noun
nonce
An insulting British term for a sex offender.
The prisoner calls the convicted sex offender a nonce.
Etymology
Origin unknown. Familiar acronym expansions for this prison-slang insult are not reliable etymologies.
More examples
- In British slang, nonce is an insulting term for a sex offender.
- She objects when someone uses nonce as a casual insult.
- The witness says other inmates call convicted child molesters nonces.
Forms
nonce · nonces
Similar words
- molester
- Specifies unwanted sexual contact rather than any sexual offense.
- predator
- Suggests someone who exploits others, not necessarily through sexual offenses.