Pizzle

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Pizzle is an old English word for penis, derived from Low German pesel or Flemish Dutch pezel, diminutive of Dutch pees 'sinew'.[1] The word is used today to signify the penis of an animal, particularly that of a bull.

[edit] Original uses

Also known as a bully stick, it is represented in heraldry, where the adjective pizzled indicates that part of an animate charge's anatomy, especially if coloured differently.

It is also known, at least since 1523, especially in the combination "bull pizzle", to denote a flogging instrument made from a bull's penis - compare bullwhip - and the modern Dutch word bullepees 'bull sinew' which fits a bull pizzle, a term specifying the material is from a bull.

[edit] Modern uses

Bull pizzles are almost exclusively used/produced today as chewing treats for dogs.^{[citation needed]} The pizzles of bulls are cleaned, stretched, twisted and then dried at a very high heat. The result is a very hard, 80-100 cm long brown stick, which is then sawed into pieces appropriate for the size of the dog, usually 10-20 cm (this process also makes its anatomical origin rather unrecognizable).

[edit] Slang and games

In more recent times the word pizzle has become an alternate word for a pistol.^{[citation needed]}