Tuesday Etymology Lesson: bollicky

Today’s word was suggested by my friend Meaghan, who is an awesome writer and photographer. 

I hope you’re ready for the naked truth [groan] behind the word bollicky!  Bollicky is a slang word, originating in pre-Shakespearean times from the word bollocks, which a slang term for testicles.  Bollocks, by the way, comes from the Proto-Indo-European base bhel-, which means “to inflate or swell.”  Oh grow up! 😉 

My favorite thing about the word bollicky is that it doesn’t just mean “naked,” it means as naked as one could possibly ever be.  The kind of naked you are in those dreams where you’re somehow caught without clothing in the middle of the hallway of your high school and the bell just rang. The kind of naked a person is when they are only wearing shoes and a knit cap.  More naked than just naked.

Stay warm out there, folks!