crown jewels
1. The precious jewels, and the regalia or which they are featured, of a monarch or sovereign, as worn or used on a state occasion. One of the greatest mysteries of 20th-century Ireland was the case of the Irish Crown Jewels, which were stolen from Dublin Castle in 1907 and never recovered. The crown jewels are under constant surveillance when not in use by the King. A: "An occasion like this call for the crown jewels, does it not?" B: "Yes, yes, go fetch the crown and scepter."
2. euphemism, slang A male's genitals, especially the testicles. When she heard he had an affair, she kicked him right in the crown jewels. You're a fool if you don't wear an athletic cup to protect the crown jewels out on the field. Yeah, I don't think he's feeling too great after taking that ball to the crown jewels.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
crown jewels
1. A prized possession or asset, as in The Iliad and Odyssey are the crown jewels of ancient literature, or The software products are the company's crown jewels. This usage transfers the value of royal jewels to some other object. [Late 1800s]
2. Also, family jewels. The male genitals, especially the testicles. For example, She gave the would-be mugger a hard kick in the family jewels. A slang euphemism, the term dates from the 1970s, and the variant from the early 1900s.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.