This site uses cookies. Some of these cookies are essential to the operation of the site, while others help to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used. For more information, please see the ProZ.com privacy policy.
Cookie settings
  1. KudoZ™ Top
  2. English
  3. Slang

sharon gives me tough love and shes also given me tremendous bollockings

English translation: to give a severe telling-off; dressing-down, reprimand

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:to give someone bollockings
Selected answer:to give a severe telling-off; dressing-down, reprimand
Entered by: María Teresa Taylor Oliver

03:37 Jun 9, 2004
English language (monolingual) [Non-PRO]
Slang
English term or phrase: sharon gives me tough love and shes also given me tremendous bollockings
bollockings
ramon
to reprimand, scold...
Explanation:
bollocking noun (slang)
a severe telling-off; dressing-down
[ETYMOLOGY: from bollock (vb) in the sense ``to reprimand'']

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs 6 mins (2004-06-09 06:43:08 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Also:

tough love
noun the practice of taking a stern attitude towards a relative or friend suffering from an addiction, etc., to help the addict overcome the problem

Meaning Sharon loves/is fond of him/her, and because of it, she is constantly scolding him/her to change his/her wrong ways...
Selected response from:

María Teresa Taylor Oliver
Panama
Local time: 11:01
Grading comment
Graded automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
5 +22to reprimand, scold...
María Teresa Taylor Oliver
5 -1Definitions of bollocks on the Web:
airmailrpl
3 -1I think it just means to 'slap around' or FIGURATIVELY 'beat up,' as in 'give a strong talking to'
kellyn (X)
Summary of reference entries provided
"When the going gets tough, the tough get going" is a popular proverb
Gad Kohenov

  

Answers


3 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): -1
I think it just means to 'slap around' or FIGURATIVELY 'beat up,' as in 'give a strong talking to'


Explanation:
I've never heard the term before, but that is the sense I get from it.

I could be totally wrong

kellyn (X)
United States
Local time: 09:01
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  jerrie: UK meaning - see Maria's answer - severe telling off, 'she has a right go at me' (verbally) .. ;-))
2 hrs
  -> Thanks!! I said i was guessing. I did, however, include 'a strong talking to' in my original answer, so that part was correct. but now that you [and others] have confirmed this, then 'tough love' and 'strong talking to' are a tad redundant --tho not 100%
disagree  Nancy Arrowsmith: tough love means telling the truth, even if it hurts
13 hrs
  -> yes, i guess my thoughts were overly focused on the well-known "Tough Love" program for parents of difficult teenagers... http://www.toughlove.org
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): -1
sharon gives me tough love and she's also given me tremendous bollockings
Definitions of bollocks on the Web:


Explanation:
Definitions of bollocks on the Web:

make a mess of, destroy or ruin; "I botched the dinner and we had to eat out"; "the pianist screwed up the difficult passage in the second movement"
www.cogsci.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/webwn

bollocks ['bɒləks], ballocks, U.S. bollix ['bɒlıks] (taboo slang)
pl n
1 another word for: testicles
2 nonsense; rubbish
interjection
3 an exclamation of annoyance, disbelief, etc
verb [usually foll by up]
4 to muddle or botch
[ETYMOLOGY: Old English beallucas, diminutive (pl) of beallu (unattested); see ball1]

Definitions of bollix on the Web:

make a mess of, destroy or ruin; "I botched the dinner and we had to eat out"; "the pianist screwed up the difficult passage in the second movement"
www.cogsci.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/webwn


airmailrpl
Brazil
Local time: 13:01
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in PortuguesePortuguese
PRO pts in category: 32

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Julia Gal: the term here is "bollocking", not "bollocks". Whilst obviously related, the meanings and usage are not at all similar. I don't disagree with your definitions but they are not related to the question ;-)
59 mins
  -> you disagree with the definitons of 'bollocks' given above?? Nowhere did I say that they were definitons of 'bollockings'..should I consider your 'disagree' as a 'bollocking' ??
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

23 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +22
to reprimand, scold...


Explanation:
bollocking noun (slang)
a severe telling-off; dressing-down
[ETYMOLOGY: from bollock (vb) in the sense ``to reprimand'']

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs 6 mins (2004-06-09 06:43:08 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Also:

tough love
noun the practice of taking a stern attitude towards a relative or friend suffering from an addiction, etc., to help the addict overcome the problem

Meaning Sharon loves/is fond of him/her, and because of it, she is constantly scolding him/her to change his/her wrong ways...


    Reference: http://www.wordreference.com/definition/bollocking.htm
María Teresa Taylor Oliver
Panama
Local time: 11:01
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 12
Grading comment
Graded automatically based on peer agreement.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Gayle Wallimann
13 mins
  -> Thanks :)
agree  Rowan Morrell
34 mins
  -> Thanks!
agree  Andrew Vdovin
49 mins
  -> Thank you.
agree  Saleh Chowdhury, Ph.D.
1 hr
  -> :)
agree  Julia Gal: Yes. That's it. It's very commonly used in England.
1 hr
  -> Thanks...
agree  tazdog (X)
1 hr
  -> Thank you
agree  jerrie: Absolutely for UK - very common!
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Jerrie... it reminded me of that old album by The Sex Pistols :P
agree  Alfa Trans (X)
3 hrs
agree  Orla Ryan
4 hrs
agree  David Moore (X): ....but NOT with "scold" - this is not nearly strong enough - "dressing down, telling off" are by far the best here.
4 hrs
agree  MJ Barber: a right telling off
4 hrs
agree  ohemulen
4 hrs
agree  awilliams
5 hrs
agree  Vicky Papaprodromou
5 hrs
agree  Ian Bradburn
6 hrs
agree  DGK T-I: agree Maria & David ~
7 hrs
agree  Jörgen Slet
7 hrs
agree  Aisha Maniar: agree with David...it is a "severe telling-off"
7 hrs
agree  mrrobkoc
7 hrs
agree  nlingua
10 hrs
agree  Alexandra Tussing
12 hrs
agree  Nancy Arrowsmith
13 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)




Reference comments


3185 days
Reference: "When the going gets tough, the tough get going" is a popular proverb

Reference information:
This reminds me of:

The phrase is a play on words involving idiomatic (Proverb) and distinct meanings of "go" and "tough." In context, "the going" means "the situation," "gets tough" means "becomes difficult," "the tough" means "people who are strong or enduring," and "get going" means "become fully engaged." Taken together, the meaning of the phrase is "When the situation becomes difficult, the strong will work harder to meet the challenge."

Another interpretation could mean, "Those who act tough and proud will vacate a situation when it becomes difficult lest they be proven not as tough as they appear to be."

Song by Bill Ocean (1984)

Gad Kohenov
Israel
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench, Native in HebrewHebrew
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.

You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.

Return to KudoZ list

KudoZ™ translation help

The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.

See also:
ProZ.com term search
Search millions of term translations
Close search
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search