Table 1.

Examples of ms used were described as:

Swahili term/metaphor	English translation	Possible meanings to the metaphors
Discrete terms literally referring to anal sex
Kufira	Sodomy	Anal copulation with a member of the same or opposite sex
Kutomba kwenye mkundu	To fuck the anus	Sexual penetration through the anal route
Kumtia nyuma	To penetrate from the back	Literally to ‘fuck’ through the anal route
Msenge	Men-who have sex with men (MSM)	Linking the act of HAS to MSMs
Terms not literally referring to HAS
Tigo, Zain, Voda	Names of telephone companies in Tanzania	Symbols of Tigo, Zain and Vodacom telephone companies are circular in shape resembling an anus
Shamba dogo	Small garden	Anal route considered smaller than vaginal route
Chuma mboga	Pluck vegetables from the garden	Bending posture which exposes the back area of the body
Salimia jirani	Greet neighbour	Anal route considered neighbouring the vaginal route
Okota mia	To pick 100 shillings (usually a coin in TZ currency)	The act of bending to pick something
Kuzama	To drown	Implies the act of the penis ‘drowning’ in the anal route
Geuza samaki	To turn the fish	A metaphor used to describe the act of eating both sides of the fish (i.e. vaginal as well as anal penetration)
Kinyume cha maubile	Against/Opposite of creation	The perception that the anus is meant for excretion and not sex and act of inserting the penis through the anus was considered going against creation
Nipe mambo leo	Give me an experience or something new	Could refer to adventure