# What does "Nonce" Mean? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 25, 2026, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-nonce-mean/1029543 "2026-04-25T08:41:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![confused\_lane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/258eb7/32.png) [@confused\_lane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/confused_lane)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2026, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-nonce-mean/1029543/1 "2026-04-25T08:41:25Z")
When I was growing up, in Australia, Nonce meant someone someone who was stupid, silly, a bit over to the top. “oh, don’t worry about him, he’s bit of a nonce.” however, now, nearly everywhere is saying that it’s primary definition is something a lot darker. I have talked with a few people of my age (early 30’s) who tend to have a good grasp of aus/brit slang, and they also were under the belief it was that, almost a bit softer than “idiot”. I grew up in aus in the 90’s, if that matters. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2026, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-nonce-mean/1029543/2 "2026-04-25T08:50:33Z")
Well I grew up in Australia in the 60s/70s and it was as per the OED “a highly offensive British slang term for a sex offender”. I believe I first heard it used in that context in the books by John Mortimer and the TV adaptation “Rumpole of the Bailey” beginning 1975. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2026, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-nonce-mean/1029543/3 "2026-04-25T09:03:21Z")
AIUI, it’s supposed to be an abbreviation of “not even once”, which is supposedly a line that an accused sexual deviant would say when responding to a cop/judge asking if they’d committed the act in question. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2026, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-nonce-mean/1029543/4 "2026-04-25T09:15:49Z")
Here’s a totally different take from those given above: it means “now.” As in, “I know you need a decision, but I’m going to sit on it for the nonce, and will let you know later today.” I’ve used that before and everybody understands it. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2026, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-nonce-mean/1029543/5 "2026-04-25T10:17:31Z")
> [@confused\_lane](#): > > When I was growing up, in Australia, Nonce meant someone someone who was stupid, silly, a bit over to the top. “oh, don’t worry about him, he’s bit of a nonce.” This is also what I thought it meant, but [recently I was told otherwise](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doc-martin-question/1019557/2), and the real definition amazed me. I had no idea. Luckily I hadn’t ever used the word in public, it was just quietly filed away in my vocabulary. Just mistakenly, it turns out. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2026, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-nonce-mean/1029543/6 "2026-04-25T12:10:48Z")
**[Nonce - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonce)** has several “legit” uses for the word, but the Brit/Aus slang meaning is about sexual deviants. All the “legit” meanings derive from the base idea of something created to be used exactly once; never again. ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2026, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-nonce-mean/1029543/7 "2026-04-25T12:12:45Z")
Growing up in Australia in the 1960s I wasn’t aware of the meaning of ‘nonce’ as either an effeminate gay man or a sexual predator, but could believe it was around, just not in the comfortable and safe school playgrounds of my childhood. We had similar but distinct N-words for a fool or stupid person, like nong, ninny and nana (short for banana). Nonce may have slid innocently into that group, its alternate meaning undisclosed, in much the same way as we were all taught to say ‘bugger’, since it was so much politer than saying ‘bloody’. I think we’ve come to adopt the term via British media and backpackers, but its not a word I’ve heard in use here, in any of its senses. A former royal is now often being referred to by British people as Nonce Andrew. I’m fairly sure its not just because they think he is a silly man. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2026, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-nonce-mean/1029543/8 "2026-04-25T12:27:57Z")
I grew up in Australia in the 60s as well. The only time I ever heard the word used back then was by my British parents who used the phrase “for the nonce” meaning for the time being. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2026, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-nonce-mean/1029543/9 "2026-04-25T12:30:46Z")
Don’t forget the episode of “Brass Eye” where they convince Phil Collins to record an anti-paedophile message where he says “Now I’m talking nonce sense!” > **[Paedogeddon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paedogeddon)** > > "Paedogeddon" is a 2001 special of the British satirical current affairs series Brass Eye. It was written, produced, and presented by Chris Morris, and directed by Tristram Shapeero. It first aired on Channel 4 and S4C in the United Kingdom on 26 July 2001. The special is a parody news programme on paedophilia, and covers farcical stories about paedophiles and sexual crimes towards children, highlighting the media's hysteria surrounding the issue and how its methods of gaining testimony from v... ---
**Author:** ![JacobSwan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@JacobSwan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacobSwan)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2026, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-nonce-mean/1029543/10 "2026-04-25T12:43:18Z")
I worked at Channel Four when that was first broadcast. It upset a lot of people and we had protestors and bomb threats for weeks afterwards. Some people disagree with the old saying that you can make jokes about anything. Some things are off limits to them. I thought it was hilarious, but hated having all my work parcels x-rayed. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2026, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-nonce-mean/1029543/11 "2026-04-25T12:52:50Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Here’s a totally different take from those given above: it means “now.” As in, “I know you need a decision, but I’m going to sit on it for the nonce, and will let you know later today.” > > I’ve used that before and everybody understands it. That’s what i was going to answer. I think that’s the primary meaning in the US. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2026, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-nonce-mean/1029543/12 "2026-04-25T13:02:29Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Here’s a totally different take from those given above: it means “now.” As in, “I know you need a decision, but I’m going to sit on it for the nonce, and will let you know later today.” > > I’ve used that before and everybody understands it. American here. I had never heard that word in my life before I read it in one of the _Game of Thrones_ books. Of course, I immediately understood from the context that it means “now” or “this moment” or what have you. I have vague memories of hearing it used as a British term for a pervert since then. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2026, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-nonce-mean/1029543/13 "2026-04-25T13:06:41Z")
Also an American. I have occasionally heard the term “nonce word,” meaning a word that you just make up on the spot when there isn’t an actual word for what you want to say (or perhaps there is such a word, but you can’t think of it). Again, the primary meaning is “just at this moment.” Never knew it had a slang meaning related to sex offenders. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2026, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-nonce-mean/1029543/14 "2026-04-25T13:07:07Z")
I’m in the US and I’ve only seen it in “nonce word” - a word made up for a specific one-time use like “jabberwocky”. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2026, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-nonce-mean/1029543/15 "2026-04-25T13:12:16Z")
“Nonce word” evovled into a technical word in cryptography: a nonce is a one-use randomly generated number used, for instance, as a non-reusable session identifier. > **[Cryptographic nonce](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptographic_nonce)** > > In cryptography, a nonce is an arbitrary number that can be used just once in a cryptographic communication. It is often a random or pseudo-random number issued in an authentication protocol to ensure that each communication session is unique, and therefore that old communications cannot be reused in replay attacks. Nonces can also be useful as initialization vectors and in cryptographic hash functions. > A nonce is an arbitrary number used only once in a cryptographic communication, in the spirit... ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2026, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-nonce-mean/1029543/16 "2026-04-25T13:47:12Z")
American here. I’ve never heard it spoken by other Americans, only in UK/Australian TV/movies meaning pedophile. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2026, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-nonce-mean/1029543/17 "2026-04-25T14:05:23Z")
In the U.K., the [Disclosure and Barring Service](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disclosure_and_Barring_Service) compiles lists of people committing certain offenses, who are held to be a hazard around children and/or vulnerable adults. There’s a general practitioner in England who was struck off the medical register for various, non-sex crime-related offenses and placed on a DBS list(s), meaning he can no longer referee soccer games, which he seems more upset about then being unable to practice medicine. His online critics derisively refer to his being on the “nonce” list. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2026, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-nonce-mean/1029543/18 "2026-04-25T17:40:47Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > “Nonce word” evovled into a technical word in cryptography: a nonce is a one-use randomly generated number This is the only way I’ve ever heard it used (as an American web developer). It comes up with enough frequency that I’d consider it [a part of the standard set of professional jargon](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Reference/Global_attributes/nonce). Had no idea it had more… interesting… meanings. Wonder what the Aussie developers do with this. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2026, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-nonce-mean/1029543/19 "2026-04-25T17:45:41Z")
I’m also familiar with it being used as part of “nonce word”. It that the word painted on the father’s truck in [Adolescence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolescence_(TV_series))? I know it was a word that didn’t make sense to me, that i looked up. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2026, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-nonce-mean/1029543/20 "2026-04-25T18:28:11Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Here’s a totally different take from those given above: it means “now.” As in, “I know you need a decision, but I’m going to sit on it for the nonce, and will let you know later today.” That is the correct meaning. The others are local slang. So the question should rather be- In Australian slang, what does “nonce” mean? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-nonce-mean/1029543.md?page=2)