Ballock

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. A vulgar British slang term for a testicle ; to scold or reprimand someone harshly and loudly
2. Slang for one of the male reproductive glands ; to rebuke someone angrily with sharp, harsh criticism
3. Crude informal word for a testicle ; to berate or chew out a person with fierce verbal criticism

Etymology: The sound of this word is its most telling feature. Old English "bealluc" meant "testicle" and was built from "ball" with the diminutive suffix "-ock", so it literally meant "little ball". The suffix is the same one found in "hillock" and "bullock", and the word passed into Middle English as "ballok" before settling into the spelling "bollock" most people now see in print. Its verb sense, to berate someone harshly, is a later development that grew out of the original anatomical noun, and the crude slang underlying it has kept the word firmly in the category of strong oaths in British English. "Ballock" is an alternative spelling of the same word and is used less often than "bollock".

Synonyms: testicle, scrotum