fresh meat, n. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

fresh meat n.

[SE fresh + meat n. (1); pun]

1. a newly fledged prostitute.

1890–1904		Farmer & Henley Sl. and Its Analogues.
1916		H.N. Cary Sl. of Venery.

2. any form of novice, e.g. a new recruit.

1908		J. London Martin Eden 313: Here’s fresh meat for your axe, Kreis.
1934		Weseen Dict. Amer. Sl. 254: [Sports – Misc.] Fresh meat—A new opponent, especially in prizefighting.
1949		(con. 1943–5) A. Murphy To Hell and Back (1950) 42: Has anyone ever seen a nicer pack of fresh meat?
1957		J. Blake ‘Day of the Alligator’ in Algren Lonesome Monsters (1963) 133: After a while he’ll get a new one to play with and forget about you. He’s gotta have fresh meat.
1968		J. Colebrook Cross of Lassitude 340: She’s fresh meat, man.
1977		(con. 1969) M. Herr Dispatches 22: A sergeant, who took one look, called me Freshmeat, and told me to go find some other outfit to get myself killed with.
1993		T. Jones Pugilist at Rest 12: I was fresh meat, F.N.G. – a Fucking New Guy.
2002		D.H. Sterry Chicken (2003) 4: I’m seventeen-year-old freshmeat, just arrived to start my college career.
2018		J.-P. Jordan Joys of War 39: Lashkar Gah base [...] was buzzing with the fresh meat from the changeover at brigade.

3. a new sexual partner.

1966		Trimble 5000 Adult Sex Words and Phrases.
1967		E. Liebow Tally’s Corner 122: A ‘new’ woman is, by common consent, more stimulating and satisfying sexually than one’s own wife or girl friend. The man also sees himself performing better with ‘new meat’ or ‘fresh meat’.
1972		B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular 86: fresh meat [...] 2. someone new to have sex with to nip boredom in the bud.
1980		(con. 1970) W. Sherman Times Square 32: ‘He likes you,’ the burly detective whispered, ‘You’re fresh meat.’.
2001		‘Randy Everhard’ Tattoo of a Naked Lady 150: He just wants to fuck some fresh meat.

4. (US Und.) a new, young inmate, esp. a potential victim of predatory prison homosexuals.

1941		Star Press (Muncie, IN) 12 Sept. 9/1: The person who is not stir-wise [...] would be classified as ‘fresh meat’ or ‘fish’.
1958		W. Talsman Gaudy Image (1966) 35: Sleepin’ with a virg and didn’t know it. I told ya I was partial to fresh meat.
1965		D. Pearce Cool Hand Luke (1967) 39: Newcocks! Newcocks! Fresh meat over here! You’ll be sorr-eeeeeee!
1976		M. Braly False Starts 221: Some trusties loitering there jumped up to look through the windows at the fresh meat.
1986–7		Maledicta IX 155: Young chits, fresh meat and fresh fish [...] pretties and chicken (tender white meat) are chased by rapacious chicken-hawks.
1991		O.D. Brooks Legs 40: They would [...] rattle the big key ring on the bars, and holler, ‘Fresh meat!’.
2000		Village Voice (N.Y.) 15 Feb. n.p.: ‘Hey, look at the fresh meat!’.
2012		J. Fagan Panopticon (2013) 138: Have you got a girlfriend? [...] I bet you only do fresh meat.

in N.Z. prison use

(a)

2001

D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 74/1: fresh meat n. 1 (also new meat)an inmate new to the prison, esp. one serving his first sentence. 2 a 16 year-old girl. [a girl of 16 is of legal age for sexual intercourse.] 3 a new (female) prison officer. 4 an expression by gay or lesbian inmates to refer to a potential new conquest who has arrived in the prison. 5 an expression used after one has inflicted a knife wound upon another: 'Ahh, fresh meat!' 6 a gang prospect.

(b) a new inmate.

2001

D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 74/1: fresh meat n. 1 (also new meat)an inmate new to the prison, esp. one serving his first sentence .

2001

D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 74/1: fresh meat n. 2 a 16 year-old girl. [a girl of 16 is of legal age for sexual intercourse.] .

(d) a new male or female prison officer.

2001

D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 74/1: fresh meat n. 3 a new (female) prison officer.

(e) (gay) a potential new conquest.

2001

D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 74/1: fresh meat n. 4 an expression by gay or lesbian inmates to refer to a potential new conquest who has arrived in the prison.

(f) in biker gangs, a new prospect, still moving through initiation.

2001

D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 74/1: fresh meat n. 6 a gang prospect.