Have Big Balls | A Lot of Balls

Variants:
have balls
have big balls
have a lot of balls
have some balls

Meaning of Idiom ‘Have Big Balls’

To have balls means to have courage or be willing to do dangerous things; to be willing to confront someone who can potentially harm you in some way. To have big balls means to have a lot of courage and a seeming disregard for one’s safety, etc.

Usage Notes

Big balls can be used alone to mean courage, bravery, or toughness. The variants have big balls and have a lot of balls both have the same meaning as’to have balls’ but are used to lend emphasis and strength to the expression. All variants can be considered slightly vulgar but they are used commonly in informal language among friends. The word ‘got’ is frequently used instead of ‘have.’

Sentence Examples

“I have to admit, you have balls to stand up to Adam like that.”

“Rick really has big balls. I can’t believe he jumped his motorcycle over that creek.”

“It takes big balls to work on an oil rig.”

“You have some balls talking to me like that!”

“He has a lot of balls but not a lot of sense.”

Origin

The word balls, in this idiom, refers to the male testicles, often thought of as the seat of manhood. To have large testicles, therefore, means to be more manly and display manly courage.