balls

balls
balls "testicles," early 14c., from plural of BALL (Cf. ball) (n.1). See also ballocks. Meaning "courage, nerve" is from 1928. Balls to the wall, however, probably is from WWII Air Forces slang, from the ball that topped the aircraft throttle, thrust to the bulkhead of the cockpit to attain full speed. Ball-busting "difficult" is first recorded 1944; ball-buster, disparaging for "dominant female," is from 1974.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • balls up — (vulgar sl) 1. To make a muddle or mess of 2. To throw into confusion (ballsˈ up noun; ballsedˈ up adjective) • • • Main Entry: ↑ball * * * ˌballs ˈup [transitive] [ …   Useful english dictionary

  • Balls — steht für Edward Balls (* 1967), britischer Politiker Big Balls, deutsche Band Harvey Balls, kreisförmige Ideogramme Balls (Fernsehsender), Sportkanal auf den Philippinen Siehe auch Ball Bals …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • balls — [ bɔlz ] noun IMPOLITE 1. ) uncount confidence and the ability to deal with dangerous or difficult situations: NERVE: It takes balls to quit your job like that. 2. ) plural TESTICLES 3. ) uncount nonsense have someone by the balls to have… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • balls-up — balls ups N COUNT If you make a balls up of something, you do it very badly and make a lot of mistakes. [BRIT, INFORMAL, RUDE] He was in danger of making a real balls up of this. Syn: pig s ear …   English dictionary

  • balls-up — n [singular] BrE informal something that has been done very badly or not successfully ▪ Nigel made a complete balls up of the arrangements …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • balls — vulgar slang ► PLURAL NOUN 1) testicles. 2) courage; nerve. 3) (treated as sing. ) Brit. nonsense. ► VERB (balls up) ▪ bungle …   English terms dictionary

  • balls — alls, interj. nonsense. [PJC] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • balls-up — alls up n. something badly botched or muddled; a foul up. [British] Syn: ballup, cockup, mess up, foul up. [WordNet 1.5] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • balls — [bôlz] interj. Slang nonsense * * * …   Universalium

  • balls-up — ► NOUN Brit. vulgar slang ▪ a bungled task or action …   English terms dictionary

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