nonce1
/nɒns
/adjective
(Of a word or expression) coined for one occasion: a nonce word...
- Is this a nonce instance, or are ‘home’ and ‘hone’ trading places?
- Among sports we have terms like parascending and surfari, and nonce adjectives such as sportsational or swimsational which blend words with the last element of sensational.
Phrases
for the nonce
Origin
Middle English: from then anes 'the one (purpose') (from then, obsolete oblique form of the + ane 'one' + -s3), altered by wrong division; compare with newt and nickname.
Rhymes
nonce2
/nɒns/noun British informal
A person convicted of a sexual offence, especially against a child.But why not give an amnesty to all the dopefiends, which would give us more space for the murderers, rapists, and nonces?...
- If they're not terrorists, they're probably nonces anyway.
- I once remember somebody on a bus telling the conductor what he would like to do to a nonce.
Origin
1970s: of unknown origin.