# Is the Brittish term "Bollocks" likened to the American term "Bullsh\*t"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 22, 2006, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-brittish-term-bollocks-likened-to-the-american-term-bullsh-t/373712 "2006-09-22T14:18:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-brittish-term-bollocks-likened-to-the-american-term-bullsh-t/373712/1 "2006-09-22T14:18:45Z")
I’ve been watching a fair bit of Brit TV as of late with my new Satellite TV, and I hear the term Bollocks quite a bit and the people using it appear to be using it in the same manner I would use the term Bullshit. Example: statement - That Zebra has horrizontal stripes. American - Bullshit, it has verticle stripes… Brittish - Bollocks, it’s got verticle stripes! Is this correct? ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-brittish-term-bollocks-likened-to-the-american-term-bullsh-t/373712/2 "2006-09-22T14:33:03Z")
Bollocks or bollox can be used thus… “I really love you” “Bollocks, you’re only saying that to get into my knickers” OR “I really love you” “I never heard such bollocks in my life” OR “The team played like a load of bollocks on Saturday” It’s quite an ambiguous terminology really, It can mean one hell of a lot of things included bullshit ---
**Author:** ![BadBadger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@BadBadger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BadBadger)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-brittish-term-bollocks-likened-to-the-american-term-bullsh-t/373712/3 "2006-09-22T14:44:42Z")
What a wonderful reply **Chowder**. Actually cheered me up on a dreary afternoon. I tend to forget the myriad uses for that particular word and will endeavour to creep it into conversation this eve. Another great use for it is : “That’s the dogs bollocks.” Mutts nuts is just as good ofc ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-brittish-term-bollocks-likened-to-the-american-term-bullsh-t/373712/4 "2006-09-22T14:56:04Z")
I’d say it certainly incorporates some of the senses of _bullshit_, but it’s broader; bullshit, as a dismissive term, tends to deal primarily with information - incorrect information, irrelevant information, excessively detailed information, biased information, useless information, etc. Bollocks, on the other hand, can be additionally used to describe other things that are similarly incorrect, irrelevant, excessively detailed, biased or useless, but are not primarily informational; as in “I went to that shop you said was full of great bargains, but it was all just a load of old bollocks” or “most of the teams in the lowest half of the league are bollocks”. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-brittish-term-bollocks-likened-to-the-american-term-bullsh-t/373712/5 "2006-09-22T15:28:34Z")
[QUOTE=chowder] “The team played like a load of bollocks on Saturday” [/QUOTE] For which the players concerned would receive a right bollocking from the gaffer. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-brittish-term-bollocks-likened-to-the-american-term-bullsh-t/373712/6 "2006-09-22T16:29:06Z")
[QUOTE=Chez Guevara] For which the players concerned would receive a right bollocking from the gaffer. [/QUOTE] So you’ve been folowing the fortunes of Manchester City have you? Things are looking grim on the blue front ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-brittish-term-bollocks-likened-to-the-american-term-bullsh-t/373712/7 "2006-09-22T16:29:17Z")
As I understand it, “Bollocks” is semantically analogous to “Balls” (as in testicles.) I’ve heard “Balls!” being used in North America as an analogy for “Bullshit” (see John Cage’s favourite expression in Ally McBeal) However, I’ve also heard it used in numerous other contexts: _Screwed up_: “He really bolloxed that job!” _Bullshit/Nonsense/Tripe_: “That’s a load of old bollocks!” (or just simply “Bollocks!” Also in oath form analogous to “Shit!”) _Excellent_: “That’s the dog’s bollocks!” ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-brittish-term-bollocks-likened-to-the-american-term-bullsh-t/373712/8 "2006-09-22T16:39:22Z")
[QUOTE=Mindfield] As I understand it, “Bollocks” is semantically analogous to “Balls” (as in testicles.) I’ve heard “Balls!” being used in North America as an analogy for “Bullshit” (see John Cage’s favourite expression in Ally McBeal) However, I’ve also heard it used in numerous other contexts: _Screwed up_: “He really bolloxed that job!” _Bullshit/Nonsense/Tripe_: “That’s a load of old bollocks!” (or just simply “Bollocks!” Also in oath form analogous to “Shit!”) _Excellent_: “That’s the dog’s bollocks!” [/QUOTE] _Damn_: “Oh bollocks.” It is now even acceptable for use in official government statements: > [@](#): > > “It was like a crank call … the scientific mechanisms and principles were just bollocks, basically,” one official said. in response to [Madonna’s suggestions on dealing with nuclear waste](http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20192379-13762,00.html). ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-brittish-term-bollocks-likened-to-the-american-term-bullsh-t/373712/9 "2006-09-22T16:44:06Z")
Interestingly, my 90 year old, Indiana-raised mother, who is a bit of a language prude, even whispering the word “sex” if she has to use the word, uses the alternative spelling “bollix” as a verb without flinching. “The store manager bollixed up the whole deal.” (I suspect that she is not aware of the etymology.) ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-brittish-term-bollocks-likened-to-the-american-term-bullsh-t/373712/10 "2006-09-22T17:02:55Z")
On the other hand, **tomndebb** are totaly the dog’s bollocks arround here. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-brittish-term-bollocks-likened-to-the-american-term-bullsh-t/373712/11 "2006-09-22T17:29:08Z")
[QUOTE=tomndebb] Interestingly, my 90 year old, Indiana-raised mother, who is a bit of a language prude, even whispering the word “sex” if she has to use the word, uses the alternative spelling “bollix” as a verb without flinching. “The store manager bollixed up the whole deal.” (I suspect that she is not aware of the etymology.) [/QUOTE] It was definitely sued in the States back in the day. John Wayne says it in _Chisum_ IIRC. ‘You sure bollixed that up Kid’ or something along those lines. Here in Ireland it’s probably the most used swear work after fuck. Although it’s a lot weaker than fuck in most of it’s uses. ‘Go ask my bollocks’ is a very common phrase used to someone who says something that annoys you. ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-brittish-term-bollocks-likened-to-the-american-term-bullsh-t/373712/12 "2006-09-22T17:29:42Z")
[QUOTE=amarone] It is now even acceptable for use in official government statements: in response to [Madonna’s suggestions on dealing with nuclear waste](http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20192379-13762,00.html). [/QUOTE] Oh, my. Madonna’s getting involved in, and vocal about, some mad new-agey bollocks. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Doris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@Sir\_Doris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Doris)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-brittish-term-bollocks-likened-to-the-american-term-bullsh-t/373712/13 "2006-09-22T18:27:34Z")
[QUOTE=yojimbo] It was definitely sued in the States back in the day. John Wayne says it in _Chisum_ IIRC. ‘You sure bollixed that up Kid’ or something along those lines. [/QUOTE] I’ll never forget the episode of Lost in Space that featured a Captain Bollix. My jaw hit the floor - this would have been shown back in the 1980’s on a Sunday afternoon - not an acceptable time of day for swearyness - I even got my mom in the room to confirm I’d heard right. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-brittish-term-bollocks-likened-to-the-american-term-bullsh-t/373712/14 "2006-09-22T18:53:42Z")
[QUOTE=Mindfield] Oh, my. Madonna’s getting involved in, and vocal about, some mad new-agey bollocks. [/QUOTE] Bollocks to that nonsense. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-brittish-term-bollocks-likened-to-the-american-term-bullsh-t/373712/15 "2006-09-22T19:20:53Z")
[QUOTE=tomndebb] Interestingly, my 90 year old, Indiana-raised mother, who is a bit of a language prude, even whispering the word “sex” if she has to use the word, uses the alternative spelling “bollix” as a verb without flinching. “The store manager bollixed up the whole deal.” (I suspect that she is not aware of the etymology.) [/QUOTE] Wait, “bollix” the verb is from “bollocks”? I had no idea. That’s particularly odd in that it seems to have two inflectional suffixes in a row in the past tense: bollixed/bollocksed. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-brittish-term-bollocks-likened-to-the-american-term-bullsh-t/373712/16 "2006-09-22T21:54:20Z")
FWIW, the online American Heritage Dictionary says “bollix” is etymologically related to “balls” – ie testicles – and it only sees it as a verb, “to throw into confusion; botch or bungle”. But it has no entry for “bollocks”. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2006, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-brittish-term-bollocks-likened-to-the-american-term-bullsh-t/373712/17 "2006-09-23T00:10:23Z")
That is odd about the American Heritage Dictionary on-line. My print version says that bollix is from ballocks, but it lacks an entry for bollocks. The American Heritage on-line also lacks an entry for ballocks, which is very odd. Merriam-Webster confirms that bollix is an alteration of bollocks. (Ballocks and bollocks being simply variant spellings for the same word.) ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2006, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-brittish-term-bollocks-likened-to-the-american-term-bullsh-t/373712/18 "2006-09-23T00:23:34Z")
The best thing about “bollixed” is that it was said on the Flintstones. I shit you not. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2006, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-brittish-term-bollocks-likened-to-the-american-term-bullsh-t/373712/19 "2006-09-23T06:42:00Z")
[QUOTE=Revenant Threshold] The best thing about “bollixed” is that it was said on the Flintstones. I shit you not. 😉 [/QUOTE] Ah now. You’re acting the bollocks now 😉 Seriously, we Irish have brought this fine word to a level that I think leaves every other English speaking nation in it’s wake. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2006, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-brittish-term-bollocks-likened-to-the-american-term-bullsh-t/373712/20 "2006-09-23T08:26:33Z")
[QUOTE=yojimbo] Seriously, we Irish have brought this fine word to a level that I think leaves every other English speaking nation in it’s wake. [/QUOTE] Bollocks! 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-brittish-term-bollocks-likened-to-the-american-term-bullsh-t/373712.md?page=2)