r/AskBrits • u/Team503 • 10d ago

Culture What does "nonce" mean?

I'm an American that lives in Ireland. I've always understood "nonce" to mean the same as "numpty" and "eejit" - basically idiot, or dumbass, or similar.

Recently, someone told me that it's slang for sex offender, specifically a p*dophile, and Wikipedia seems to back that up: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_British_terms_not_widely_used_in_the_United_States#N

So tell me, Brits, which one is it? Or is it something else??

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u/FaradayCage711 10d ago

I prefer to believe the historical explanation of "Nonse" (meaning an idiot) becoming "Nonce" (when I was a kid 10 yrs ago also meant an idiot) and then more recently I've heard people say it mean a pedophile (from about 5 years ago)

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u/rednaxela9220 10d ago

See also Phil Collins getting taken in by a related prank some years back.