The 1,000 Words cartoon today had one woman saying, "So if men have testicular virility,--what do we have?" The other woman answered, "Class!"

Neither Shu nor I had heard of testicular virility. Is this phrase commonly used? Is there a similar term for women?

Illinois Governor Blagojevich used the term in a speech last Monday defending himself in a fund-raising scandal. He shut down a landfill that was owned by distant relative of his father-in-law, Chicago Alderman Dick Mell. Mell them accused Blagojevich's administration of trading jobs for campaign contributions. Blagojevich said that, while he was contemplating shutting down the landfill for environmental reasons, Mell had made threats through a third party. He said that Mell made the accusations in retaliation to the shut-down of the landfill. He said of his decision to close the landfill,

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"This is the kind of thing that I think, frankly, separates the men from the boys in leadership. Do you have to have testicular virility to make a decision like that knowing what's coming your way, knowing what's coming your way? I say I do."

In other words, he had the "balls" ("testicular virility") to make the tough decision to close the landfill. In the past you might have said you had the "guts" (or "intestinal fortitude") to make such a decision. Now days you would say you had the "balls" or, to use the Govenor's euphemism, the "testicular virility", to make a tough decision. I've never heard the phrase before, so I assume it's a recent coinage, perhaps Blagojevich's own.

Here 's another news report on his speech. Doubtless you can find many others.

The govenor called criticism of his choice of words as being sexist and inappropriate " baloney."

Here are a few comments.

Tinman

I've heard some of my women friends counter this kind of thing with "she's got brass ovaries." The first time I heard it I was very confused!

Welllll, since women's gonads secrete testosterone as well as estrogen, the analogy works, IMHO. Indeed, women whose libido is laging are often given testosterone cream to rub on their "girl parts."

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women whose libido is laging are often given testosterone cream to rub on their "girl parts.

You're so very knowledgable!

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Originally posted by Caterwauller:

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women whose libido is lagging are often given testosterone cream to rub on their "girl parts.

You're so very knowledgable!

Read For Women Only by Berman and Berman. I cheated and read it myself, but don't tell anyone!

Back to words.

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Originally posted by tinman: "testicular virility" ... I've never heard the phrase before, so I assume it's a recent coinage, perhaps Blagojevich's own.

Amazon's search feature gives this example from a book published February 1, 2004, Sick Economies: Drama, Mercantilism, and Disease in Shakespeare's England, by Jonathan Gil Harris:

Yet Vitelli's Galenic protestations of arterial vigor are as dubious as his aspirations to testicular virility, and Francisco eventually persuades him of the folly of both.

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women whose libido is laging are often given testosterone cream to rub on their "girl parts.

I feel sure there must be a more natural way to supply testosterone topically to "girl parts" - involving, I seem to recall, the assistance of a man.

Care to elaborate, RE?

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"she's got brass ovaries."

Yes, CW, I have heard that before, too. Good catch!

Strange, Tinman, that you quote this word from Chicago politicians. I had known about the Mell/Blogojevich tiff, but I hadn't realized that our own governor used the term. As I said, I had read it in a cartoon, which I assume is syndicated.

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Originally posted by Richard English:

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women whose libido is laging are often given testosterone cream to rub on their "girl parts.

I feel sure there must be a more natural way to supply testosterone topically to "girl parts" - involving, I seem to recall, the assistance of a man.

But if the woman in question isn't interested in the "natural" way, such remedies may assist her to become interested. Acting "naturally" sans interest on the woman's part can land a man in gaol!

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Care to elaborate, RE?

I fear that the ravages of anno domini preclude my demonstrating this old, but well-established technique these days :-(

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Originally posted by Richard English:

I fear that the ravages of anno domini preclude my demonstrating this old, but well-established technique these days :-(

Ah, there's the rub!