balls of steel
Courage, audacity.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“He has balls of steel to face that crowd alone.”
“It took balls of steel for her to stand up to the boss during the meeting.”
“The pilot displayed balls of steel when he landed the damaged aircraft safely despite the severe storm.”
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ball hog
In team sports, a player who keeps the ball to themselves, rather than passing it.
- 02
ball of fire
A person who is especially active, ambitious, hard-working, or high-achieving.
- 03
ball of malt
A glass of whiskey.
- 04
balls to the wall
With maximum effort or commitment.
- 05
bust one's balls
To work very hard; to put in a lot of effort.
- 06
carry the ball
To lead in terms of responsibility, initiative, or progress.
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cobblers
[Cockney slang]balls or 'bollocks'
- 08
drag one's balls across
To exert extreme, often aggressive, power or control over; dominate.
Last updated August 10, 2026