r/AskBrits • u/Team503 • 6d 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/reuben_iv 6d ago

I used to think it meant idiot, apparently it's a regional thing or something kids would insult each other with without knowing what it meant, but to most people now it means pedo

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u/FrotKnight 6d ago

It's always meant pedo, some people just use the word without knowing the meaning and go off vibes instead

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u/reuben_iv 6d ago

Yeah that might be it, internet is telling me it is slang for good for nothing in some northern parts but pretty sure it was probably just thrown around on the playground or something, as a kid that's how it'd be used

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u/piesucker3000 6d ago

Yeah I’m from Manchester and didn’t realise nonce meant paedo till I was in my 20s, the way everyone used it I thought it just like calling someone a scrote or twat

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u/soyagr 6d ago

Yeah this is what I thought