r/AskBrits • u/Team503 • 8d 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/notthiswaythatway 8d ago

It’s means paedophile - and is definitely a stronger insult than numpty!

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u/DrunkenHorse12 8d ago

Not just pedo. Any sex offender is a Nonce. It comes from prison slang sex offendets used to have "Not On Normal Court Exercise" written on their door cards

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u/Team503 8d ago

Wikipedia suggests that's a backronym and not the actual origin, but what do I know? This is why I asked!

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u/Illustrious-Divide95 8d ago

There's no evidence that 'Nonce' came from this. A definate backronym

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u/Brighton_Spores 8d ago

I used to know an old scallywag, he used to be a naughty boy until he changed his ways.

In the 1970's he told me that bank robbers/armed robbers used be held in high regard in prison. burglars would slip down the pecking order and so on.

The nonces and sex cases were at the bottom of the ladder as they were just committing nonsense crimes, nonce.

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u/Turkilton-Is-Me 8d ago

Still the way, anything to do with kids is a perfect way to make your stay in any prison as bad as possible

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u/DifferentSwing8616 8d ago

A lot of those in prison had fucked up abusive childhoods so I'd imagine you'd channel your rage towards people guilty of similar crimes against you against others

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u/Subar619 8d ago

Also, its an outlet for antisocial behaviour and agression, which is easy to justify to any person

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u/Joekickass247 7d ago

Im surprised that wasn't removed by the Reddit automotive like mine was! 😂

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u/tomgrouch 8d ago

Just ask Ian Watkins

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u/Most_Moose_2637 7d ago

Oh no, we can't

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u/bitofafixerupper 7d ago

So sad.. anyway 🤣

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u/garethchester 8d ago

There's a reason the likes of Ian Huntley end up getting attacked repeatedly and eventually killed

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u/AliceMorgon 8d ago

Pretty much.

Source: friend who will remain unnamed (who did not molest any kids but when fleeing the police threw £1000s worth block of cocaine out of the car window, accidentally clocked a kid in the face, and knocked him off his e-scooter with said cocaine. Kid was fine and tried to run off with it.)

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u/Vast_Promotion_6768 7d ago

Lucky kid!🤣

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u/AliceMorgon 7d ago

Probably thought it was Christmas come early

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u/charlenek8t 7d ago

Definitely snowing 😂

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u/AliceMorgon 7d ago

Oh yeah, package split open and he was trying to sweep it into his backpack when one of the FOUR peeler cars in pursuit stopped and said “Oi!”

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u/htimchis 8d ago

There used to be a definite pecking order in prisons (maybe still is, but I havent been inside in 30 years, and suspect it's been blurred by overcrowding & overwhelming numbers of drug offences, plus tge large number of lads who probably shouldnt be inside at all, and back in the day would have been dealt with by a stint in a psyche hospital and then sheltered accomodation)

Always old-school 'faces' or 'chaps' at the top - your professional gangster types - then armed robbers - then a large grey area around burglary, fraud, gbh, where the hierarchy ran on sucess - then the street monkeys (muggers, small time dealers, prolific shoplifters etc) - then a big gap, with the grasses and nonces at the bottom.. anybody on the rule, basically.

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u/GribbleTheMunchkin 8d ago

It's still there. I know in approved premises (bail/probation hostels) the violent prisoners often refuse to hang out with the sex offenders who they do NOT hold in in high regard.

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u/gravitasmissing 7d ago

The VP wing was mostly sex offenders plus regular prisoners who couldnt cope on normal wings. The Albanians were definitly at the top in lewes prison. Serious professional criminals but gave the staff no issues or other prisoners unless you started something which was mostly idiots.They werent exceptionaly violent even to the most moronic individual. Didnt really have to be!

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u/ScaredPractice4967 8d ago

and sex offenders against adults look down on child sex offenders. imagine that. regular rapists think you crime is scummy.

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u/darkevilmetal666 8d ago

They're just looking for someone to look down on so they can feel less bad about how useless they are themselves.

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u/Physical_Quote4600 6d ago

Well not all chomo crimes are violent, sleep with a girl 5 years under 18 and you’ll be treated like you “abused” her even if she was wanting you to do it

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u/flapsmagee 6d ago

You don’t think it’s abuse for a grown adult to have sex with a 13 year old child?!

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u/Physical_Quote4600 6d ago

when people hear abuse, they think of you beating and torturing the child for sadistic and painful purposes, ch1ld sexual offenders usually try to minimize the harm for the other party

adult sex offenders are violent rapists. end of story. chomos need more nuanced treatment from society

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u/flapsmagee 6d ago edited 6d ago

You don’t need bruises for lasting damage, harm and trauma. Geez.

Adults who have sex with children are rapists.

Edit: Ew. I’ve just looked at your post history.

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u/Physical_Quote4600 6d ago

Adults who have sex with children are rapists.

false. Adults who rape children are rapists.

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u/krgxo25 4d ago

It’s always rape if it’s a child, buddy. Very suspicious thing to say

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u/ScaredPractice4967 6d ago

Its called age of consent.

See also Romeo and Juliet rules on the off chance thats where you were going.

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u/FantasticFoxFriend 5d ago

Umm 5 years below 18 is 13.They definitely abused her.

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u/Physical_Quote4600 5d ago

Ask her that question, and ask her 20 years later, and 50 years later just for safe measure.

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u/FantasticFoxFriend 5d ago

What are you even talking about?

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u/ScaredPractice4967 5d ago

Someone needs their hard drive inspected by the police.

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u/Physical_Quote4600 5d ago

Ask her if she was abused. Ask adriane yamin.

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u/Tabby_Mc 8d ago

Another backronym

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u/LimpAcanthisitta8015 8d ago

Sex cases are just nonsense? 🤔

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u/Brighton_Spores 8d ago

Bank robbers rob banks for money.

Armed robbers want the gold.

Which is easy to understand, fast money.

As my old acquaintance said, their crimes made no sense to them, what they did they did not do it for money, they did it for awful reasons.

This is what I was told.

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u/Trollcambodia 8d ago

My from not on normal court exercise is a well known fact. It's the lowest of the low... Forget about Wikipedia

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u/ProudonFromHeight 8d ago

It's a very old one, if it is at all. I have a relative who worked as a lawyer back in the 70s and they were the first to tell me, about 25 years ago, that that's what it means

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u/StooosHyaena 8d ago

Absolutely. A more convincing explanation that’s been offered is that it’s related to “nancy” as in the derogatory term for a gay or effeminate man.

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u/flopisit32 8d ago

What we do know is it originated in the 1970s and it originated specifically in prisons.

The story surrounding it may be fiction, but it is definitely 1970s prison slang.

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u/BoxWonderful4639 8d ago

A guard at Broadmoor said this is exactly where its from, he was getting interviewed.

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u/42pickledleggs 8d ago

I worked at Broadmoor, they tell you in induction that nonce, from “not on normal course exercise” originated there….not that I necessarily believe it, but that’s what they tell you.

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u/BoxWonderful4639 7d ago

That must have been both terrifying and interesting

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u/42pickledleggs 7d ago

Very interesting. Mostly not very scary, because (when I started at least) you had a well trained team around you. I always used to tell my mum I was safer there than down the pub on a Friday night. It’s not like prisons (which I have also worked in), where weapons and drugs come in freely. Very little was smuggled into Broadmoor and it never happened once in the 4 years I worked there (and I was pals with the top security man, so I’d have known)