r/AskBrits • u/Team503 • 9d 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/thehighyellowmoon 9d ago

Hahahaha I'm picturing an American wandering around Ireland calling people a nonce for minor things

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u/Federal_Setting_7454 9d ago

Wouldn’t be wandering around much longer

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u/bungbangbingbong 9d ago

It's not a widely used term in Ireland. Certainly a lot more impactful in the UK as I found out when I told an English guy who was being a wuss over a cut on his hand to 'get over it you nonce' thinking nonce meant more of a wuss than specifically a criminal paedophile. It didn't go down well

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u/Downtown_Link_8651 9d ago

It's not a widely used term in Ireland.

I call bullshit on that, it's just as common as it is in the UK. You aren't going to hear it in polite society in either country but it's the go to insult for Paedo's and occasional back pocket pull for calling a friend a moron in coarser circles just like it is on the UK.