Look up bollocks in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

"Bollocks" is a word of Anglo Saxon origin, meaning "testicles" in British English and in Hiberno-English. The word is often used figuratively, as a noun to mean "nonsense" or conversely to mean "top quality" or "perfection", an expletive following a minor accident or misfortune, and an adjective to mean "poor quality" or "useless". The common phrase "Bollocks to that!" expresses a distaste for a certain task or subject; "the dog's bollocks" expresses the opposite, namely admiration or pleasure. Bōku is an abstract strategy board game played by putting marbles on a perforated hexagonal board with 80 spaces. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wiktionary (a portmanteau of wiki and dictionary) is a multilingual, Web-based project to create a free content dictionary, available in over 150 languages. ... Old English (also called Anglo-Penis[1], Englisc by its speakers) is an early form of the English language that was spoken in parts of what is now England and southern Scotland between the mid-fifth century and the mid-twelfth century. ... Look up testes in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... British English (BrE, BE, en-GB) is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere in the Anglophone world. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

Perhaps the best-known use of the term is in the title of a punk rock album, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols. Testimony in a resulting prosecution over the "obscene" term demonstrated that in Old English the word referred to a priest, and could also be used to mean "nonsense". Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... Cover of US Release Never Mind the Bollocks, Heres the Sex Pistols is a 1977 album recorded by the seminal English punk rock band, Sex Pistols. ...

Etymology

The word has a long and distinguished history, with the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) giving examples of its usage dating back to the 13th century. One of the early references is John Wycliffe's Bible (1382), Leviticus xxii, 24: "Al beeste, that ... kitt and taken a wey the ballokes is, ye shulen not offre to the Lord..." (any beast that is cut and taken away the bollocks, you shall not offer to the Lord, i.e. castrated animals are not suitable as religious sacrifices). The Oxford English Dictionary print set The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is a dictionary published by the Oxford University Press (OUP), and is the most successful dictionary of the English language, (not to be confused with the one-volume Oxford Dictionary of English, formerly New Oxford Dictionary of English, of... (12th century - 13th century - 14th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 to 1300. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      John Wycliffe... This Gutenberg Bible is displayed by the United States Library. ... Leviticus is the third book of the Hebrew Bible, also the third book in the Torah (five books of Moses). ... Castration (also referred as: gelding, neutering, orchiectomy, orchidectomy, and oophorectomy) is any action, surgical, chemical, or otherwise, by which a male loses the functions of the testes or a female loses the functions of the ovaries. ...

The OED states (with abbreviations expanded): "Probably a derivative of Teutonic ball-, of which the Old English representative would be inferred as beall-u, -a, or -e".

The Teutonic ball- in turn probably derives from the Proto-Indo-European base *bhel-, to inflate or swell. This base also forms the root of many other words, including "phallus". The term Germanic peoples may refer to: the Germanic tribes that in the first millennium were seen as a barbarian threat by the Roman Empire and its successors; the Germanic Christianity that in the second millennium came to dominate much of Northern Europe, politically organized in the Holy Roman Empire... The Proto-Indo-European language (PIE) is the hypothetical common ancestor of the Indo-European languages, spoken by the Proto-Indo-Europeans. ... This article is about the symbol of the erect penis. ...

From the seventeenth to the nineteenth century, bollocks or ballocks was allegedly used as a slang term for a clergyman, although this meaning is not mentioned by the OED's 1989 edition. For example, in 1864, the Commanding Officer of the Straights Fleet regularly referred to his chaplain as "Ballocks". It has been suggested that bollocks came to have its modern meaning of "rubbish" because clergymen were notorious for talking rubbish during their sermons.^[1] Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Alternative spellings

"Ballock" is a variation of "bollock", which was in everyday usage in the medieval period, albeit rarely heard today. The connection with "ball" in the sense of "testis" is evident. For other uses, see Ball (disambiguation). ... Human male anatomy The testicles, known medically as testes (singular testis), are the male generative glands in animals. ...

The word is sometimes spelled as bollox or bollix usually in order to make it appear less vulgar. In this case its meaning is "to bungle", for example, "The project was going well, but my boss bollixed it up." This is the sense in which the term "bollix" is generally used in American English, where the term "bollocks" is generally known only from the title of the Sex Pistols album, and its original meaning is almost unknown. "Bollixed up" is sometimes considered an out-of-date expression that has largely been replaced by phrases such as "screwed up," as the latter term has gradually lost most of its previously vulgar connotation. The term vulgar originally meant of the common people, from the Latin vulgus. ... For other uses, see American English (disambiguation). ... Screws come in a variety of shapes and sizes for different purposes. ...

"Bollix" may also be used to refer to a particularly nasty or awkward person, particularly in Ireland, as in "He's a right Bollix".

A modern folk etymology claims that the correct singular of the word should not be "bollock", but rather "pillock", commonly used as another British English insult (though usually without the testis connotation). However, it appears that this is erroneous, and that the two words are connected only by similarities in the spelling. Both "pillock" and "cock" are probably shortened forms of the Middle English "pillicock", a slang term for "penis". Folk etymology is a term used in two distinct ways: A commonly held misunderstanding of the origin of a particular word, a false etymology. ... British English (BrE, BE, en-GB) is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere in the Anglophone world. ... Look up cock in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Middle English is the name given by historical linguistics to the diverse forms of the English language spoken between the Norman invasion of 1066 and the mid-to-late 15th century, when the Chancery Standard, a form of London-based English, began to become widespread, a process aided by the... The penis (plural penises, penes) is an external male sexual organ. ...

Severity

The relative severity of the various profanities, as perceived by the British public, was studied on behalf of the Broadcasting Standards Commission, Independent Television Commission, BBC and Advertising Standards Authority. The results of this jointly commissioned research were published in December 2000 in a paper called "Delete Expletives?". This placed "bollocks" in eighth position in terms of its perceived severity, positioning it (in an anatomically-correct coincidence) between "prick" (seventh place) and "arsehole" (ninth place). By comparison, the word "balls" (which has a similar literal meaning) was ranked in 22nd place. Of the people surveyed, only 11% thought that "bollocks" could acceptably be broadcast at times before the notional 9pm "watershed"^[2] on television (radio does not have a watershed). Look up Profanity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Ofcom is a regulator for communication industries in the United Kingdom. ... The ITC has been superseded as the British commercial television regulator by Ofcom (the Office of Communications). ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is the independent British self regulatory organisation (SRO) of the advertising industry. ... Watershed is a term used in the United Kingdom (as well as Canada) to describe a time in television schedules beyond which it is permissible to show television programmes which have adult content. It is known in the US as Safe Harbor. Adult content can be generally defined as having...

Negative uses

Bollocks!

Bollocks! can be used as a standalone interjection to express strong disagreement. It dismisses a statement as nonsense, similar to "bullshit". This can be expanded, for example, to "What a complete and utter load of bollocks!" An expression with a similar meaning is "Yer ballax!" (Your bollocks). An interjection is a part of speech that usually has no grammatical connection to the rest of the sentence and simply expresses emotion on the part of the speaker, although most interjections have clear definitions. ... Look up bullshit in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

"Bollocks" can be used to annunciate a lie, an incorrect statement, an unfair situation, a spot of bad luck or something completely pointless, i.e "what a load of bollocks". A quotation from John O'Farrell includes a range of examples of this usage: a character attending a comedy awards ceremony said "These awards are a load of bollocks. It's all bollocks, all of it. These people: bollocks; this whole industry: complete bollocks; these prizes: meaningless bollocks; all these free gifts: marketing bollocks; this food: pure bollocks." ^[3] Similarly, it is claimed that New Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell "routinely dismissed unwelcome news stories as 'bollocks', 'complete bollocks' and 'bollocks on stilts'".^[4] John OFarrell (born March 27, 1962) is a British author, broadcaster and comedy script writer. ... New Labour is an alternative name of the British political Labour Party. ... In public relations, spin is a usually pejorative term signifying a heavily biased portrayal in ones own favor of an event or situation that is designed to bring about the most positive result possible. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

A related usage is in expressing contempt for something or someone. A Channel 4 TV programme on 9 June 2005, dealing with the subject of testicular cancer, was punningly titled Bollocks to Cancer. A similar usage is the "Bollocks to Brussels" car stickers, which were displayed by those wishing to express contempt for European law.^[5] Look up Contempt in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about the British television station. ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... Testicular cancer is cancer that develops in the testicles, a part of the male reproductive system. ... For other places with the same name, see Brussels (disambiguation). ...

Offensive T-shirts

This usage caused controversy when Tony Wright, a Leicestershire trader, was given an £80 fixed penalty fine by police for selling T-shirts bearing the slogan "Bollocks to Blair". This took place on 29 June 2006 at the Royal Norfolk Show; the police issued the penalty notice, quoting Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 which refers to language "deemed to cause harassment, alarm or distress".[2] Leicestershire ( IPA: (RP), IPA: (locally)), abbreviation Leics. ... is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Public Order Act 1986 creates offences commonly used by United Kingdom police to deal with public disorder and violence: Section 1: Riot Section 2: Violent Disorder Section 3: Affray Section 4: Fear or Provocation of Violence Section 4a: Intentional Harassment, Alarm or Distress Section 5: Harassment, Alarm or Distress...

Commentators^{[attribution needed]} have made comparisons with the Sex Pistols case, pointing to some of the statements made by the defence barrister, John Mortimer QC: "What sort of country are we living in if a politician comes to Nottingham and speaks here to a group of people in the city centre and during his speech a heckler replies 'bollocks'. Are we to expect this person to be incarcerated, or do we live in a country where we are proud of our Anglo Saxon language?" Sir John Clifford Mortimer QC (born 21 April 1923) is an English barrister turned prolific writer and dramatist. ... QC can stand for: Air Corridor IATA airline designator Quezon City, a highly urbanized city in the Republic of the Philippines. ... For other uses, see Nottingham (disambiguation). ... Look up Anglo-Saxon in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Not current in American English

Because the word "bollocks" is not generally understood in American English, it was used by one of the subjects in the 2004 television program Brat Camp, in which troubled British teenagers were sent to an American wilderness reformation camp. The participants were forbidden by the camp rules from swearing, but since the supervisors did not recognize the term "bollocks" as a swearword, one member was able to use it with impunity to relieve his frustration. The program included a brief segment in which he begged the (British) camera crew not to reveal the meaning of the word to the camp supervisors. For other uses, see American English (disambiguation). ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Brat Camp is a reality TV show about a group of some six or seven misbehaved teenagers, who are sent away to a special camp, usually located in the Utah desert, for misbehaving teens. ...

Longer usage

Sometimes bollocks is combined with an abbreviated version of the original statement, e.g.:

• "It was your fault." - "Bollocks it was!" (It certainly was not.)
• "Did Rovers win last night?" - "Did they bollocks!" (No they didn't and why are you asking such a silly question?)

This usage is most frequently found in Hiberno-English, where the reiteration of the verb for emphasis in answering a question is common, emulating the Irish language, where no single words for yes or no exist. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... This article is about the modern Goidelic language. ... Look up yes in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up no in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Talking bollocks

Talking nonsense or even bullshit, for example, "Don't listen to him, he's talking bollocks." Look up bullshit in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Bollockspeak

"Talking bollocks" in a corporate context is referred to as bollockspeak. Bollockspeak tends to be buzzword-laden and largely content-free. "Rupert, we'll have to leverage our synergies to facilitate a paradigm shift by Q4" is an example of management bollockspeak. The act of talking bollocks whilst waving one's arms about wildly is referred to as testiculation.^[6] This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Paradigm shift is the term first used by Thomas Kuhn in his 1962 book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions to describe a change in basic assumptions within the ruling theory of science. ...

Testiculate (verb)

To wave one's hands about (i.e. gesticulate) and "talk bollocks". Possibly attributable to the BBC Radio 4 comedy programme "I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue". old Radio 4 logo BBC Radio 4 is a UK domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. ... Im Sorry I Havent a Clue, sometimes abbreviated to ISIHAC or simply Clue, is a BBC radio comedy which has run since 11 April 1972. ...

A bollocks

Comparable to cock-up, screw up, balls-up, etc. Used with the indefinite article it means a disaster, a mess, a failure. It is often used pejoratively, as in "You made a bollocks out of that one, sunshine!". It is used throughout the British Isles, perhaps more frequently in the northern regions. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into bun (hairstyle). ... An article is a word that is put next to a noun to indicate the type of reference being made to the noun. ... This article describes the archipelago in north-Western Europe. ...

Bollocks (transitive verb)

To bollocks something up means "to mess something up". Alternatively, one can make a right bollocks of it. It refers to a botched job: "Well, you bollocksed it up that time, Your Majesty!" or "I'm sorry I'm so late. Bollocksed up at work again, I fear. Millions down the drain."^[7]

To drop a bollock

To drop a bollock describes the malfunction of an operation, or messing something up - as in many sports, and in more polite business parlance, dropping the ball brings play to an unscheduled halt.^[8] It has not been unknown in some instances for the phrase to be used to highlight extreme anger. The phrase has even seen use in the literal sense when a male suffers injury to the scrotum.

Bollocks dropping is also used more physiologically to refer to male adolescence, especially when concerned with the changes to his voice e.g. "How can he sing so high?" "Easy, his bollocks haven't dropped yet."

More recently the term has been used to describe disbelief, e.g. "He nearly dropped a bollock when he found out." "The manager would drop a bollock if he knew."

A bollocking

Bollocking usually refers to a strong verbal chastisement for something one has done incorrectly. i.e. "I didn't do my homework and got a right bollocking off Mr Smith" or "A nurse was assisting at an appendix operation when, apparently, she shouldn't have been doing so...and the surgeon got a bollocking".^[9] The term is used frequently in the British Army recruitment process where it is mutually understood that "if you err then you will get bollocked or get a bollocking" —in most cases, these bollockings will be without physical contact but will be a psychological assault on a person's character, look or actions. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ...

Originally, a bollocking was a serious assault, and the term comes from the bollock dagger, popular between the 13th and 18th centuries. The bollock dagger or ballock knife is a type of dagger with a distinctively shaped haft. ...

Rollocking is sometimes used as a euphemism "bollocking" (not to be confused with rowlocks, devices used in rowing a boat). A rowlock used for the sport of rowing Rowlocks, also known as oarlocks or riggers, are pivoting crutches that support and guide the oars of a rowboat, acting to transfer some of the thrust to the boat. ...

Bollocking (adjective)

Bollocking can also be used as a reinforcing adjective: "He hasn't a bollocking clue!" or "Where's me bollocking car?"^[10]

A kick in the bollocks

"A kick in the bollocks" is used to describe a significant set-back or disappointment.

In Ireland it is also the name of a non-alcoholic cocktail of Red Bull and red lemonade. For other uses, see Red Bull (disambiguation). ... Red lemonade is a popular soft drink in Ireland. ...

Dog's Bollock Syndrome

Dog's Bollock Syndrome can be used to describe an excessive use of technology or visual aid, such as in an enormous use of Flash animations on a website. It is derived from the question: "Why do dogs lick their bollocks?" (answer: "Because they can"). In a technological context, the question could be "Why has the web developer included a three-minute animated intro to this page?", prompting the answer: "Dog's Bollock Syndrome, mate. Because he can". ^{[citation needed]} ...

Up to one's bollocks

This phrase can be used if one is overwhelmed with a substance or chore. Eg: "Can you help me out, Henry? I'm up to my bollocks in paperwork!" Or: "The wife over-watered the flowerbeds again; now I'm up to my bollocks in petunias!" It is a vulgarism for the more usual "up to one's eyes in something". “Vulgar” redirects here. ...

Bollock cold and freeze one's bollocks off

The scrotum's purpose is to keep testicles a couple of degrees cooler than the rest of the body. However, bollock cold actually means very cold indeed. "It's bollock cold outside - it's enough to freeze the bollocks off a brass monkey". In some male mammals, the scrotum is a protuberance of skin and muscle containing the testicles. ... The phrase cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey is sometimes used by English speakers. ...

Work one's bollocks off

Both icy weather and hard work run the risk of orchidectomy: "Fred worked his bollocks off on that last project". (Interestingly, this phrase is frequently used by and about women, regardless of the fact that they are generally bollock-free to begin with. Lee Ryan from the Blue (boy band) refers to his mother having "worked her bollocks off" to help his early career. [3] ) In this context, one can also work one's bollocks "to the bone". Castration, gelding, neutering, orchiectomy or orchidectomy is any action, surgical or otherwise, by which a biological male loses use of the testes. ... Lee Ryan (born June 17, 1983 in Chatham, Kent) is a former member of the British boy band Blue and is now pursuing a solo career. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Blue (boy band) Blue were a successful English boy band similar to other boybands such as A1 consisting of four members: Lee Ryan, Duncan James, Antony Costa, and Simon Webbe. ...

Bollock naked

Used in singular form to describe being in the nude: "he was completely pissed and stark bollock naked".^[11] Bollocky is Australian slang for "naked"; in the bollocky-buff is naval slang for the same.^[12] However, bollock naked is naval slang for spaghetti bolognese. Australian English is the form of the English language used in Australia. ... Commander A. Covey-Crump, Royal Navy (RN), a former Naval Assistant to the Chief of Naval Information, was responsible in the mid-1950s for compiling a record of naval slang. ... Categories: Food and drink stubs | Sauces ...

Bollocks (singular noun)

In Ireland, "bollocks" or "ballocks" can be used as a singular noun to mean a despicable or notorious person: eg "Who's the old ballocks you were talking to?"^[13], or conversely as a very informal term of endearment: "Ah Ted, ye big bollocks, let's go have a pint!" The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ...

Bollocksed

Multiple meanings. Also spelled "bolloxed":

1. exhausted: "I couldn't sleep at all last night; I'm completely bollocksed!"
2. broken: "My foot pump is bollocksed."
3. an extreme state of inebriation or drug imbibement: "Last night I got completely bollocksed."^[14]
4. the after-effects of such activity : "I drank two bottles of gin last night, I'm completely bollocksed."

Positive uses

Dog's bollocks

A usage with a positive sense is the dog's bollocks.^[15] An example of this usage is "Before Tony Blair's speech, a chap near me growled: ‘'E thinks 'e's the dog's bollocks.’ Well he's entitled to. It was a commanding speech: a real dog's bollocks of an oration."^[16] Sometimes the phrase is shortened to just "the dog's" or "the bollocks" and can be substituted with "mutt's nuts" (see below). For other people of the same name, see Tony Blair (disambiguation) Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born May 6, 1953)[1] is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, Leader of the Labour Party, and Member of Parliament for the constituency...

Although this is a recent term (the Online Etymology Dictionary dates it to 1989^[15][17]), its origins are obscure:

• etymologist Eric Partridge and the BBC believe the term comes from the printers' mark of a colon and a dash^[18];
• another theory suggests it is a spoonerism of 1950's Meccano sets called "box, deluxe", in much the same way that their "box, standard" set name was corrupted to "bog standard", although this etymology is anything but certain.^[19]
• "The dog's bollocks" fits in with several rhyming reduplications of positive meaning that were popular during the 1920s ("the bee's knees," "the cat's pajamas"). More recent expressions that follow the same pattern are "the mutt's nuts" or "the dog's danglies".

There is also a beer brewed in England by the Wychwood Brewery called the Dogs Bollocks,^[20] as well as a lager cocktail.^[21] Eric Honeywood Partridge (February 6, 1894-June 1, 1979) was a noted lexicographer of the English language, and particularly of its slang. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Meccano is a model construction kit comprising re-usable metal strips, plates, angle girders, wheels, axles and gears, with nuts and bolts to connect the pieces. ... Bog standard is a term used in the British Isles to describe something that is not exceptional or interesting in any way. ... Reduplication, in linguistics, is a morphological process in which the root or stem of a word, or only part of it, is repeated. ... The 1920s is a decade that is sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties, usually applied to America. ... For other uses, see Beer (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Wychwood Brewery is a British brewery. ... Lager is a well attenuated beer brewed in cool conditions using a slow-acting brewers yeast, known as a bottom-fermenting yeast, and then stored (or lagered) for a period in cool conditions to clear away particles and certain flavour compounds to produce a clean taste. ... A traditional cocktail. ...

There is an Australian political blog called The Dogs Bollocks with the motto 'Truth is like a dog’s bollocks - pretty obvious if you care to look – but most of us prefer to avert our gaze, or have them permanently removed.'

The bollocks

The bollocks — and the definite article is important here — can be used to mean something good when one is talking about a person or object: "My new car is the bollocks!" or "That new chef down the road, she's the bollocks!". Non-native speakers of British English should exercise extreme caution when using the term in this manner. The antonymic property of bollocks and the [dog's] bollocks is often used in humour, such as in the film The 51st State. Definite Article is the title of British comedian Eddie Izzards 1996 performance released on video and CD. The video/DVD and CD performances were both recorded on different nights at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London, England. ... First language (native language, mother tongue) is the language a person learns first. ... British English (BrE, BE, en-GB) is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere in the Anglophone world. ... Look up Antonym in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The 51st State is a 2001 film directed by Ronny Yu, starring Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Carlyle and Emily Mortimer. ...

Top bollock

Top bollock is used as a superlative, for example: "This beer is top bollock". For the noun case, see superlative case. ...

Top bollocks

Used in the plural, top bollocks can be a slang term for women's breasts: "Look at Suzanne's top bollocks - you don't get many of those to the pound."^[22] It is also known to be used to refer to authority figures or those in power, particularly by office workers, e.g. "I have to do this, it's an order from the Top Bollocks". Slang is the use of highly informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speakers dialect or language. ... okay that is all ... In politics, authority generally refers to the ability to make laws, independent of the power to enforce them, or the ability to permit something. ... White-collar workers perform tasks which are less laborious yet often more highly paid than blue-collar workers, who do manual work. ...

Chuffed to one's bollocks

The phrase chuffed to one's bollocks describes someone who is very pleased with himself. Nobel laureate Harold Pinter uses this in The Homecoming^[23] The phrase provided a serious challenge to translators of his work^[24]. Pinter used a similar phrase in an open letter, published in The Guardian, and addressed to Prime Minister Tony Blair, attacking his co-operation with American foreign policy. The letter ends by saying "Oh, by the way, meant to mention, forgot to tell you, we were all chuffed to the bollocks when Labour won the election".^[25] The Nobel Prizes (pronounced no-BELL or no-bell) are awarded annually to people who have done outstanding research, invented groundbreaking techniques or equipment, or made outstanding contributions to society. ... Harold Pinter, CH, CBE (born 10 October 1930) is an English playwright, screenwriter, poet, actor, director, author, and political activist. ... The Homecoming is a play by Harold Pinter, first published in 1965. ... An open letter is a letter that is intended to be read by a wide audience, or a letter intended for an individual, but that is nonetheless widely distributed intentionally. ... The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ... A prime minister is the most senior minister of a cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. ... For other people of the same name, see Tony Blair (disambiguation) Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born May 6, 1953)[1] is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, Leader of the Labour Party, and Member of Parliament for the constituency... President of the United States, George W. Bush (right) at Camp David in March 2003, hosting the British Prime Minister Tony Blair. ... (Redirected from 1997 general election) The 1 May 1997 UK general election brought the first change in UK Government for 18 years. ...

Euphemisms

Although the term "bollocks" is far more widely accepted than it was at the time of the Sex Pistols trial, there are occasions when an alternative phrase is required, either for reasons of decorum or to thwart an overzealous mail filter. The Sex Pistols were an iconic and highly influential English punk rock band, formed in London in 1975. ... A mail filter is a piece of software which takes an input of an e-mail message. ...

Rhyming slang

The Cockney rhyming slang for bollocks is "Jackson Pollocks". It can be shortened to Jackson's, as in "Modern art? Pile of Jacksons if you ask me!". Sandra Bullocks is occasionally used to approximate rhyming slang -- it does not quite rhyme, but preserves meter and rhythm. The Beautiful South bowdlerised their original line "sweaty bollocks" as "Sandra Bullocks" as one of several changes to make their song "Don't Marry Her" acceptable for mainstream radio play. Cockney rhyming slang is a form of English slang which originated in the East End of London. ... Controversy swirls over the alleged sale of No. ... Dejeuner sur lHerbe by Pablo Picasso At the Moulin Rouge: Two Women Waltzing by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 1892 The Scream by Edvard Munch, 1893 I and the Village by Marc Chagall, 1911 Fountain by Marcel Duchamp, 1917 Campbells Soup Cans 1962 Synthetic polymer paint on thirty-two... Sandra Annette Bullock (born July 26, 1964) is an American film actress. ... The metre, or meter (symbol: m) is the SI base unit of length. ... Rhythm (Greek = flow, or in Modern Greek, style) is the variation of the length and accentuation of a series of sounds or other events. ... The Beautiful South were an English pop group formed at the end of the 1980s by former members of Hull group The Housemartins - Paul Heaton and Dave Hemingway. ... Thomas Bowdler (July 11, 1754 – February 24, 1825), an English physician, has become (in)famous as the editor of a childrens edition of William Shakespeare, the Family Shakespeare, in which he endeavoured to remove every thing that could give just offence to the religious and virtuous mind. ...

Other examples:

• Jacobs = Jacob's Cream Crackers = Knackers

United Biscuits is a British multinational food manufacturer, owned by Finalrealm, a syndicate including Cinven. ...

Spoonerisms

The spoonerism Bonkey Dollocks is a term of endearment for a well-endowed male. The bonkey's dollocks can be used as a synonym for "the dog's bollocks", as can the bog's dollocks. Another popular spoonerism is Betty Swollocks (also Swallox or Swallocks). "It ain't half hot and humid in Kuala Lumpur, mum - I've got a bad case of betty swollocks". This can be shortened to simply "The Betties". This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... Synonyms (in ancient Greek, συν (syn) = plus and όνομα (onoma) = name) are different words with similar or identical meanings. ... Nickname: Motto: Maju dan makmur (Malay: Progress and Prosper) Location in Malaysia Coordinates: , Country State Establishment 1857 Granted city status 1974 Government  - Mayor (Datuk Bandar) Datuk Abdul Hakim Borhan From 14 December 2006 Area  - City 243. ...

Interjections

Various euphemisms have developed to substitute for "bollocks" in the sense of "nonsense" or "mess" or as an expletive.

Balderdash

Balderdash has a long, anorchid pedigree going back centuries, but sounds as though it ought to be a profanity: "With all due respect, Brian, you're talking balderdash". It is half of the title of the BBC etymology programme, in conjunction with the OED, Balderdash and Piffle. Look up Profanity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Balderdash and Piffle is a British television programme made by Takeaway Media for the BBC. Presented by Victoria Coren, it is a companion to the Oxford English Dictionarys Wordhunt, in which the writers of the dictionary asked the public for help in finding the origins and first known citations...

Horlicks

The term "Horlicks" was brought to prominence in July 2003 when Foreign Secretary Jack Straw used it to describe irregularities in the preparation and provenance of the "dodgy dossier" regarding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Straw used the expression "a complete Horlicks"^[26], instead of the less polite "make a complete bollocks of something". This euphemism stems from an advertising campaign for the Horlicks malt drink, where people were seen to be shouting "Horlicks!" in a loud voice to give vent to stress or frustration. The title of Foreign Secretary has been traditionally used to refer to the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. ... John Whitaker Straw (born August 3, 1946) is a British Labour Party politician. ... The briefing paper entitled Iraq: Its Infrastructure of Concealment, Deception and Intimidation has come to be known as the Dodgy Dossier. ... For the Xzibit album, see Weapons of Mass Destruction (album). ... Euphemism is the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant to the listener; or in the case of doublespeak, to make it less troublesome for the speaker. ... An advertising campaign is a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme which make up an integrated marketing communication (IMC). ... For information on the famous racehorse: Horlicks Horlicks is the name of a company and a malted milk hot drink claimed to promote sleep when drank at bedtime. ...

Bullocks

In the movie The Devil Wears Prada, Emily, the snooty assistant to the fashion editor, uses the term "bullocks" as an expletive when informed of her impending removal from the Paris team. The Devil Wears Prada is an Academy Award-nominated 2006 comedy-drama film, a loose screen adaptation of Lauren Weisbergers 2003 novel of the same name. ...

Gonads

Other words are direct substitutions for "bollocks" in the sense of "testicles". Look up substitution in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Nadgers

Nadgers is one of many words dripping with sexual innuendo that emerged in the 1950s and 60s to evade strict BBC censorship. The etymology is uncertain, but possibly based on "gonad". When Rambling Syd Rumpo on the radio show Round the Horne asked "What shall we do with a drunken nurker?", the answer he gave was "Hit him in the nadgers with the bosun's plunger...till his bodgers dangle"^[27] The badger's nadgers can be used as a rhyming substitute for the phrase the dog's bollocks. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... The gonad is the organ that makes gametes. ... Rambling Syd Rumpo was a folk singer character played by English comedian Kenneth Williams in the radio comedy series Round the Horne. ... Round the Horne was one of the most influential BBC Radio comedy programmes, comparable to The Goon Show in its influence on other comedy programmes. ...

Ballbags

Ballbags was popularised by the English comedian Russell Brand, on his television show Big Brother's Big Mouth. Over the course of series 7, they gradually developed their own personalities with one of them as the "younger, shyer bag", and the other as the "older, more confident bag". They featured in various escapades throughout series 7, but were then replaced by some "dicksacks". Brand also used ballbags as an all-purpose expletive, as bollocks may have been considered too rude for the audience demographic that Channel Four was trying to attract. Russell Edward Brand [1] (born June 4, 1975 in Grays, Essex)[2] is an English radio and television personality, comedian, actor, and newspaper columnist. ... Big Brothers Big Mouth (formerly Big Brothers EFourum) is a discussion programme based around the reality television series Big Brother, hosted by comedian Russell Brand. ... The word expletive is currently used in three senses: syntactic expletives, expletive attributives, and bad language. The word expletive comes from the Latin verb explere, meaning to fill, via expletivus, filling out. It was introduced into English in the seventeenth century to refer to various kinds of padding — the padding... Channel 4 is a television broadcaster in the United Kingdom (see British television). ...

Humour

There is a strand of English humour which uses words that sound similar to 'bollocks', or other slang words for testicles, for comic effect. A good example would be "In Sarajevo in 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was shot in the Balkans". In Richard E Grant's memoir With Nails, the actor tells of going to the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. He notes that this is the place where "Robert Kennedy was shot in the kitchens. Sorry - 'kitchens' sounds like a euphemism for 'bollocks'. He was killed here." British humour is a somewhat general term applied to certain comedic motifs that are often prevalent in comedic acts originating in Great Britain and its current or former colonies. ... Map of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Sarajevo) Coordinates: , Country Bosnia and Herzegovina Entity Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Canton Sarajevo Canton Government  - Mayor Semiha Borovac (SDA) Area [1]  - City 141. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The Balkans is the historic and geographic name used to describe southeastern Europe (see the Definitions and boundaries section below). ... Richard E. Grant (born Richard Grant Esterhuysen on May 5, 1957) is a British actor, born in Mbabane, Swaziland. ... The Ambassadors Cocoanut Grove circa the late 1950s. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... Robert Kennedy Robert Francis Bobby Kennedy, also called RFK (November 20, 1925–June 6, 1968) was the younger brother of President John F. Kennedy, and was appointed by his brother as Attorney General for his administration. ...

Another joke plays on a double meaning: "I was in the shoe-menders today- and I got kicked in the cobblers". A double entendre or innuendo is a figure of speech similar to the pun, in which a spoken phrase can be understood in either of two ways. ... Cobbler may mean: a person who makes and repairs shoes and boots for a living. ...

Further information: Cockney rhyming slang

Cockney rhyming slang is a form of English slang which originated in the East End of London. ...

Ballock knife

There is a type of late-medieval dagger that is known to weapon and armour specialists as a "ballock knife" or "ballock-hafted knife". This dagger has a pair of symmetrical oval swellings located on each side of the hilt at the guard and clearly resembling male genitalia. An example can be found in the Wallace Collection in central London and is depicted in the museum's official catalogue. Bold text This article is about the weapon. ... The bollock dagger or ballock knife is a type of dagger with a distinctively shaped haft. ... The Wallace Collection across Manchester Square gardens The Wallace Collection is a museum in London. ... Central London is a much-used but unofficial and vaguely defined term for the most inner part of London, the capital of England. ...

Other uses

Bollock head is a British term for a shaven head^[28]. It can also refer to someone who is stupid, as can bollock brain. The Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1811) cites the expression "His brains are in his ballocks" to designate a fool.^[29] Skinheads, named for their close-cropped or shaven heads, are a working-class subculture that originated in Britain during the 1960s. ...

Bollock chops describes someone with a round face. Bollock breath is a general term of abuse, likely for a person suffering from halitosis. Bollock buster refers to any very heavy item, especially one that may cause a hernia. Halitosis, oral malodor (scientific term), breath odor, foul breath, fetor oris, or most commonly bad breath are terms used to describe noticeably unpleasant odors exhaled in breathing – whether the smell is from an oral source or not. ... Look up hernia in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

On the Internet, "bollocks" is sometimes synonymous with "miscellaneous" in some blogs. It is used to list stories that do not fit in any other particular category (See Threadwatch).

Shouting game

A game called "bollocks" exists in which the players take turns to shout the eponymous word. Each shout is required to be louder than the last, starting with a whisper and ending with a full-blooded yell. This is usually played by schoolboys, to whom the idea of shouting a proscribed word in public has a sort of risqué appeal. A 'Mexican wave bollocks' variation (where the fun is in getting as many other people to shout the word as possible) is often played in the campsites of British music festivals; the main example being Reading and Leeds Festivals, but others as well, for example Glastonbury or T in the Park. People often break the chain by shouting 'arse' instead but this usually results in it starting over again. The audience wave (also called a Mexican wave) is a phenomenon that commonly occurs in the audiences of sporting events, and sometimes in other large crowds. ... The Reading and Leeds Festivals, officially called the Carling Weekend, are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. ... The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or Glasto, is the largest[1] greenfield music and performing arts festival in the world. ... T in the Park is a major Scottish music festival, held annually since 1994. ... Arse is an English term referring to the buttocks, first recorded circa 1400 (in arce-hoole) and is commonly used in English speaking countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, and former parts of the British Empire. ...

There is also a variant where the word is sung in increasing volume rather than shouted, and in some instances, can be rather musically pleasant, even though not particularly lyrically complex.

The game originated from High Storrs School Sheffield, when the creators, Andrew Tansley and Jonny Freeman, took a different approach to the game "bogies" originaly from "Dick and Dom in the Bungalow" in which they would shout "bogies" in public places such as cinemas. The game got more widespread as time passed and now is a nationwide pastime.

Other slang words for testicles

There are a large number of slang terms for bollocks, listed here Slang is the use of highly informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speakers dialect or language. ...

References

Notting Hill is a 1999 romantic comedy film set in the Notting Hill district of London, England, UK. The screenplay was written by Richard Curtis who had previously written Four Weddings and a Funeral. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 36th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 36th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Guy Ritchie (born 10th September 1968 in Hatfield, Hertfordshire[1]) is an English writer-director. ... Swept Away is a 2002 romantic comedy film. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 36th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Sunderland Association Football Club (Sunderland AFC or SAFC) is a professional football club, based at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, North-East England. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 36th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 251st day of the year (252nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 251st day of the year (252nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 251st day of the year (252nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 251st day of the year (252nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Ballcock
• bullock