Ever witnessed someone "telling" or "tattling" on someone? Chances are you have, and chances are you might have heard whispers or snickers about the person being a "narc." Not sure what this means? Or where the term comes from? Read on…
Simply put, a "narc" (also spelled nark or narq) is someone who turns you in or reports you to a higher authority, like a teacher, police offer or parent. The term can also be used as a verb, for example, "She totally narked me out."
While it may seem like a recent word, this term actually began appearing during the mid-1800s. Two books published around 1860, The Vulgar Tongue and A Dictionary of Modern Slang, Cant, and Vulgar Words, both contained the word "nark." In these books the term was defined as "a person who obtains information under seal of confidence, and afterwards breaks faith" or "a common informer".
However, the roots of "narc" go back even further. According to etymology sources, the word comes from the Romani (Gypsy) term nak, meaning nose. There are also several other cultures with similar spellings for the term nose--Hindi's "nak" and Sanskrit's "nakra" and "nasa."
So what does a nose have to do with a "narc"? Well, since the 17th century, "to stick one's nose into" or to be "nosey" were popular phrases for someone who intrudes or interferes, much like the current definition. (Some sources also believe the term is related to the French word "narquois," which means to be deceitful.)
Narc is also a shortened name for "narcotics" and is used in reference to the police who work in that department. However, this label did not appear until the 1960s, well after the term had been used to designate a snitch or tattler.
What do YOU think a narc is?
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Why sometimes people acts this way.
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I understand that "narc" is one person that sells drogs...
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I hate these kind of people that brake my trust telling my secrets to anyone.
Posted by: Cosmetic Dentistry | October 26, 2009 at 06:25 PM
Narc sounds similar to narcotic, I prefer to use other words
Posted by: Cosmetic Dentistry | October 26, 2009 at 06:00 PM
Interesting information, I think that "narc" means many things, we have to be carefully when we use it.
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"narc" is a very weird word ... do you know it's origins ?
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Posted by: Martial Arts | October 23, 2009 at 07:05 PM
Narc it's a cool word, so what's the problem ?
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I hate those "narccs" they really bothers me.
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Hello i think that narc is # Narc, an Orc-like character in the parody Bored of the Rings
# Narc (film), a 2002 film about dirty cops involved in policing the drug trade
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