sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll

noun

Indulgent and pleasurable activities.

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Meanings

nounsex, drugs and rock 'n' roll pl (plural only)
  1. idiomaticinformalpluralplural onlyIndulgent and pleasurable activities.

    Sex and drugs and rock and roll / Is all my brain and body need / Sex and drugs and rock and roll / Is very good indeed

    [1977, “Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll”, performed by Ian Dury and the Blockheads
    1 more example

    This, then, is Larry Mitchell's ultimate message: we all do have to be awake. Sex and drugs and rock 'n roll are fun, and fun is necessary, but it is not enough.

    1982 December 4, Rob Kaplan, “Life in the Last Days”, in Gay Community News, volume 10, number 20, page 12

Origin

Attested since the 1960s, later popularized by the 1977 song “Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll” by the Ian Dury and the Blockheads.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French sexe, drogue et rock 'n' roll
  • sexe, drogue et rock 'n' rollindulgent and pleasurable activities
Italian sesso, droga e rock 'n' roll
  • sesso, droga e rock 'n' rollindulgent and pleasurable activities
Portuguese sexo, drogas e rock and roll
  • sexo, drogas e rock and rollindulgent and pleasurable activities
Cite this entry
APA

sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sex%2C%20drugs%20and%20rock%20'n'%20roll

MLA

“sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sex%2C%20drugs%20and%20rock%20'n'%20roll. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sex%2C%20drugs%20and%20rock%20'n'%20roll.

Source: sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.