—
Former Detroit Lions President Matt Millen infamously questioned the courage of one of his players by referring to him as a “devout coward” and asking “where are your testicles?”
It’s not uncommon to hear someone use the idiom “he’s got balls” or “that takes a lot of balls” in reference to a man’s courage. Sometimes size is even invoked: he’s got “big balls”, suggesting bravery above the norm.
Though the term likely came into English use through the Spanish word cojones, it was only at the start of the 20th century that we find textual evidence for the word “balls” to denote courage and the first work in English to use cojones as a metaphor for bravery was by … you guessed it, Ernest Hemingway.
However, the English word courage derives from the Latin word cor, meaning heart and to “take heart” was an admonition you might give your son, while one who demonstrated courage, such as a soldier in battle, might be said to “have heart” or be “lionhearted”.
Perhaps with increased media-supported insecurities around manhood and masculinity, and the ubiquity of porn provoking anxiety about penis size, it would benefit men to abandon the use of cojones or “balls” and return to the historic use of the word “heart” when referring to men and bravery.
Previously published on STAND Magazine
◊♦◊
Photo: GettyImages