BULLOCKS - euph/typo/LA pron.?

[Jonathan Lighter]

"Ballocks" (often spelled "bollocks" these days) is so atypical of general American speech that there is no "LA pronunciation."  Nor I think, would any American be likely to euphemize it with another word ("bullock") that barely exists here.

My vote is for "author's bad spelling."

JL

neil <neil at TYPOG.CO.UK> wrote:
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Sender: American Dialect Society
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Subject: Re: BULLOCKS - euph/typo/LA pron.?
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on 3/5/05 12:36 pm, neil at neil at TYPOG.CO.UK wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: neil
> Subject: BULLOCKS - euph/typo/LA pron.?
>
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> From the Acknowledgments of 'The Best Awful':
>
> 'For Tracey and Johnny -- thank you both so ['so' itals] -- bullocks -- much
> for your continued -- tits tits tits -- support. Without the two of you --
> cockring -- these lingering coughs would be more difficult to -- wanker --
> bear.'
>
> --Carrie Fisher, 'The Best Awful', 2004 (Pocket Books, London, 2005, XIV)
>
> It would seem that euphemism is unlikely, given the context and use of
> swearwords throughout the novel.
>
> As for a typo, the only one I found was when reindeers Donner and Blitzen
> were referred to as Donder and Blitzen.
>
> So is it LA pronunciation?
>
> --Neil Crawford

Sorry! Forgot to say I assume BULLOCKS is a variant of BOLLOCKS
(testicles/nonsense).

--Neil

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