balls
What does “balls” mean in English?
It refers to testicles but is often used as an exclamation of disbelief or to imply courage in phrases like 'having the balls to do something.'
Literally “testicles”
It's similar to saying 'bullshit' when expressing disbelief, used informally and often in a light-hearted or cheeky context. The tone can vary but is generally casual.
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Related English words
ballbag
3/5 · VulgarIt's a coarse insult referring to someone as a 'ballbag,' implying they're worthless or annoying. Literally, it translates to 'scrotum.'
what the fuck
4/5 · StrongIt's a strong expression of disbelief or confusion, often used when something unexpected or absurd occurs.
bollocks
3/5 · VulgarIt refers to nonsense or something that doesn't make sense, and can also be used as an exclamation of frustration. Literally, it means testicles.
bugger
3/5 · VulgarIt can be an insult, a term of endearment, or an expression of frustration. While it has a stronger sexual connotation in some contexts, it’s often used more casually in everyday speech.
About this data
Swear Atlas is a source-attested, AI-curated reference — not a native-speaker-certified dictionary. Meanings and the 1–5 Burn Rating are approximate editorial assessments that vary with context, region, tone and speaker. Inclusion of a word does not constitute endorsement of its use.
The literal gloss is a short editorial translation to show word-for-word sense, not an etymological claim.
“Sounds like” is an English-friendly approximation of how the word sounds, not an authoritative pronunciation. Where shown, the romanisation is a conventional Latin-script transliteration of the original spelling.
Term attested via 4troDev/profanity.csv, FlacSy/BadWords, washyourmouthoutwithsoap (MIT, MIT AND CC-BY-4.0). Editorial content © Swear Atlas.