true,
    She piss’d in my Hand with Laughter.
  • Tom d'Urfey ("A Scotch Song")
    Wit and Mirth; or, Pills to Purge Melancholy, iii, p. 307.

• I don't even wait. And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. ... Grab 'em by the pussy. You can do anything.
  • Donald Trump, Access Hollywood tape (7 October 2016)

• There was a young lady of Bude
  Who walked down the street in the nude.
    A bobby said, “Whattum
    Magnificent bottom!”
  And slapped it as hard as he could.
  • Anonymous, 1938
  • Reported in: G. Legman, The Limerick (1969), no. 137

See also

• Fingering (sexual act)
• Rape