yarbles

Noun

yarbles pl (normally plural, singular yarble)

1. (plural, plural-normally, slang, vulgar) Testicles.
   • "Come and get one in the yarbles, if you have any yarbles, you eunuch jelly, thou."1962, Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange, 1st edition, London: William Heinemann, page 16
   • I mean, who could ever forget the touching moment in [The] Monster Squad when a pre-teenager kicks the Wolfman in the nuts and utters the classic line "The Wolfman has yarbles!"1988 March, Ed Naha, “1987: The Movies”, in Science Fiction Chronicle, volume 9, number 6, New York: Algol Press, →ISSN, page 40
2. (figuratively, mildly, plural, plural-normally, slang, uncountable) Courage, fortitude, or machismo.
   • "I'm not worried. This kid's got giant yarbles."
     "Giant yarbles make bigger targets," I say. "Maybe he ought to wear more than a loincloth."
     Ockham laughs. Slaps me on the back. "Didn't know you had a sense of humor, chief."2010, David Macinnis Gill, Black Hole Sun, 1st pbk. edition, New York: Greenwillow Books, published 2012, →ISBN, page 142

   Synonyms:

   balls, bollocks, cojones, guts, nerve, chutzpah, audacity, bield, boldhead, boldness

3. (euphemistic, mildly, plural, plural-normally, slang, uncountable) Nonsense; something of unacceptably poor quality.
   • Well, my droogs, this is a load of yarbles. Right now at New World Stages, a risible British adaptation of A Clockwork Orange is doing a bit of the old ultraviolence to its audience.2017 September 25, Helen Shaw, “A Clockwork Orange”, in Time Out, New York

   Synonyms:

   bollocks, horseshit, absurdity, all my eye, all my eye and Betty Martin, apple grease, applesauce, bafflegab, balderdash, balls

4. (euphemistic, mildly, plural, plural-normally, slang, uncountable) Information that is false or otherwise misleading.
   • James Brown looked a tool on C4's Withnail Weekend. Brown's crew at Loaded was credited with inventing the Withnail drinking game "I Demand to Have Some Booze". Utter yarbles. Fact: the game, where viewers simultaneously enjoy beverages identical to those consumed by characters on screen, was...1999 August 1, “Pandora”, in The Independent, London

   Synonyms:

   bollocks, bullshit, misinformation

Interjection

1. (colloquial, euphemistic, possibly, vulgar) Expressing disgust, annoyance, frustration, or disapproval.
   • "God knows, does He?" grinned Andy, unfazed. "Why hasn't He struck me dead then, kiddo?"
     Chris looked at him. "Just because He hasn't yet doesn't mean He won't. I hope I'm not standing next to you when it happens, that's all."
     "Yarbles!"1996, Robert Swindells, Last Bus, London: Puffin Books, published 2001, →ISBN, pages 53–54
   • "Oh, yarbles," Micky whispered. "This really is a bitch, isn't it?"1999, Marjorie Dorner, Seasons of Sun & Rain: A Novel, 1st edition, Minneapolis: Milkweed Editions, →ISBN, page 96