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Dear all

 

This is a curious item, scanned from Bulldog : Paper of the Young
National Front (Teddington: YNF Secretariat, 1978-1984).  With a racist
smirk, it implies that 'Nig-Nog' was a different term in the early
1930s, but was it aimed at children?  I can't think that an adult
would've worn such a badge then.  Perhaps it was a comic strip or a
children's commercial radio character?  The Northern Echo (Durham)
started in 1870.

 

The OED suggests two definitions: 

A new or unskilled recruit; a novice; a foolish or naive person. Cf. 
NING-NONG
<http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/crossref?query_type=word&queryword=nignog
&first=1&max_to_show=10&sort_type=alpha&search_id=CU11-FrFjKx-277&result
_place=1&xrefword=ning-nong&ps=n.>  n. 

1953 Punch 9 Dec. 692/3 All must be represented on a strict basis of
proportion of the number of citizens for whom they cater: Football-pool
promoters (six representatives)..erks, nig-nogs, [etc.]. 1962 A. WESKER
<http://dictionary.oed.com/help/bib/oed2-w2.html#a-wesker>  Chips with
Everything I. iii. 17 A straight line, you heaving nig-nogs, a straight
line. 1967 Times 30 Nov. 10/8 'Nig-nog' was used on the railways and
elsewhere long before coloured immigrants appeared... It is usually
taken as a mildly contemptuous but good-humoured name for an unskilled
man or novice.

 

A black or dark-skinned person. Also attrib. or as adj. 

1959 M. PUGH <http://dictionary.oed.com/help/bib/oed2-p3.html#m-pugh>
Chancer 85 First lot, and look lively. Lot of nig-nogs off the trees.
1971 J. GARDNER
<http://dictionary.oed.com/help/bib/oed2-g.html#j-gardner>  Every
Night's Bullfight xiii. 405 I'm talking about you and your precious
Juliet, your beloved Carol bloody Evans that nig-nog tart. 1974 Times 14
Feb. 16/8 I'm not going to vote until they get me a house and get rid of
the nignogs. 1989 M. WIGGINS John Dollar (1990) i. 32 We had them in the
Ganges I remember. Swam right up and rubbed against the nig-nogs at
their baths. 1997 C. SHIELDS Larry's Party 53 He rattles on about
welfare bums, and sometimes refers to blacks as nig-nogs.

 

With regards

 

Andy Simons

Modern British Collections/Social History

The British Library

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