Hey, can anyone give me a straight dope on the origin of this word? If you have no idea what I’m talking about, it’s when you grab someone in a headlock and rub his nug with your knuckles so fast it burns.
How long has this practice been around for, and WHY is it called a ‘noogie’?
I just kind of thought about the word and it got so funny I laughed, and it just made me wonder…
In the 50’s we called it giving someone a “knuckle”. This involved sharply rapping a knuckle against a muscle, usually in the upper arm, causing a localized muscle contraction which manifested as a “bump” and was called a “noogie.” You can see the bump rise quite dramatically and then fade. Of course, this can leave a bruise, so if you decide to try it on yourself, be prepared for it.
When I first heard the “head rub” described as a “noogie” I was puzzled because that is not what I remembered a noogie to be. My guess is that the term is regionalized and describes different phenomena relevant to place and time.
My nieghbor calls it a ‘Dutch rub’.
Just found this:
“Noogie (also Nuggie and Nugie)
A jab with the knuckles
… To do a noogie to someone, make a fist and extend the knuckle of the middle finger; then with a twisting motion, drilling the knuckle into their head, back or upper arm. It’s common to hold the person’s head under an arm and do a noogie to their head (often proclaiming “noogies” at the same time). It’s often done playfully as a sign of affection, or more painfully as a schoolboy prank. Punching with the knucle extended is known as frogging”