British Slang For Testicles (10 Examples!)

There are some words that virtually always get replaced by slang terms in general day-to-day speech.

Genitals in general are often a good example of this, and testicles are certainly no different in Britain.

But the British also go far above and beyond, and have a great many varied slang terms for testicles—so let’s look at a wide selection of them today.

In This Article

Balls

Starting off with the simplest and by far the most common slang term for testicles in Britain, first we have “balls”.

This one is of course not exclusive to Britain and you’ll hear this one just about everywhere in the English-speaking world.

It’s the most popular and widespread slang term for testicles in Britain, used by people of all generations and in all areas of the country—from the north of Scotland to the south of England.

Everyone will understand what you mean by this, even if they don’t use the word themselves. “You’ve got some balls!” for example.

The word itself is obviously very old, deriving from an Old English word which we can surmise but of which we have no record, beall.

It first came to mean testicle, though, in the latter half of the 14^th Century.

It simply derives from the fact that the testicles are generally thought of as being round like the shape of balls.

Bollocks

Next we have “bollocks,” which is just as widely understood but generally considered to be a less polite way to refer to testicles—if there is any polite way to do so!

“Bollocks” is an outright profanity by most standards, and it has a lot of wider application beyond just referring to testicles.

It can also be used as an exclamation to call out something you think isn’t true.

In both ways, it is used throughout the country, though again most people consider it to be offensive so be careful of the contexts in which you use it.

“He just kicked me in the bollocks and ran off,” for example.

The word in its modern form has been in use since around the 18^th Century—we first see it attested in writing, in roughly this modern spelling, in 1744.

However, it has a much older root, ultimately deriving from the same source as “balls”.

This is from the Old English beallucas, literally just meaning testicles.

This comes from an even older Proto-Germanic root.

Goolies

Now we have one you may not be familiar with if you have not spent any time in Britain, “goolies”.

That said, there are certainly areas outside Britain where this term is used, though to a much lesser extent and less commonly.

This one is not as commonly used, though it’s often considered to be a more acceptable and polite word to use.

It isn’t considered to be an outright profanity, though naturally you still want to be wary with when and where you talk about testicles in the first place.

“I’m worried my goolies will fall off in this cold weather,” for example.

It’s thought that this term derives from a Hindi root, possibly passed to British soldiers during the Raj or simply from Indian immigrants after the fact.

The word golí in Hindi means something like “ball” or “pill” or even “bullet”.

Thus, a somewhat Anglicized version of the word becomes “goolies”.

It could also derive from a cognate word in another Indian language, though.

Gonads

Next, we have “gonads”, another more polite term for testicles in British slang.

Depending on who you ask, this term might have a much broader application than just testicles—according to some in Britain, it can just mean any sex organ that produces gametes.

However, even in the most vulgar of common conversations, most people aren’t likely to be thinking about gametes.

For the most part, then, this term is just used as a stand-in for the word “testicles”.

“You’ve got some big gonads, I’ll give you that,” for example.

This appears to be a term from Ancient Greek, which was obviously a lot more broad originally given its technical definition today as referring to any sex organ that produces gametes.

This Ancient Greek word would be Anglicized as goné, meaning seed or begetting, and gígnesthai, meaning “be born”.

When exactly it started being used in modern English in this way is unclear, though it’s older than you might think.

Nads

Following on from that, a term much more commonly used which derives directly from “gonads” is “nads”.

This is most commonly used in the south of England more than anywhere else, though virtually everyone will understand what you mean by the term.

It’s again considered a bit more polite and not really an outright swearword, though it’s still somewhat vulgar.

Again, there’s really no polite way to talk about this. You’re more likely to hear it from the older generations today.

“My nads hurt after that,” for example.

Nadgers

Next we have a less common one but certainly one you might still hear from time to time, “nadgers”.

This tends to be a lot more common among the older generations today, and it’s not something you’re likely to hear a younger person say.

Given its similarity to other words meaning testicles, though, most people will probably be able to figure out what the term means.

It can also mean a non-specific illness, so do consider that meaning if you hear someone use the term.

Other than that, it will probably mean testicles.

“Will you stop talking about your nadgers at the table?” for example.

No one is quite sure where this term derives from.

There are multiple possibilities.

Some think it may derive from military slang, which was used as far back as the 1940s though not recorded until the 1960s.

Others think it more simply relates to the word “knickers” or “knackers”.

The truth is we may never know the true origin of this slang term.

Cobblers

Next we have “cobblers”, an example of Cockney rhyming slang.

This one, then, is much more geographically limited, and you’ll really only hear it in the East End of London.

This is where Cockneys hail from, and rhyming slang is a type of slang they use in which a rhyming word is substituted for the word you actually want to say.

There are many examples of this, and most of them are shortened down so that the word you actually say doesn’t even rhyme anymore.

“Check out the cobblers on this guy!” for example.

The full phrase is “cobbler’s awls”, an awl being a pointed tool used for piercing holes in leather.

The rhyme comes from the rhyme with “balls” and “awls”.

It’s hard to say when this term started being used, though it may well be quite old—it’s very hard to say with vernacular slang like this.

Twig and berries

Following on from that, another example of Cockney slang, “twig and berries”.

This is rather a term for the male genitalia as a whole, and I expect I don’t need to explain the imagery to you!

This one, then, is certainly not as widely used as others in the list, but you may well hear it from time to time in the right places.

It’s obviously not very polite but it’s still a euphemism nonetheless, and the kind of thing you might get away with using in the right context—just be wary of that context!

“Did you just call them ‘twig and berries’?” for example.

It’s not known when this term started being used, though again we can clearly see what the term is referencing.

It may well be a very old one, then, in some form or another, but there is a profound lack of written sources to back this up.

We will likely never know how old this term is.

Meat and two veg

In a similar vein, you may also hear “meat and two veg” as a slang term for testicles and penis in Britain.

This one is very tongue-in-cheek and not the kind of thing that is used all that commonly, but the vast majority of people in Britain will certainly understand what you mean by it.

It’s almost like a less regionally specific version of “twig and berries”.

Most people in Britain will understand it.

The term obviously just references a common meal of meat with two different kinds of vegetables which has been in use since at least the 19^th Century

Kood

Finally, we have an example of Welsh slang. “Kood” is a common term used in Wales as a slang term for testicles.

Naturally, it won’t be much understood outside of Wales, but within Wales most people will have a good idea what you mean by this.

It is sometimes also spelt “cwd” in its Welsh form. It has the same meaning of simply the testicles and is most commonly used in the north of Wales.

“Does anyone here have the kood to face me?” for example.

So, while you naturally want to avoid using most of these in private conversation, nevertheless you can see just how diverse the British lexicon of words for testicles is.

From some of the stronger profanity to the weaker, more childish words, there is every part of the spectrum you need to talk about testicles in the given context—though, hopefully, there aren’t that many contexts in which you do need to do so!

More in British Slang

Founder - @PollyWebster

Polly Webster is the founder of Foreign Lingo and a seasoned traveler with a decade of exploration under her belt.

Over the past 10 years, she has journeyed to numerous countries around the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures, traditions, and languages.

Drawing from her rich experiences, Polly now writes insightful articles about travel, languages, traditions, and cultures, sharing her unique perspectives and invaluable tips with her readers.

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