Editing Oat (section)

== In human culture ==

In his 1755 ''Dictionary of the English Language'', [[Samuel Johnson]] defined oats as "A grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Johnson |first1=Samuel |author1-link=Samuel Johnson |title=Oats |url=https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=oats |website=Samuel Johnson's Dictionary Online |access-date=20 July 2024 |date=1755 }}</ref>

[[Oats Peas Beans and Barley Grow|"Oats and Beans and Barley Grow"]] is the first line of a traditional folksong (1380 in the [[Roud Folk Song Index]]), recorded in different forms from 1870. Similar songs are recorded from France, Canada, Belgium, Sweden, and Italy.<ref>{{cite web |title=Oats and Beans and Barley Grows |url=http://www.joe-offer.com/folkinfo/songs/12.html |website=Joe-offer.com |access-date=3 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150918173339/http://www.joe-offer.com/folkinfo/songs/12.html |archive-date=18 September 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In English, oats are associated with [[sexual intercourse]], as in the idioms "sowing one's (wild) oats", meaning having many sexual partners in one's youth,<ref>{{cite web |title=sow one's (wild) oats: idiom |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sow%20one%27s%20%28wild%29%20oats |publisher=[[Merriam-Webster]] |access-date=3 May 2024 }}</ref> and "getting your oats", meaning having sex regularly.<ref>{{cite web |title=to get your oats |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/to-get-your-oats |publisher=Collins |access-date=3 May 2024 }}</ref>