'Do Bits', NVQs, handballs – if there’s one thing Love Islanders know how to do, it’s create an utterly bizarre code word to describe a sexual act.
With the villa hotting up, it’s no surprise then that islanders are coming up with creative ways to disguise their bedroom antics. Last night, a new code word entered the chat – with Helena Ford saying, ‘Handy Carroll was in the building yesterday.’
What is a 'Handy Carroll?'
The phrase is in someways a nod to ex-England international Andy Carroll. As the name suggests, the word 'handy' is in reference to sex acts involving hands. To quote singer/songwriter CMAT, it's 'hand stuff.'
How 36-year-old Andy feels about this crude tribute, we can only guess. For anyone who has reached this point and still isn’t quite sure on what on earth these islanders are talking about, we’ve got you. To spell it out in the simplest terms: a Handy Carroll is a handjob.
The phrase quickly caught on, with Lauren Wood teasing Helena that she'd heard 'Handy Carroll' was in the villa. American star Toni Laites telling Shakira Khan and Yasmin Pettet, ‘If you give Handy Carrolls to keep your man close then by all means go for it.’ The comment was in reference to Lauren’s relationship with Harrison Solomon – who has both women in a love triangle. While Toni thought ‘Handy Carrolls’ were all that happened in the bedroom, she’s yet to learn what really went down.
One scene saw Harrison admit to his fellow boys that he had had sex with Lauren, cryptically saying, ‘The full time whistle blew. Game done. It was great, honestly, a nice little 2-0 win.’ That night in bed, Harrison was seen leaning over to Helena and Harry to ask for a condom.
Meanwhile, Helena voiced her frustration that a ‘Handy Carroll’ was as far as she’d gone with footballer Harry Cooksley. ‘He’s done f*ck all to me,’ she said.
The islanders may be having fun with their lingo, but it seems viewers aren’t enjoying it quite so much.
After their ‘Handy Carroll’ talk, one viewer commented, ‘Gross, it makes me feel sick to watch!’
‘Handy Carroll is the worst euphemism I’ve ever heard,’ added another.
Others were left confused by the lingo. ‘Watching Love Island, and what the hell is a Handy Carroll? Surely not a nod to a footballer,’ asked one.
Why is it 8 AM on a Wednesday and I’m wondering who the f*ck is Handy Carroll’ another tweet read.
Whether it's a term you want to add to your own vocab, or something you'd rather scrub from your brain, the choice is all yours...
Charlotte Roberts is a news and entertainment writer at Grazia UK. She spends her days covering everything celebrity, culture, and entertainment.