A interesting word that comes up sometimes in American books I read is noogie [ˈnʊɡi], which is used in the context of one person giving someone else a noogie. The people involved are usually kids, and it sounds like a somewhat unpleasant experience, though until I looked it up, I didn’t know exactly what the word meant. It isn’t used in the UK, as far as I know.
According to Merriam-Webster, a noogie is “the act of rubbing your knuckles on a person’s head to cause annoyance or slight pain”. The origins of the word are unknown, and it first appeared in print in 1972.
Are noogies used outside the USA? Are there other words for this practice in other countries?
The word noogies is also used in the phrase “tough noogies”, which means the same as “tough cookies”, that is: it means “that’s too bad” (usually with the additional meaning of: “for you, in contrast to me”)
A: “We’re gonna play freeze tag now.”
B: “I hate freeze tag.”
A: “Tough noogies, it’s my party.”
To give someone a noogie is also used in Australia.
It’s also used in Canada.
As to the origins of this word, Dictionary.com gives two possibilities: – (1) “1975-80; apparently expressive alteration of knuckle” and (2) “based on noggin, popularized by TV show Saturday Night Live”.
My uncle, from England, used to enjoy giving his nephews (essentially me at the time) a similar rough tickling, which he called “spifflicating”.