In this paper a set of multidisciplinary quantitative methodologies is exploited in order to uncover the influence of metaphors on consumer behaviour. The authors present six studies carried out to investigate the existence of a metaphoric relationship between maleness and meat in the Western culture. Each of the studies addresses the question from a specific methodological perspective, ranging from mental association tests (implicit and free associations) to the linguistic analysis of the gendered nouns for 'meat' in different languages. The studies, taken together, provide converging evidence supporting the view of a metaphorical association between meat (especially mammal muscle) and maleness, while the results of one of the studies partially support the hypothesis that cooked meat is more likely to be associated with femaleness. Some possible implications of the findings for marketing researchers are also discussed.