Are \'bollocks\' sometimes on US tongues these days?
 

I thought it was a UK/Australasian-only phrase, but I heard Vince Vaughn say it in Dodgeball. Have bollocks crossed the Atlantic?

Re: Are \'bollocks\' sometimes on US tongues these days?
 

obligatory gay joke

Re: Are \'bollocks\' sometimes on US tongues these days?
 

Don't you just hate it when the English go around messing with the English language. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Re: Are \'bollocks\' sometimes on US tongues these days?
 

i say it cuz my former boss was a brit and it caught on. he had to explain the proper usages to me though; i didn't realize it had more than one meaning.

i will be over in the UK in a week, maybe i'll pick up some more fun lingo.

Re: Are \'bollocks\' sometimes on US tongues these days?
 

yeah, to explain:
'the bollocks' (shortening of 'the dog's bollocks'== very good, best)
'bollocks' - rubbish, or testicles.

I'm pretty sure only the latter has got to the Western colonies though.

Re: Are \'bollocks\' sometimes on US tongues these days?
 

[ QUOTE ]
yeah, to explain:
'the bollocks' (shortening of 'the dog's bollocks'== very good, best)
'bollocks' - rubbish, or testicles.

I'm pretty sure only the latter has got to the Western colonies though.

[/ QUOTE ]

yeah, that's how he explained it too.

i use both. mostly jokingly though, cuz noone ever knows what i am talking about.

Re: Are \'bollocks\' sometimes on US tongues these days?
 

I take it from this that 'bollocks' isn't in common usage then?

Re: Are \'bollocks\' sometimes on US tongues these days?
 

'the bollocks' (shortening of 'the dog's bollocks'== very good, best)

This should be easy for people here to remember, given it means the same thing as "the nuts".

Re: Are \'bollocks\' sometimes on US tongues these days?
 

[ QUOTE ]
'the bollocks' (shortening of 'the dog's bollocks'== very good, best)

This should be easy for people here to remember, given it means the same thing as "the nuts".

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually, that's amazing, two cultural memes converging! And being so similar; 'nuts' is bad, 'the nuts' is good!

They have different source/roots etc, but they mean the same thing, and the meaning is mostly reversed or radically changed with the inclusion of the definite article.

I'll shut up now cos the stupid don't like to be reminded.

Re: Are \'bollocks\' sometimes on US tongues these days?
 

[ QUOTE ]
I take it from this that 'bollocks' isn't in common usage then?

[/ QUOTE ]

nope.

[ QUOTE ]
'the bollocks' (shortening of 'the dog's bollocks'== very good, best)

This should be easy for people here to remember, given it means the same thing as "the nuts".

[/ QUOTE ]

not really, it's more use like this:

Patrick del Poker Grande: this new Coheed and Cambria CD is the [dog's] bollocks!

this phrasing wouldn't really work with "the nuts"

nor would you throw down your AA and yell "i've got the bollocks!"

they're 2 different beasts.

diebitter, do you agree? and by the way, where in england are you located?