Choice quote: Why Brits verify nudity from the front and Americans verify it from the rear is anyone’s guess.

Stuff that every Briton needs to know:

The word’s probable derivation is so non-vulgar as to be quite amusing. Specifically, a bollock is a pulley-block at the head of a topmast, otherwise known as a bullock block. This was used to great effect to prevent the Sex Pistols’ album Never Mind the Bollocks from being censored. A refreshing example of the legal system grabbing hold of the wrong reason and using it to do the right thing.

A ‘B******ing’ on the other hand, is a severe dressing down or ticking off. The reason for this is mercifully unclear.

Brits will say ‘b******-naked’ while Americans will say ‘butt-naked’. Why Brits verify nudity from the front and Americans verify it from the rear is anyone’s guess.

Although the phrase ‘cock-up’ might appear to have come about in a similar way to ‘balls-up’, its origins are actually in beer making. If the batch went bad, they turned the cock (ie tap, or faucet) up to drain the barrel. However, the word ‘cock’, a Middle and Old English word, is one of the many vulgarities for the penis. In London, though, Cockneys appear to have both terms in mind when they say ‘Wotcher cock’, which comes from the term ‘cock sparrow’ (pronounced ‘sparrah’). It is a general term for a man, although ‘cock sparrow’ was usually saved for small boys. It has been used for about 300 years.

Continues extensively at: [www.bbc.co.uk]
Via: [www.bbc.co.uk]