"Balls to the wall"....A woman whom Asa went hiking with used that phrase. Does anyone know anything about it? Asa says that the visual image it evokes is ludicrous!

Ever since our server changed, Asa has been unable to start topics so he asked me to start this for him.

It certainly does seem ludicrous. What is it supposed to mean?

"Backs to the wall" is common enough. Is she perhaps getting mixed up?

It's quite a common phrase in rock journalism to describe any thing that is no-holds-barred. Although, I don't think it could be used without irony anymore.

According to this it has nothing to do with male anatomy, but was originally an aviation term. Now, how about balls up in the sense of a mess or a blunder.

Oh, that is a nice site, jheem. What is the link to it? We should add it to our links for linguaphiles.

I've never heard of balls up.

I've never heard of balls up.

It really is a British term. I must've heard it in some movie or TV show. Probably obsolete, but our resident Britons can tell us all about that. Another term I like is bally, which I first heard in an hilarious Monty Python skit:

CAPTION: 'SOMEWHERE IN ENGLAND, 1944'

The squadron leader enters an RAF officers' mess and takes off his helmet.

Bovril: Morning, Squadron Leader.

Squadron Leader: What-ho, Squiffy.

Bovril: How was it?

Squadron Leader: Top-hole. Bally Jerry, pranged his kite right in the how's your father. Hairy blighter, dicky-birdied, feathered back on his Sammy, took a waspy, flipped over on his Betty Harper's and caught his can in the Bertie.

Bovril: Er, I'm afraid I don't quite follow you, Squadron Leader.

Squadron Leader: It's perfectly ordinary banter, Squiffy. Bally Jerry...pranged his kite right in the how's yer father...hairy blighter, dicky-birdied, feathered back on his Sammy, took a waspy, flipped over on his Betty Harper's and caught his can in the Bertie.

Bovril: No, I'm just not understanding banter at all well today. Give us it slower.

Squadron Leader: Banter's not the same if you say it slower, Squiffy.

From episode 42. Bally according to Partridge is a euphemism for bloody.

Kalleh, I recognize the site jheem found: Wordorigins.org. I went there myself last night, and found just what he posted! Yep, good site! Odd that I, a former pilot, hadn't heard the term - but then one would only use it if one were flying a multi-engine aircraft, since one would need two or more throttles for it to make sense.

Bally according to Partridge is a euphamism for bloody.

Gives a whole new meaning to the chain of gyms here in the USA called Bally Total Fitness!