Noogie

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈnʊɡi/

Definitions

1. A jovial action that consists of scraping the top of someone's head with a fist in a teasing manner
2. A lighthearted interaction where one person rubs their knuckles on another's scalp as a form of playfulness
3. A teasing gesture involving pressing and twisting the knuckles gently on someone's head

Etymology: The origin of "noogie" is unknown, which is itself the most useful thing to say about it. The likeliest candidates are a Yiddish verb, "nudzhen," meaning "to badger" or pester, which would fit the gesture's teasing intent; a Hebrew word, "nugot," meaning "afflict," which is the term used in the Book of Lamentations; and a playful alteration of "nudge," following the same pattern by which "wedge" became "wedgie." None of these can be confirmed, so the word's ancestry remains open. The word's form is plain enough to see at work. The "-ie" ending is a familiar English diminutive and pet-name suffix, the same one that turns "wedge" into "wedgie" and "rock" into "rocky" in playful talk. That pattern suggests the word grew from informal, schoolyard speech rather than from any formal source, which fits a gesture that is more a playground ritual than a dictionary-level idea.