[Ads-l] Nutmegging

[Stephen Goranson]

Given OED, noun and verb, and GDoS, testicles seems likely.

Google Books went blank page on me, but in Women's Football in Latin
America... 2022, 45 used to read something such as nutmegging the
Patriarchy.

For an iffy antedating, The Sport for Suburbia, Manchester Guardian, 4 May,
1963, 6/4, on bowling teamates:

"We've got a butcher, a greengrocer, a joiner; have we got a nutmeg-grinder
then? Eh? Eh?"

https://www.proquest.com/hnpguardianobserver/docview/184876376/fulltextPDF/AA8AAB4C9A1F4930PQ/8?accountid=10598&sourcetype=Newspapers

sg

On Mon, May 25, 2026 at 12:54 AM ADSGarson O'Toole <
00001aa1be50b751-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:

> A friend asked me about the origin of the following term used in football
> (soccer) nutmegging - passing the ball between the feet of an opponent.
> There are a few proposed explanations: cockney slang; spice trade;
> testicles.
>
> It would be useful to know when the term emerged and which explanation was
> offered contemporaneously. Perhaps some list members can locate
> enlightening citations?
>
> Garson
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org