# Are you aware of the used of the term "balling" to mean having sex? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 18, 2013, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539 "2013-10-18T01:20:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/41 "2013-10-18T13:58:10Z")
You know that song “Take Me Out To The Ball Game”? Well, just so you know, I understand “Root, root, root for the home-team” has an entirely different meaning if you’re an Aussie. Maybe for a Kiwi too. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/42 "2013-10-18T13:59:19Z")
Mom: Our daughter wants to shave her head! Dad: She told you this? Mom: No, I heard her on the phone and she said she wanted to get bald soon! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/43 "2013-10-18T14:03:18Z")
Bumper sticker seen on car during mid 1960s Viet-Nam bombing campaign: “Bombing to end war is like balling to end love”. My dad saw that and went ballistic. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/44 "2013-10-18T14:11:31Z")
I heard it a lot in Jr. High when some of my friends were just starting to have sex but very little since. It’s been near 40 years now. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/45 "2013-10-18T14:49:03Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > I think you are confusing Little Richard’s _Lucille_ with his _Good Golly Miss Molly_. The former does not contain the word “ball”, the latter does: > Good Golly Miss Molly! > You sure like to ball. > When you’re rockin’ and a-rolling, > Can’t you hear your mamma call? > However, although the sexual meaning of “ball” certainly fits here, I am not entirely convinced that it was intended (at least, not unambiguously). In this case “ball” might just mean something like “party”. This fits better with the rocking and rolling (although that may once have meant having sex, too). The song is from 1958, though. My feeling is that “ball” came into popular use to mean “have sex” a bit later, in the '60s sometime, probably with the hippies. In a [parody of _'Twas The Night Before Christmas_](http://www.purplelion.com/christmas/parodies/hip.shtml), there is ‘And with that red nose, man, he looked like a baller.’ This is clearly a reference to partying (i.e., partying and drinking much and frequently). ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/46 "2013-10-18T14:51:30Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Heck, I had a girlfriend who was too embarrassed to use any ordinary term for two people having sex, so “balling” was her go-to euphemism. In the early-'80s we used ‘boffing’. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/47 "2013-10-18T14:59:23Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Mom: Our daughter wants to shave her head! > Dad: She told you this? > Mom: No, I heard her on the phone and she said she wanted to get bald soon! :eek: _ **Laugh-In** _: Judy Carne’s hair flies off. Her response: “Well I’ve never been bald before.” ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/48 "2013-10-18T15:26:17Z")
In case anyone is interested, I’m not going to prevent the t-shirts from being made or anything like that should they decide to stick with the slogan and can get it approved. I don’t care that much. I was more thinking of what all the parents and grandparents of these kids would think when they saw their kid wearing a school sponsored t-shirt with the phrase. I was also concerned that the teacher was being played by the students. She’s very young. I actually quite like her. I thought I might save her some embarrassment. I’m old and my first thought when I heard the phrase was of the sexual connotation. I was not aware of it’s use as slang for being cool or hip or good at sports. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/49 "2013-10-18T16:04:42Z")
Hey - young women walk around with Juicy and other choice words on their tushes. A t-shirt featuring the word balling, regardless of whether they get the sexual connotation of the word, would probably not raise any eyebrows. Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/50 "2013-10-18T16:15:42Z")
There was a song recorded by a major R&B artist in the 1970’s called _I Sure Love To Ball._ The artist’s nickname was “The Swamp Fox,” but I can’t remember his main name, and _Swamp Fox_ turns up too many references in Google to quickly narrow it down. I know I have the song in my collection somewhere, and could find it if necessary, but my memory brings back these lyrics, which might not be 100% accurate: I sure love to ball, And you do, too. Rollin’ and bumpin’ Jumpin’ and humpin’ Til we’re thru. Ohh, streamin’ and creamin’ As my body hovers over you, I sure love to ball, And you do, too! …which doesn’t leave much to the imagination. Maybe that’s why it didn’t get much airplay. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/51 "2013-10-18T16:23:23Z")
Marvin Gaye recorded a song in 1974, [You Sure Love to Ball,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Sure_Love_to_Ball) on his album, _Let’s Get it On_. Not much hidden meaning there, either. ---
**Author:** ![Jumpbass](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jumpbass/32/147_2.png) [@Jumpbass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jumpbass)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/52 "2013-10-18T16:30:58Z")
I’m 50- I’ve never heard of it being used to mean a cool person. I agree with **Wordman** ; it’s got to be part of the appeal of the term. Re: Balling The Jack: The phrase means to work hard. It’s also used in the lyrics to Louis Jordan’s song "Choo Choo Ch’Boogie. “Hear that train a rollin’ when it’s ballin’ the jack.” It’s either that or means boffing someone named Jack. ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/53 "2013-10-18T17:10:00Z")
I wish I was a little bit taller, I wish I was a baller… ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/54 "2013-10-18T20:55:30Z")
Anyone in this thread who thinks these high school kids have any idea that balling means having sex are almost assuredly wrong. Being a former high school teacher myself, I can confirm that the meaning has completely changed since you were kids, and this teacher is not the subject of a prank or something funny. In a similar vein, we named our math league team “The Baked Lays” and our teacher almost wouldn’t let it happen because of a possible drug and/or sex connotation. We just really liked the chips (which were brand new at the time). ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/55 "2013-10-18T21:02:26Z")
Could buy the teacher a [Balling hydrometer](http://www.novatech-usa.com/Products/Balling-Plato-Hydrometers), used to measure degrees Balling. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/56 "2013-10-18T21:04:42Z")
It would be interesting to see a version of this poll that included the posters’ ages. IIRC, ballin = cool, or good at basketball, even back in the mid 90s. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/57 "2013-10-18T21:14:33Z")
I know its sexual connotation from a dirty book that was smuggled in to my junior high school and passed around, which was titled “Balling Babysitter”. This was in '82ish? ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/58 "2013-10-18T21:24:26Z")
I’m vaguely aware of it, but it’s not common here. “Banging” and “humping” maybe, but “balling” isn’t common here. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/59 "2013-10-18T21:26:47Z")
I’m 55. When I was a young teenager -( aged 13 or 14) “balling” was **an extremely** common term for sexual intercourse among my peer group, perhaps the most common. And I had a classmate with the unfortunate name of Wanda Ball. Musical cite from one of my favorite albums back in the day, Steppenwolf’s _Monster_. The song is From Here to There eventually and this is the lyric: While others die up against the wall You take the time to tell us all 'Bout how we’re not supposed to _ **ball** _ You really are a riot It’s got nothin’ to do with Heaven or Hell What I do in bed, I’m not gonna tell What I’m talking about, you know dam well You really ought to try it Steppenwolf - From Here To There Eventually Lyrics | MetroLyrics ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/60 "2013-10-18T21:33:39Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Let’s be clear: Little Richard _meant_ sex, but since it was hidden in slang, could wink about it. First thing I thought of when I saw the tread title, and the sexual double meaning in “you sure like to ball.” To me, it was standard blues-y lyrical double entendre. Plus plenty of books I read that were written in the 60s and 70s or so used “balling” as slang for sex. Pretty sure I encountered it more than once in Charles Bukowski. Plus I’ve heard it used in conversation, but it’s a bit old-timey slang. “Balling” has shifted in meaning, meaning something like “cool” and “hip.” “Baller” is a similar term that seems to be related. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539.md?page=4)