Home » Dictionary » kahunas

kahunas

kahunas n.pl. testicles; cojones. Also kahoonas. Editorial Note: Can be used in all the same ways as other slang terms for “testicles.” This kind of transformation of a Spanish word into substantially different Anglicized spellings, which in turn represent a different pronunciation, is a sign of its nearly complete adoption into English. There may, however, be some confluence with kahuna ‘a powerful person or leader,’ especially in the common form big kahuna. Mark Liberman at Language Log has written more about cojones/kahuna. Etymological Note: From the Spanish cojones ‘testicles.’ (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Further reading

Sock it to Me (episode #1557)

In the 15th century, the word respair meant “to have hope again.” Although this word fell out of use, it’s among dozens collected in a new book of soothing vocabulary for troubled times. Plus, baseball slang: If a batter...

Good Vibrations (episode #1556)

Asthenosphere, a geologist’s term for the molten layer beneath the earth’s crust, sparks a journey that stretches all the way from ancient Greece to the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Plus: What the heck is a dogberg? It’s when...

Recent posts