# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/81 "2013-10-19T19:27:55Z")
> [@aNewLeaf](#): > > Back before the internet, all porn was on paper. There were still pics, and books you read to see porn in your mind. > > Kids today have no idea what a hardship it was. But they’ll never find a box of Playboy magazines abandoned in a lot either. I heard a comedian talk about how when we were kids we had to get the Sears magazine and go to the bra section. But kids nowadays, with the internet, don’t know how easy they have it. They can just go to [Sears.com](http://Sears.com). ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/82 "2013-10-20T01:59:28Z")
It was in use when I was in high school (ca 1970). ---
**Author:** ![Habeed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/83 "2013-10-20T15:03:25Z")
Just because “ballin’” meant sex before does not meant it means that now. A “baller” is a high class member of a ghetto or other poor area. They have lots of cash to throw around, and walk around confidently. Maybe they have a basketball contract, or maybe they deal drugs, either way, they’re a baller. (the fact that they get a lot of sex is part of the deal but not related to the word) > **[Urban Dictionary: baller](https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=baller)** > > Someone who started out from the bottom and with nothing and have now made it to the top. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/84 "2013-10-20T18:51:59Z")
Back in ~1971, practically anyone I knew would have told you that ‘balling’ meant fucking. But I haven’t heard it used like that in 35-40 years. ---
**Author:** ![James\_Toothpaste](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e56c9b/32.png) [@James\_Toothpaste](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/James_Toothpaste)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/85 "2013-10-20T20:27:57Z")
Never heard of it. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/86 "2013-10-20T21:22:44Z")
I ran across the term in Pohl’s _Starburst_ in the mid-80s. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/87 "2013-10-20T22:51:04Z")
Saw this on reddit and thought of this thread (sfw) [![](http://redditpics.fpapps.com/?thingid=t3_1ov1lm&url=http://i.imgur.com/M8D0zJ4.jpg) ](http://redditpics.fpapps.com/?thingid=t3_1ov1lm&url=http://i.imgur.com/M8D0zJ4.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/88 "2013-10-21T03:28:33Z")
1990: Sir Mix-a-lot’s protégé, Kid Sensation released Seatown Ballers: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8BhIXSQIhQM/hqdefault.jpg "Kid Sensation Seatown Ballers") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BhIXSQIhQM) ---
**Author:** ![Habeed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/89 "2013-10-21T05:20:13Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Saw this on reddit and thought of this thread (sfw) > > [http://redditpics.fpapps.com/?thingid=t3\_1ov1lm&url=http://i.imgur.com/M8D0zJ4.jpg](http://redditpics.fpapps.com/?thingid=t3_1ov1lm&url=http://i.imgur.com/M8D0zJ4.jpg) No one seems to have even noticed my post with the correct definition. As you can see from the kids shirt, it has little to do with sex. The cat is high status for whatever reason (he’s a baller!), and the stack of cash is a symbol of his wealth. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/90 "2013-10-21T07:23:30Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > 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. Jerry Williams, Jr. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2013, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/91 "2013-12-10T19:54:08Z")
The older slang usage is for “fucking,” and that’s how I’ve always thought of it, but I’ve heard it used more recently as high praise, as in, “That movie was just balling.” ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2013, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/92 "2013-12-10T20:47:02Z")
Am I the only one who associates “balling” with trains? It may be because even when I was young, I like to read stories about Casey Jones and other old-time railroad men. If you’re balling on a train, you’re going very fast–probably faster than you should be. ---
**Author:** ![SpeedwayRyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@SpeedwayRyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpeedwayRyan)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2013, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/93 "2013-12-10T21:00:29Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > Am I the only one who associates “balling” with trains? > > It may be because even when I was young, I like to read stories about Casey Jones and other old-time railroad men. If you’re balling on a train, you’re going very fast–probably faster than you should be. Short for “cannonballing,” perhaps? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2013, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/94 "2013-12-10T23:29:40Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > The older slang usage is for “fucking,” and that’s how I’ve always thought of it, but I’ve heard it used more recently as high praise, as in, “That movie was just balling.” The “high praise” or “wonderfull” meaning goes back to at least the early 1950s in print. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2013, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/95 "2013-12-10T23:41:23Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > Am I the only one who associates “balling” with trains? > > It may be because even when I was young, I like to read stories about Casey Jones and other old-time railroad men. If you’re balling on a train, you’re going very fast–probably faster than you should be. > [@SpeedwayRyan](#): > > Short for “cannonballing,” perhaps? Probably not short for cannonballing. “Balling the Jack” was a song from 1913. It was about a dance step. It also meant “to run away.” Whether the song coined the phrase or it existed previously is unknown. It also meant to go fast(as referring to a train). ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2013, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/96 "2013-12-11T07:04:35Z")
In the context of driving trains at full speed (or excessive speed), the word that I knew of was “highballing”. ETA: [Definition #2 here.](http://www.thefreedictionary.com/highballing) ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2013, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/97 "2013-12-11T10:35:03Z")
I’ve heard my father use highballing to mean “driving very exceedingly quickly.” I still had no idea that balling meant “having sex” until this thread, and I’m 27 and usually hip to older phrases and meanings. ---
**Author:** ![SpeedwayRyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@SpeedwayRyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpeedwayRyan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2013, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/98 "2013-12-11T14:46:44Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > Probably not short for cannonballing. > > “Balling the Jack” was a song from 1913. It was about a dance step. It also meant “to run away.” Whether the song coined the phrase or it existed previously is unknown. It also meant to go fast(as referring to a train). I thought of [“The Wabash Cannonball”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabash_Cannonball) (which mentioned “highball” in the lyrics, actually), along with ["Cannon Ball Baker"](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erwin_Baker)as reasons for that speculation…although I’ll freely admit don’t know crap about trains. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2013, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/99 "2013-12-11T15:20:57Z")
More on the Cannonball Express: [http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2875/who-was-the-real-casey-jones](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2875/who-was-the-real-casey-jones) ---
**Author:** ![skdo23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@skdo23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skdo23)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2013, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/100 "2013-12-11T17:56:09Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Nope, never heard of it, not even as a quaint thing that old people say. To me, balling means playing a ball-based sport or being extremely cool. I’m a 28-year-old straight white male, if that matters. I’m 41, and that’s what I associate the term “balling” with today, but I vaguely remember it being slang for sex back when I was an adolescent. Not a polite term, but not a particularly obscene one either, i.e., if the show “Two and a Half Men” had been on the late 1970s - early 1980s, the term would probably have been used _ad nauseam_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539.md?page=6)