tallywhacker

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Penis

Pronunciation

/ˈtæliˌ(h)wækɚ/ En-au-tallywhacker.ogg

Word forms

tallywhacker tallywhackers tallywacker

Etymology

Uncertain. Possibly from tally (“mate, counterpart”), from Middle English taly (“a tally stick”), from Anglo-Norman tallie, Old French taillee, taillie, from Medieval Latin tallia, talia, taillia, from Latin talea (“stick, twig”), or alternatively from tail, + wag, likely influenced by whack, + -er. Compare tallywag, an eighteenth century dialect term meaning “penis”. Attested as tallywhacker or tallywacker since the twentieth century.

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