Clarification: Guts versus Balls

There are many ways to define a person who is bold:

• “it took real guts to …”
• “that really took some balls …”

There are, of course, other euphemisms that work … “stones”, “chutzpah”, and so on …

But do you know the difference between these words? Let’s use two examples to help clarify:

• Guts: You arrive home very late after a night out with the boys. Your wife meets you at the door, holding a broom. You ask “are you cleaning, or did you just fly in?”
• Balls: You arrive home very late after a night out with the boys. You smell of perfume and beer and there is lipstick on your collar. You slap your wife’s butt affectionately and say “next!”

These distinctions are, of course, rather subtle. The difficulty in distinguishing these scenarios is exacerbated by the fact that both result in your untimely death.