Bollocks - a history. Is it the hardest working swear word in use today?
We confess, Bollocks is one of our favourite swear words.
But do you know its history?
And did you know how versatile this exceptionally pleasing word can be?
What is the history of the swear word 'Bollocks'?
Well, we need to return to Britain in the 1300s when testicles were commonly called 'Ballacks', which derived from the Anglo Saxon word 'Beallucus'.
Like many Anglo Saxon words 'Ballacks' wasn't considered impolite or a curse word for many centuries.
There is evidence that it was also used as a slang term for clergymen. In the 1970s Professor James Kingsley, a linguistics professor at Nottingham University, wrote that in the early eighteenth century, "Bollocks" was used to refer to a 'priest', or 'rubbish by the priest' in their sermons.
Bollocks was also popular in botanics and the natural world. Many varieties of orchid, such as ‘bollock grass’ and ‘ballockwort’, were named because of the shape of the plant’s tubers, The word ‘orchid’ itself is from the Latin orchis, meaning ‘testicle.
One of our favourite phrases using the old form of bollocks in the UK is from the 1500s. We adore the idea that men would affectionately call each other 'Sweet Ballacks' or 'Sweet Bollocks'.
Susi Dent, the brilliant author and broadcaster who specialises in language, shared this recently on a BBC Radio 4 podcast 'Unspeakable'.
When did 'Bollocks' become a swear word?
This is hard to pin down.
It seems that Bollocks becomes a curse word some time in the 1800s when ‘bollocks in brackets’ was used as a slang phrase for a bow-legged man. And ‘big ballocks’ described a self-important person.
‘Bollocking something up' meant messing things up. And to be ‘ballocksed’ was to find oneself in an extremely low state, or blind drunk.
During the First World War 'The Dog's Bollocks' became a popular phrase to suggest that something was incredible or amazing.
This phrase was popular slang amongst printers, who would call :- (colon and a dash) 'the dog's bollocks'. Because that's what they thought it looked like.
But by the 1950s, the word "Bollocks' is being used by the masses as a popular expletive to express annoyance at something, or to suggest that something, such as an opinion, is rubbish or disagreeable.
Today it is considered a medium strength curse word in broadcast and print media.
But a visit to many parts of Ireland and the UK will expose travellers to 'Bollocks' being used liberally as a term of affection, as a noun, as a verb and as a pain reliever when someone hits their thumb with a hammer.
But do proceed with caution, and only use 'Bollocks' when you feel comfortable with context, affinity and relationships. Generally, it's impolite to use it in formal settings, in conversation with strangers.
And you'll definitely get a few strange looks if you shout it out when another London Underground passenger stands on your toe.
Is 'Bollocks' the hardest working swear word in history?
It's up for debate, but we think so.
In this video interview of us with the famous Canadian voice actor Joanna Reynolds, we find ourselves joyfully, linguistically playing with the word 'Bollocks'.
We add "to get a bollocking" as a phrase that is used to describe someone who has been given a stern telling off.
And we've definitely been 'bollocked', 'bollocksed' at some point in our lives. And we definitely think each other (and Joanna) are 'the dog's bollocks'.
Potentially 'Ass' or 'Arse' is the most versatile curse word internationally.
But we're definitely voting for 'Bollocks' as the UK's most versatile, and potentially the most loved swear word today.
We hope this article and others we have written helps you understand why swearing isn't necessarily a bad thing, the evolution of language and why words matter.
More from the Damn Fine Greetings team about words and linguistics
Why do British people swear so much more than Canadians (and many other countries)?
What are the origins of swear words / curse words? And why are some words taboo?
Word science: Synesthesia and Logomisia - why do some words cause physical pleasure or pain
The Damn Fine Greetings Swear Word Quiz