喜樂美語

核心畫面

One way to hold this word: it starts as the crudest everyday name for a part of the male body, and British and Irish speech keeps picking that taboo word up and throwing it at things. Thrown at somebody's claim, the claim becomes worthless talk. Thrown into the air when a plan collapses, it is just a shout. Thrown at a rule or a person, it is a refusal. Thrown at a machine, the machine is wrecked. Same rude object, different targets.

可以想成：bollocks 本來只是身體上一個很粗的稱呼。英國和愛爾蘭的口語很習慣把這種禁忌字拿起來，往東西身上砸。…更多收起可以想成：bollocks 本來只是身體上一個很粗的稱呼。英國和愛爾蘭的口語很習慣把這種禁忌字拿起來，往東西身上砸。砸在別人的說法上，那套說法就變成沒價值的廢話。事情出包時往空中砸一句，就是單純的咒罵。砸在一條規定或一個人身上，就是「我不接受」。砸在一台機器上，那台機器就是被弄爛了。每個用法都像同一顆髒字落在不同的目標上。

From the word’s history

Wiktionary traces the word to Middle English ballokes, the plural of ballok, from Old English beallucas — from the start the name of the body part. Every later use in this entry is that body word being reused, not a separate root.

依 Wiktionary 的說法，這個字來自中古英語 ballokes（ballok 的複數），再往前是古英語 beallucas，一開始指的就是身體的那個部位。後面「廢話」「咒罵」「搞砸」這些用法，都是同一個身體字被拿去重複使用，不是另一條來源。

Wiktionary entry for bollocks (kaikki extract, source_ref kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:49049324:31141), etymology_text supplied in this packet

Three branches

身體上的那個字

這一支就是本義，也是其他所有用法的起點。

noun · C1

The two round male sex organs that make sperm, which doctors call the testicles. This is the oldest meaning of the word, and it is a very rude one.

睪丸（粗俗）

砸在「沒價值」的東西上

把禁忌的身體字丟到一套說法或一個人身上，那套說法、那個人就被貶成沒價值的東西。

noun · C1

Nonsense. Something that is untrue, silly, or badly thought out. Calling something bollocks is a very rude way of throwing away what someone has said or written. It is a British and Irish swear word.

鬼扯；屁話

脫口而出的咒罵與拒絕

這一支已經不指任何東西了，剩下的是把髒字丟出去那個動作本身，還有它帶著的情緒。

noun · C1

Said out loud when you are annoyed, angry or disappointed, usually at the moment something goes wrong. It is a British and Irish swear word, used much as damn is used.

可惡！；糟糕！

原始詞典資料9 筆記錄

以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。

bollocksnoun詞源 1/ˈbɒ.ləks/

  • 1

    vulgarThe testicles.

  • 2

    vulgarAn idiot; an ignorant or disagreeable person.

    • —I’m a ballocks, he said, shaking his head in despair. I am and I know I am.
    • He […] had come through Borstal institutions, mostly, I would say, by sucking up to bullying big bollixes the likes of James.
  • 3

    vulgarNonsense; rubbish.

    • That's a load of bollocks, mate!
    • All the dealers would steam into his cabin for a few sherbets after work, and to listen to his bollocks.

bollocksverb詞源 1/ˈbɒ.ləks/

  • 1

    vulgarTo break.

    • The telly's bollocksed.
  • 2

    vulgarTo fail (a task); to make a mess of.

    • I bollocksed that exam.

bollocksintj詞源 1/ˈbɒ.ləks/

  • 1

    vulgarAn expression of anger, frustration, etc.

    • Oh bollocks, I'm late for work!
  • 2

    vulgarAn expression of incredulity.

    • Bollocks! That never happened!

這個拼法也被記錄為下列字的變化形：

資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。