this post was submitted on 17 Jun 2025
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All things being equal, "grow some balls" is a gendered statement. It implies you need "balls" to be strong or able to form coherent arguments or defend yourself.
I can see why someone would intentionally use an alternate phrase.
I think "spine" has a connotation of morality, whereas "balls" is about pure daring.
But yeah more or less synonymous and you're right that it's definitely used as a euphemism for the stronger version. But also slightly different connotations depending on context, imho