The Fuz- police meaning

Dev Pat | 23:20 Wed 09th Nov 2005 | Phrases & Sayings

2 Answers

Where does the term "fuzz" come from

Jeremy Clarkson

Total verbal expression

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Marsh

My OED has it as "Origin uncertain" but one of its references, from 1931, says that it was American slang for a detective, prison guard or turn-key and suggests that it was originally from 'fuss', someone hard to please or over-particular.

Proteus

Fuzz = police? I had always assumed - admittedly on little real evidence - that it was a contemptuous contraction of the word 'Force'. It certainly seems to be used as a collective noun, just like the word 'force' in this context. Anyway, it appears most often as 'the fuzz' rather than 'a fuzz' or 'some fuzz'.

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