# Etymology of "The Fuzz" as slang for police **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 15, 2003, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-the-fuzz-as-slang-for-police/201804 "2003-09-15T20:55:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2016, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-the-fuzz-as-slang-for-police/201804/61 "2016-03-14T15:10:39Z")
I don’t see the harm in adding wild speculation to a three year old thread so here goes. It was mentioned upthread that the term originated in hobo or carny slang. The police force is commonly shortened to “the force”. In carny or kayfabe language “The Force” would be either the Fee-uzz-orce or the Fuzzorce. It does not seem a huge leap from “the Fuzzorce” to “the Fuzz”. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2016, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-the-fuzz-as-slang-for-police/201804/62 "2016-03-14T15:59:36Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > I never spoke Yiddish as a child So you speak it as an adult? ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2016, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-the-fuzz-as-slang-for-police/201804/63 "2016-03-14T22:54:06Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > Not necessarily; I used to know a Gaz short for Gavin, and still know a Loz that’s a Louise, both in the UK. Yep; I know a Noz who is a Noel. The -z suffix can be added to a consonant that is followed by an ‘o’, as well as a consonant followed by an ‘a’, although ‘o’ is less common. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2016, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-the-fuzz-as-slang-for-police/201804/64 "2016-03-14T23:56:02Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > What? I always thought that “chazzer” meant someone who was greedy when it came to food. Someone who would eat and eat and eat all they could. They just stuff their faces until they explode. Remember that Monty Python movie with the exploding man? > > I know there is a connotation between pig “and” and “greedy” but I always thought the actual translation for “pig” was something different. > > I suppose that I could easily be wrong. After all, I never spoke Yiddish as a child and I just don’t know where this idea of mine could have come from. > > Do you mind if I ask, “where did your idea come from”? You can always Google something like “pig” and “Yiddish.” It would indicate that the Yiddish word is _chazzer_. When you don’t know something, simply Googling can sometimes be your friend. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-the-fuzz-as-slang-for-police/201804/65 "2016-03-15T07:47:33Z")
> [@puddleglum](#): > > I don’t see the harm in adding wild speculation to a three year old thread so here goes. > It was mentioned upthread that the term originated in hobo or carny slang. > The police force is commonly shortened to “the force”. In carny or kayfabe language “The Force” would be either the Fee-uzz-orce or the Fuzzorce. It does not seem a huge leap from “the Fuzzorce” to “the Fuzz”. This I like. There are several slang languages that distort words in a regular way; Pig Latin: ‘police’ = ‘olispay’ Ubbi-dubbi: ‘police’ = ‘pubolubice’ and so on. In Backslang: ‘police’ = ‘ekilops’ (I thought this might be a possible etymology for ‘Fuzz’, but it seems unlikely) In Carny, or ‘Ciazarn’, it looks like ‘police’ would be something like ‘pe-uz-olice’, but ‘force’ would be ‘feuzorce’, which looks very promising. [http://www.goodmagic.com/carny/ciazarn.htm](http://www.goodmagic.com/carny/ciazarn.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-the-fuzz-as-slang-for-police/201804/66 "2016-03-15T16:33:49Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > You can always Google something like “pig” and “Yiddish.” It would indicate that the Yiddish word is _chazzer_. When you don’t know something, simply Googling can sometimes be your friend. The word can also have a metaphorical meaning, though. The Yiddish speakers I knew as a kid used chazzer as somebody who ate greedily or sloppily, or like a pig. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-the-fuzz-as-slang-for-police/201804/67 "2016-03-15T22:50:03Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > The word can also have a metaphorical meaning, though. The Yiddish speakers I knew as a kid used chazzer as somebody who ate greedily or sloppily, or like a pig. Same with me. That would have been my #2 tip on Googling. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-the-fuzz-as-slang-for-police/201804.md?page=3)