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单词 nick
释义

nickn.1

Brit. /nɪk/, U.S. /nɪk/
Forms: Middle English nyke, Middle English 1600s nike, 1500s nycke, 1500s nyk, 1500s–1600s nicke, 1500s– nick, 1600s nic, 1700s– knick (English regional); Scottish pre-1700 nek, pre-1700 nicke, pre-1700 nict, pre-1700 nik, 1800s– nick.
Origin: Of unknown origin. Etymon: nock n.1
Etymology: Origin unknown; compare nick v.2 Several of the senses of the noun (in branches I.) correspond closely to senses of the verb (compare branches I. and II. s.v.), but are older; the noun may in reality have priority, and it may be accidental that the oldest recorded senses of the noun are attested slightly later than the first attestation of the verb. No etymon suggests itself, and although there is an obvious resemblance of form and meaning in the earlier word nock n.1, which has the parallel senses ‘notched tip of a bow’ and ‘cleft in the buttocks’ (compare sense 2b), it is not easy to see how they might be related.The following may reflect an attempt to connect the word with niche n. and adj. (which is almost certainly unrelated):1659 G. Torriano Vocabolario Italiano & Inglese sig. q2v/1 Nick (in a wall to set a Statue in), nicchia.
I. A notch or cut, and related senses.
1. A notch made to keep a score or tally; a tally. Also: a reckoning, an account. out of all nick: out of all account. Obsolete.Now merged in sense 2a.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > evaluation, estimation, appraisal > [noun]
weenc888
rightnessOE
steemc1330
sight1362
witc1374
emprisea1393
reputation?c1400
apprizingc1449
nick?a1450
vail1471
countc1475
opinionc1480
estimationc1522
meting1548
reckoning1548
valuation1548
computation1558
account1583
cess1588
esteem1598
appreciation1605
resentiment1606
repute1610
ratea1616
assessmenta1626
estimate1637
vote1639
supputation1643
compute1646
value1651
resentment1655
contemplation1673
critique1798
appraisement1808
appraisal1817
viewa1854
sizing up1967
chit1989
the world > relative properties > number > enumeration, reckoning, or calculation > [noun] > mark made to keep score or record
nick?a1450
notch1565
chalk1674
tally1951
the world > space > shape > unevenness > condition or fact of receding > [noun] > making or becoming notched > a notch
nick?a1450
gap1530
notch1555
natch1570
notching1640
nitch1726
snick1775
nicking1844
jog1845
?a1450 Let. in S. G. Hamilton Collectanea (1912) 61 My mayster Syr..R ij nikes ij s. & holande clothe xiii s.
?c1475 Catholicon Anglicum (BL Add. 15562) f. 86 A Nyke of A tayle, epimerida.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 644/1 I make nyckes on a tayle, or on a stycke.
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues at Hoche A nicke, or notch, on a Tallie, etc.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona (1623) iv. ii. 73 He lou'd her out of all nicke . View more context for this quotation
1692 Sheriffhall Coal Acct. Bks. 5 Nov. in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue at Nik For 56 nicks at the gine at 14 shill. per nick.
1887 H. R. Haggard Allan Quatermain iv A number of little nicks, each nick representing a man killed in battle.
1891 R. Kipling Light that Failed iii. 40 That's another nick in the score. I'll jostle you later on.
2. A notch, groove, or slit, cut into or present in something; an incision, an indentation.
a. General uses.In quot. ?c1475 at sense 1: spec. the nock of an arrow.
ΚΠ
?c1475 Catholicon Anglicum (BL Add. 15562) f. 86 A Nike, tenus.
?1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Husbandry f. iii Some plowes haue a bende of yron..that hath thre nyckes on the farthersyde.
1578 J. Banister Hist. Man i. f. 32 Departyng from this corner, or deepe nicke..there riseth a certaine sharpe Processe.
1623 C. Butler Feminine Monarchie (rev. ed.) vi. sig. P3 It is best..in the edges on both sides to cut little nickes.
1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory ii. 68/2 The leaf 5 pointed, each cut with deep nicks, almost jagged.
1753 J. Bartlet Gentleman's Farriery App. 332 Holes must be made at certain distances in the groove,..and a nick cut to receive the billet from the strap.
1769 E. Raffald Experienced Eng. House-keeper xiii. 280 Fill one Nick with chopped Parsley, the second with fat Pork,..and so on 'till you have filled all your Nicks.
1815 J. Smith Panorama Sci. & Art I. 15 A nick is made in the wood or bone, to keep the work from being carried aside by the file.
1847 J. S. Le Fanu T. O'Brien 170 Deepening a nick with his penknife in the counter.
1888 S. R. Bottone Electr. Instr. Making §41 With a file, a nick is cut in this steel rod.
1925 C. P. Slater Marget Pow 48 Outside the house there's a nick in the wall, with a kind o' copy of the Crucifix.
1971 Islander (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) 5 Sept. 5/3 Many cases of broken lines can be traced to cracks or nicks on a fishing rod's guides or tiptop.
1990 Trad. Homes Aug. 35/1 An oak niche..once held a dinner service, judging by the nicks for plates on the shaped shelves.
b. A groove or cleft in the flesh of a person or animal. Now: spec. (slang) = nock n.1 2a. Cf. sense 2e.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > external parts of body > trunk > back > buttock(s) > [noun] > cleft in
creekc1300
nocka1516
nick1562
nockandro1611
bum crack1980
1562 W. Turner Herball (1568) ii. 166 The sede layd to..swageth the payne of the nickes or ryuinge of the fundamente.
1791 Ann. Agric. 16 567 (E.D.D.) Instead of this ridge the new Leicester sheep are now breeding to have a furrow there, which is called the knick.
1961 E. Partridge Dict. Slang (ed. 5) II. 1197/2 Nick,..natal cleft at the fold of the buttock: low: late C. 19–20.
c. An indentation made in the base of a tankard in order to reduce the vessel's capacity. Cf. kick n.2 1. See also nick-pot n. Obsolete.Only in collocation with froth; frequently in extended use denoting the giving of short measure and dishonest practices in general. Cf. nick v.2 3.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > receptacle or container > vessel > flask, flagon, or bottle > [noun] > bottle > indentation in bottom
nick1612
kick1861
kick-up1901
1612 S. Rowlands Knaue of Harts sig. B2v With Cannes of Beere..And those they say are fil'd with Nick and Froth.
1630 J. Taylor Trav. Twelve-pence in Wks. i. 70/2 They vsed so much deceit with nick and froth.
1651 T. Randolph et al. Hey for Honesty v. i. 40 Jugs of Ale without Excise, Fill'd to the brim, no nick nor froth upon them.
c1665 Nick & Froth in Roxburghe Ballads (1886–7) VI. 487 Now we'll..lay you all open to view, It's all for your Froth and your Nick (you slaves).
1699 B. E. New Dict. Canting Crew Nick and Froth built the Pye at Aldgate, sharping in the Reckonings and cheating in the Measure built that (once) Noted House.
1741 Poor Robin sig. A4 She still continues the Nick and Froth Trade as usual.
d. slang. The female external genitals; the vagina. Now rare.In quots. a1625 and 1656 apparently with allusion to the game of real tennis; cf. sense 6.
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the world > life > the body > sex organs > female sex organs > [noun] > vagina
quaintc1330
quivera1382
tailc1390
mousetrapc1500
cunnigar1550
placket1595
buttonhole1600
bumble broth1602
touch-hole1602
case1606
keyhole1607
vagina1612
nicka1625
nunquam satis1633
lock1640
twat1656
cockpit1658
Whitechapel portion?1695
tuzzy-muzzy1710
niche1749
can1772
bumbo1774
fuckhole1893
jelly roll1895
mole-catcher1896
manhole1916
vag1967
stank1980
pum-pum1983
punani1987
a1625 J. Fletcher Wife for Moneth iii. i, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Gggggg4v/1 The King is wanton Lords, he would needs know of me How many nick chases I would make to night.
1656 R. Fletcher Poems in Ex Otio Negotium 194 Least I should pursue her to the quick, I pass: The chase lies now too near the nick.
a1749 A. Robertson Poems (?1752) 186 And as one guides me to the Nick, The other cries—Put up thy——.
1772 G. A. Stevens Songs Comic & Satyrical 126 The Nick makes the Tail stand, the Farrier's Wife's Mark.
1865 ‘Philocomus’ Love Feast ii. 14 I saw..his ever-standing prick Move in and out the luscious nick.
c1930 Confessions of Virtuous Wife 102 Chinese or Negromen, Zulus or Englishmen, Irish or American, Love Cunt's sweet nick!
e. A notch made in the ear, etc., of an animal to indicate ownership. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1652 in Arch. Maryland (1891) X. 304 One Cowe calfe..the right Eare being cropt and the left Eare underkeeled with a nick in the Said Eare above.
1709 in A. Perry & C. S. Brigham Early Rec. Portsmouth (Rhode Island) (1901) 261 Two nicks..under the right ear.
1842 M. A. Lower Eng. Surnames (1875) II. App. 156 A nick is the mark cut in the mandible of a swan to distinguish its ownership.
f. Printing. A groove on one side of the shank of a piece of type, serving as a guide in the choice and positioning of the type; †the part of the mould by which this is made.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > printing > types, blocks, or plates > relating to type > [noun] > marks on types > as guide to compositor
nick1683
1683 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises II. 139 In the upper half of the Mold..is fitted into the under side of the Body the Nick: It is made of a piece of Wyer.
1797 Encycl. Brit. VII. 381/1 This wire, or rather half-wire, in the upper part makes the nick in the shank of the letter.
1824 J. Johnson Typographia II. 6 The advantage to be derived from letter having a deep nick, and also that the nick should differ from other founts of that body.
1882 J. Southward Pract. Printing 11 The nick..distinguishes between letters of an equal size but of a different description.
1970 R. K. Kent Lang. Journalism 93 When the type is set by hand, the nicks of the row are toward the compositor, and align as it lies in the composing stick.
g. Chiefly Scottish. Each of the depressions between the rings which form on a cow's horn, the number of which gives an indication of the animal's age. Also in extended use with reference to the years of a human life. Obsolete.
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the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > bos taurus or ox > [noun] > (miscellaneous) parts of > (parts of) horn > mark indicating age
ring1725
nickc1810
c1810 Cromek in R. Burns Wks. (1838–9) 62 It was his common practice to cut the nicks or markings from the horns of cattle, to disguise their age.
1813 E. Picken Misc. Poems I. 156 May..ilka new nick on her horn Some added pleasure yield her.
1828 M. Corbett & M. Corbett Tales & Legends III. 321 I doubt ye hae ower mony nicks in your horn to suit them.
1838 A. Rodger Poems & Songs 308 Sair she rued her pridefu' scorn, E'er thretty nicks had marked her horn.
1875 J. Ballantine Gaberlunzie's Wallet (ed. 3) 172 There's ower mony nicks in her horn, I doot.
h. Engineering. A groove or slot in the head of a screw.
ΚΠ
1841 Penny Cycl. XXI. 109/1 After which the nick, or groove to receive the end of the screw~driver, is cut with a circular saw.
1866 J. Chamberlain in S. Timmins Birmingham & Midl. Hardware District (1886) 608 The ‘soife’, or iron cuttings from the nicks and threads of the screws, average about four tons per day.
1934 Webster's New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang. 2248/2 It [sc. a screwdriver] has a thin wedge-shaped end which enters the nick in the head of the screw.
i. Biochemistry. A break in one strand of a double-stranded DNA molecule, corresponding to a broken or unformed phosphodiester bond between two adjacent nucleotides.
ΚΠ
1968 Cold Spring Harbor Symp. Quant. Biol. 33 375/2 With increase of time after infection, single-stranded nicks are introduced with increasing frequency.
1982 T. M. Devlin Textbk. Biochem. xvii. 864 (caption) The nicks in the annealed ends are then sealed by the action of ligase, which forms a stable circular DNA.
1994 Sci. News 24 Sept. 204/2 Bayley has been able to cut ‘nicks’ into the loop and stitch in strings of the amino acids cysteine and histidine.
3. A mark cut into something to indicate a level, limit, or the like; a level, degree, pitch, etc. Also figurative. to a nick: to a nicety. Obsolete.Chiefly with reference to the winding of a watch spring or lutestring to a point marked with such a notch.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > [noun] > the exact amount of something
nick1578
the world > relative properties > measurement > measuring instrument > [noun] > graduated instruments > notch used as a mark for measurement
nick1578
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > freedom from error, correctness > exactness, accuracy, precision > [adverb] > strictly
strait1338
smally1340
at point devicec1390
point-devicec1425
precisely1526
to the point device1542
just1549
rigorously1561
by the square1570
curiously1573
by point device1575
in print1576
to a tittle1597
nicelya1616
to a hair's breadtha1616
point-vice1641
to a nicka1680
to a cow's thumb1681
to a tee1693
narrowly1708
scrupulously1712
to a dot1728
perjinkly1775
to a nicety1795
astringently1866
to a fit1890
1578 T. Churchyard Disc. Queenes Entertainem. sig. Diij You old men, with boyes will iest and scoffe, And either laugh to scorne our words, or taunt vs past the nick.
1612 B. Jonson Alchemist iv. iv. sig. I4 I knew, the Doctor would not leaue, Till he had found the very nick of her fortune. View more context for this quotation
a1637 B. Jonson Pans Anniv. 120 in Wks. (1640) III To these there is annexed a Clock-keeper..who is to see that they all keepe time to a nick, and move every elbow in order, every knee in compasse.
1638 J. Suckling Aglaura ii. 11 Like the string of a watch wound up too high, and forc'd above the nicke.
1663 W. Clark Marciano iii. i. 31 O how my heart strings, by that pin of grief, As by an unexpert musicians hand, Who strives to raise his Lute to highest notes, Tun'd up above the nick begin to crack.
a1680 S. Butler Genuine Remains (1759) I. 108 For who could choose but err, without some Trick To take your Elevation to a Nick.
a1680 S. Butler Genuine Remains (1759) II. 260 [He] has a different Humour for every Nick his drink rises to.
4. Originally Scottish. An angle, gap, or pass between two hills.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > landscape > low land > valley > [noun] > gorge or ravine
cloughc1330
heugha1400
straitc1400
gillc1440
gulfa1533
gull1553
gap1555
coomb1578
gullet1600
nick1606
goyle1617
gully1637
nullah1656
ravine1687
barrancaa1691
kloof1731
ravin1746
water gap1756
gorge1769
arroyo1777
quebrada1787
rambla1789
flume1792
linn1799
cañada1814
gulch1832
cañon1834
canyon1837
khud1837
couloir1855
draw1864
box canyon1869
sitch1888
tangi1901
opena1903
1606 in R. Pitcairn Criminal Trials Scotl. (1833) II. 519 Thay baith mett togidder at the nik of the fell and hering..the countrey to follow thame, thay baith fled in Ingland.
1815 Wks. of Alexander Pennecuik 196 The highway passes through a hollow of blowing sand..called the Sandyhill-Nick.
1860 J. P. Kay-Shuttleworth Scarsdale I. 117 The drivers of strings of gals [sc. Galloway ponies] with lime sacks o'er the nick of Pendle.
1883 R. L. Stevenson Silverado Squatters ii. i. 66 There, in the nick, just where the eastern foothills joined the mountain..was Silverado.
1987 Climber Mar. 30/2 Scramble down the rocky ridge of the Lower Tier to the grassy nick, from where a track leads up to Hen Cloud.
5. Scottish. A sharp stroke or blow. Obsolete.
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the world > movement > impact > striking > striking in specific manner > [noun] > a sharp or smart blow
dab1300
rapc1330
thresta1400
bruntc1400
knap14..
yedderc1440
gird1487
yert1509
fillip1543
yark1555
flewet1570
stingera1577
flirt1577
wherret1577
riprapc1580
spang1595
nick1651
lick1680
flip1692
yowf1711
clink1722
wherrya1726
click1773
whither1791
swata1800
yank1818
snock1825
clip1830
snop1849
clinkera1863
siserary1893
blip1894
1651 Ld. Wariston Diary (1919) II. 55 It is a strange nik of providence that when this airmy should goe to the feilds, their head should fall seake.
a1689 W. Cleland Coll. Poems (1697) 106 I must confess the contradict Gave my old frozen heart a nict.
6. Squash and Real Tennis. The junction between a wall and the floor of the court. Also: a (winning) return in which the ball makes contact with both surfaces simultaneously.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > racket games > squash rackets > [noun] > court > specific part
sidewall1657
nicka1672
reverse angle1922
tin1933
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > racket games > real tennis > [noun] > court > parts of
hazard1583
nicka1672
penthousea1672
gallery1699
grille1700
dedans1706
tambour1706
gallery-post1878
pass court1878
pass line1878
winning-gallery1878
winning opening1878
wing-neta1884
a1672 P. Skippon in F. Willughby Bk. of Games (2003) 105 If a ball be struck under line & it runs to the adverse end & rises at the Nick (which is an obtuse angle to the pavement & the end wall that the ball may rise the better after this manner..).
1890 J. M. Heathcote et al. Tennis (Badminton Libr. of Sports & Pastimes) iv. 69 When the odds of touch-no-walls..are given, a ball returned by the giver of odds, which makes a nick, is counted for the striker.
1926 C. Arnold Game of Squash Rackets iii. 34 Winners can also be made by what is known as a dead service nick, the ball being made to meet the back or side wall and the floor at the same time.
1963 Times 8 Jan. 3/5 Turning his racket over like a butterfly net to impart top spin and make the ball die in the nick.
1988 Squash Player Internat. Dec. 29/3 Glen Bollington..was defeated by a flurry of nicks in the fourth 9–3, 7–9, 9–6, 9–0.
7. A cut; (now esp.) a minor one made accidentally while shaving, etc. Also: the act of cutting.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > cutting > [noun] > a cut or incision
garse?c1225
chinea1387
slit1398
incisionc1400
slivingc1400
raising?a1425
scotchc1450
racec1500
tranchec1500
kerf?1523
hack1555
slash1580
hew1596
raze1596
incutting1598
slisha1616
scar1653
lancementa1655
slap1688
slip1688
nick1692
streak1725
sneck1768
snick1775
rut1785
sliver1806
overcut1874
1692 Processes Kirkcudbright Sheriff Court 22 Apr. He saw Henderson take off hir crocecloath and two little niks upon the foirhead.
1816 ‘P. Pindar’ Middlesex Election v, in Wks. IV. 206 Our cock hath had a nick;..His droat is cut, and there he lieth.
1885 H. R. Haggard King Solomon's Mines xiii The fatal ‘nick’ of the artery was done..swiftly and painlessly.
1922 J. Joyce Ulysses iii. xvii. [Ithaca] 627 With thought of aught he sought though fraught with nought might cause a faster rate of shaving and a nick on which incision plaster with precision cut and humected and applied adhered which was to be done.
1943 B. Smith Tree grows in Brooklyn i. 4 Hair cropped so short that there were nicks in the scalp where the clippers had bitten too deeply.
1990 W. Wasserstein Bachelor Girls 139 There are many women with histories of nicks and woes who come to a crossroad when they discover waxing.
II. Senses relating to correspondence or resemblance.
8. A correspondence or resemblance, esp. a verbal correspondence; a pun. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > intelligence, cleverness > wit, wittiness > wit with words > [noun] > play on words, pun
allusion1550
nick1561
paronomasia1577
paronomasy1592
quiblin1605
quibblea1627
quiblet1627
clinch1629
quibbling1633
clink1634
clench1638
pun1644
conundrum1645
whim1652
pundigrion1673
jeu de mots1823
calembour1830
Tom Swifty1963
paronym1982
1561 T. Hoby tr. B. Castiglione Courtyer ii. sig. R.iii The other sort of Iestes..consisteth only in quicke & subtill saiynges,..and in nickes.
1589 G. Puttenham Arte Eng. Poesie ii. xii. 111 In these verses by reason one [word] of them doth as it were nicke another,..it behoueth..to place them where the nicke may be more expresly discouered.
9. (a) In the game of hazard: a throw which is either the same as the main (main n.2 1b), or has a fixed correspondence to it (see quot. 1797); a winning throw. Now chiefly historical. (b) In the game of craps: a natural (natural n.1 12a).
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > games of chance > dice-playing > [noun] > hazard > type of throw
sevenc1405
nicka1635
seven and eleven1684
crabs1768
a1635 R. Corbet Poems (1807) 128 Amongst the gamesters, where they name thee thicke At the last maine, or the last pocky nicke.
c1696 M. Prior Cupid & Ganymede 32 The usual trick: Seven, slur a six; eleven, a nick.
1729 J. Gay Polly iii. v. 56 Cul. Have at you. A nick. (flings.) Hac. Throw the dice fairly out. Are you at me again! Cul. I'm at it. Seven or eleven. (flings) eleven.
1778 T. Jones Hoyle's Games Improved 211 The Nick of Seven is seven to two, often laid ten to three. The Nick of Six and Eight is five to one.
1797 Encycl. Brit. VIII. 347/1 Nicks are either when the chance is the same with the main,..or six and twelve, seven and eleven, eight and twelve.
1809 Ld. Byron Eng. Bards & Sc. Reviewers (ed. 2) 52 The jovial Caster's set, and seven's the nick.
1853 G. J. Whyte-Melville Digby Grand I. vi. 164 ‘Seven's the main—seven!’ The dice rattled, the box fell, and a dotted eleven turned its welcome surface upward. I need not say this was what is termed a nick.
1863 Chambers's Encycl. V. 274/2 If his throw be not a nick, or a crab, then, if he can repeat the same throw before the main turns up, he wins.
1907 N.E.D. at Nick v.2 To throw the nick of (a certain number).
1987 T. L. Clark Dict. Gambling & Gaming 135/2 Nick,..in hazard, a roll of the dice that wins automatically... In craps, a roll of 7 or 11 on the come out, or first roll of the dice.
10. An instance of cross-breeding, esp. one which produces offspring of high quality. Cf. nick v.2 7b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > biology > biological processes > genetic activity > heredity or hereditary descent > [noun] > cross-breeding or hybridism
nick1824
crossing1851
hybridization1851
hybridism1854
intercrossing1859
hybridation1879
outcrossing1890
paragenesis1890
outbreeding1901
back-crossing1904
vicinism1905
monohybridism1907
cross-breeding1932
the world > animals > animal body > general parts > sexual organs and reproduction > [noun] > bringing forth young > cross-breeding
nick1824
1824 D. P. Blaine Canine Pathol. (ed. 2) 109 Some rearers of game fowls..are favourable to breeding from the third remove, which they call a nick.
1889 W. Warfield Theory & Pract. Cattle Breeding 26 This thing of a ‘nick’, or a successful cross, is as difficult as determining beforehand how much an animal will inherit from one or the other of its parents.
1897 Outing 29 484/1 Star, a good one in the field, was bred to Druid, and Mr. Wells made a record with this nick.
1927 J. E. Platt Thoroughbred Race-horse iv. 31 All the well-known nicks and blending of bloods must be observed, and the leading lines of sires and dams carefully considered.
1973 Country Life 15 Nov. 1545/1 The nick owed little to studies of genetics and line breeding [of harriers].
1989 J. Dailey Heiress 309 They should make a good nick, I think.
III. A precise moment, location, etc., and related senses.
11.
a. Chiefly in in (also at, upon) the (very) nick. The precise or exact point of time when something takes place or requires to be done; a critical or opportune juncture, a crucial moment; (in later use) esp. the latest possible moment. Now somewhat rare (but cf. sense 11b).
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > a suitable time or opportunity > [noun] > critical or decisive moment
articlea1398
prick?c1422
crise?1541
push1563
in the nick1565
jump1598
concurrence1605
cardo1609
(the) nick of time (also occasionally opportunity, etc.)1610
edgea1616
climacterical1628
climacteric1633
in the nick-time1650
moment1666
turning-point1836
watershed1854
psychological moment1871
psychical moment1888
moment of truth1932
crunch1939
cruncher1947
high noon1955
break point1959
defining moment1967
midnight1976
the world > action or operation > advantage > an opportunity > [noun]
chance1297
occasiona1382
leisurec1386
opportunitya1387
advantage1487
portunity1516
in the nick1565
mean1592
vantage?1592
occasionet1593
overture1610
hinta1616
largeness1625
convenience1679
tid1721
opening1752
offer1831
slant1837
show1842
showing1852
show-up1883
window of opportunity1942
op1978
1565 A. Golding tr. Ovid Fyrst Fower Bks. Metamorphosis iii. f. 4v And for too fierce her ire, A nother thing..there commeth in the nicke.
1577 M. Hanmer tr. Socrates Scholasticus vi. vi, in Aunc. Eccl. Hist. 365 The Romayne nauye..ariued at the very pinche or as commonly we say in the nicke.
1622 J. Mabbe tr. M. Alemán Rogue ii. 336 We came at last vnto the Gallies, iust vpon the very nicke.
1638 A. Cowley Loves Riddle v. sig. F3 Philistus;..just at the nick came in And parted us.
1664 J. Wilson Andronicus Comnenius v. i He is so sensible of's danger, He catches at any thing—this is our nick.
1699 G. Farquhar Love & Bottle ii. ii. 23 Oh Mr. Loewell! you come just in the nick.
1719 J. Swift Quiet Life in Wks. (1735) II. 350 Ent'ring in the very Nick, He saw virago Nell belabor..his peaceful Neighbour.
a1732 T. Boston Memoirs (1776) x. 293 They had come forth at such a nick for sale.
a1777 S. Foote Cozeners (1778) iii. ii. 92 Married..they would have been, if I had not come just in the nick.
1809 B. H. Malkin tr. A. R. Le Sage Adventures Gil Blas II. iv. ii. 18 There passed by in the very nick one of his friends.
1844 T. Hood Forge ii, in Whimsicalities I. 124 With whom, at that very particular nick, There is such an unlucky crow to pick.
1897 T. E. Brown Coll. Poems (1900) ii. 213 The little rascal would..wait for a lull, And humoured the boat, and pacified her..Till he saw the nick, and afore you'd be knowin', His helm was up, his jib was drawin', [etc.].
1901 R. C. Lehmann Anni Fugaces 70 ‘Great Themes,’ I cried, ‘you come upon the nick.’
1970 I. Feldman Magic Papers 25 He gets them the hell out of there... Rushes back, just In the nick!
b. In (the) nick of time (also occasionally opportunity, etc.) in the same sense.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > a suitable time or opportunity > [noun] > critical or decisive moment
articlea1398
prick?c1422
crise?1541
push1563
in the nick1565
jump1598
concurrence1605
cardo1609
(the) nick of time (also occasionally opportunity, etc.)1610
edgea1616
climacterical1628
climacteric1633
in the nick-time1650
moment1666
turning-point1836
watershed1854
psychological moment1871
psychical moment1888
moment of truth1932
crunch1939
cruncher1947
high noon1955
break point1959
defining moment1967
midnight1976
1610 J. Day Day's Festivals (1615) i. 20 Even in this nicke of time, this very, very instant.
1612 R. Carpenter Soules Sentinel 40 [He] came in the nicke of opportunity to beg grace.
c1625 Partiall Law (1908) v. iv. 104 This unexpected comming of your friends So in the nicke of time is a good omen.
1643 J. Angier Lancashires Valley of Achor 19 [We] came in the nick of time to relieve the well-affected in Preston.
1687 A. Lovell tr. J. de Thévenot Trav. into Levant ii. 179 If he had not gone down at the very nick of time, the Ship could not have failed of being very quickly blown up.
a1707 S. Patrick Auto-biogr. (1839) 179 I look upon it as a singular providence of God, that Dr. Harris..should come in at that nick of time.
1724 A. Collins Disc. Grounds Christian Relig. Pref. 57 There is one season and nick of time, wherein they will allow [etc.].
1757 G. Washington Let. 10 Sept. in Writings (1931) II. 125 That [tobacco]..was of the best Sweetscented, neatly handled; and must if the Ship arriv'd Safe get to Market in the Nick of time.
1818 W. Hazlitt Lect. Eng. Poets (1870) viii. 200 He unexpectedly appears just in the nick of time, after years of absence.
1867 A. Trollope Last Chron. Barset I. xxxv. 299 It was simply the nick of time which gave it to him.
1888 J. W. Burgon Lives Twelve Good Men II. vii. 118 The following note..reached the young man's hands in the very nick of time.
1892 R. L. Stevenson Footnote to Hist. x The Adler, cast free in the nick of opportunity, had been thrown upon the top.
1908 L. M. Montgomery Anne of Green Gables xiv. 145 If Mr. Andrews hadn't caught her by her sash just in the nick of time she'd have fallen in.
1944 K. B. Hathaway Little Locksmith iv. 15 Then when all seems lost—suddenly out of the pocket he comes, remembered in the nick of time.
1990 B. Cornwell Sharpe's Waterloo v. 79 Saxe-Weimar had arrived at the very nick of time.
c. The precise moment or time of some occurrence or event. Now rare (poetic in later use).
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > particular time > [noun] > time of occurrence
sitheOE
seasona1400
turna1400
datec1400
when1616
nick1645
whenabouts1898
1645 S. Rutherford Tryal & Trivmph of Faith (1845) i. 3 It is unhappy, if, in the nick of the first breaking of the morning sky, the night-watch fall fast asleep.
1670 G. Havers tr. G. Leti Il Cardinalismo di Santa Chiesa ii. iii. 199 Dying just in the nick of the vacancy of the See.
1713 R. Steele in Guardian No. 82. ⁋10 In the nick of being surprised, the lovers..escape at a trap-door.
1749 J. Cleland Mem. Woman of Pleasure II. 71 The baronet led the extasy,..in the nick of which, glewing more ardently than ever his lips to hers,..he shew'd all the signs of [etc.].
1827 T. Hood Whims & Oddities 2nd Ser. 56 A tramper That came in danger's very nick.
1855 R. Browning Childe Roland xxix In the very nick Of giving up, one time more, came a click.
1985 J. Allman Clio's Children 7 The fabled messenger has arrived in the nick of last minutes.
12.
a. The essential part of something. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [noun] > that which is important > essential or central
pitheOE
effectc1405
substancec1450
kernel1556
nick1577
keystone1641
vitals1657
narrow1702
secret1738
ganglion1828
nub1833
primality1846
keyword1848
knub1864
buzzword1946
in word1964
1577 R. Stanyhurst Treat. Descr. Irelande i. f. 1/1, in R. Holinshed Chron. I He was so crost in the nycke of thys determination, that his hystorie..wandred through sundry hands.
a1625 J. Fletcher Women Pleas'd ii. vi, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Dddddd4v/1 Now could I eat my very arms for madnesse, Cross'd in the nick o'th matter? vengeance take it.
1684 Observator No. 129 Trim. What's that to the Book here before us? Obs. Only the very Nick of the Case.
b. The exact point aimed at; the target. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > intention > [noun] > intention or purpose > end, purpose, or object > goal or target
markc1275
lodestarc1374
aimc1400
mete1402
pricka1450
butta1522
level1525
white marka1533
goal1540
Jack-a-Lent1553
blankc1557
scope1562
period1590
upshot1591
bird1592
golden goal1597
nick1602
quarry1615
North Star1639
huba1657
fair game1690
endgame1938
target1942
cockshot1995
1602 J. Marston Hist. Antonio & Mellida Induct. sig. A4 I will so tickle the sense..with the titillation of Hyperbolicall praise, that Ile strike it in the nick, in the very nick.
a1625 J. Fletcher Pilgrim iii. vii, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Hhhhhv/2 Scho. Doe's the Sea stagger ye? Mast. Now ye have hit the nick.
1656 E. Reyner Rules Govt. Tongue 29 Right words are effectual; for they hit the mark, light in the nick, and strike on the right string.
c. Apparently: a point, stage, or degree. Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > prosperity > advancement or progress > [noun] > a stage in a process or development
degreec1230
greea1340
steadc1370
pointc1475
nick1649
stadium1669
notch1670
grade1796
step1811
milestone1820
way station1863
1649 J. Bulwer Pathomyotomia ii. i. 90 To fit its purpose in such an intricate nick of irresolution.
IV. Other uses.
13. slang. to set in the nick: (perhaps) to cheat (a person) out of his or her money. Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > defrauding or swindling > perpetrate (a swindle) [verb (transitive)] > defraud or swindle > out of something
beguile1394
wrongc1484
delude1493
licka1500
to wipe a person's nose1577
uncle1585
cheat1597
cozen1602
to bob of1605
to bob out of1605
gull1612
foola1616
to set in the nick1616
to worm (a person) out of1617
shuffle1627
to baffle out of1652
chouse1654
trepan1662
bubble1668
trick1698
to bamboozle out of1705
fling1749
jockey1772
swindle1780
twiddle1825
to diddle out of1829
nig1829
to chisel out of1848
to beat out1851
nobble1852
duff1863
flim-flam1890
1616 B. Jonson Epicœne iv. iv, in Wks. I. 575 A very sharke, he set me i' the nicke t'other night at primero . View more context for this quotation
14. The height of fashion. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > fashionableness > [noun] > the or a prevailing fashion
gentryc1400
the fashion1569
mainstream1599
the trim1603
mood1646
mode1649
vogue1649
beauty1653
à la mode1654
turn1695
the kick1699
goût1717
thing1734
taste1739
ton1769
nick1788
the tippy1790
twig1811
latest1814
dernier mot1834
ticket1838
kibosh1880
last cry1887
le (or the) dernier cri1896
flavour of the month (or week)1946
vague1962
1788 Murray's Mag. 1 472 The word Ton is quite abolished. Everything that is fashionable is now called the Nick.
15. slang (originally Australian). A prison; a lock-up, esp. one at a police station. Also: a police station.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > punishment > imprisonment > prison > [noun]
quarternOE
prisona1200
jailc1275
lodgec1290
galleya1300
chartrea1325
ward1338
keepingc1384
prison-house1419
lying-house1423
javel1483
tollbooth1488
kidcotec1515
clinkc1530
warding-place1571
the hangman's budget1589
Newgate1592
gehenna1594
Lob's pound1597
caperdewsie1599
footman's inn1604
cappadochio1607
pena1640
marshalsea1652
log-house1662
bastille1663
naskin1673
state prison1684
tronk1693
stone-doublet1694
iron or stone doublet1698
college1699
nask1699
quod1699
shop1699
black hole1707
start1735
coop1785
blockhouse1796
stone jug1796
calaboose1797
factory1806
bull-pen1809
steel1811
jigger1812
jug1815
kitty1825
rock pile1830
bughouse1842
zindan1844
model1845
black house1846
tench1850
mill1851
stir1851
hoppet1855
booby hatch1859
caboose1865
cooler1872
skookum house1873
chokey1874
gib1877
nick1882
choker1884
logs1888
booby house1894
big house1905
hoosegow1911
can1912
detention camp1916
pokey1919
slammer1952
joint1953
slam1960
1882 Sydney Slang Dict. 6/2 Nick (The), gaol.
1918 Truth (Sydney) 6 Jan. 5/5 Muss and Doolan scruff her to the nick.
1926 A. Muir Blue Bonnet i. ii ‘I'll tak a thrashing instead of the nick,’ said Hector.
1936 ‘J. Curtis’ Gilt Kid xii. 127 I haven't done anything since I've come out of the nick and the old rent's running a bit low.
1962 R. Cook Crust on its Uppers i. 20 The boys down at Chelsea nick.
1995 M. Amis Information (1996) 97 Know how much it costs to keep a bloke in nick for a week?
16. colloquial. Condition, state. Chiefly in in good (fair, etc.) nick: in the specified state or condition.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > [adjective] > in good condition
well-repaireda1470
sufficient1473
in tone1513
in reparation (also reparations)1565
in repair1648
in good (fair, etc.) nick1890
on-form1965
on (full) song1967
1884 R. Lawson Upton-on-Severn Words & Phrases 39 ‘Up to dick’, or ‘nick’..= in first-rate condition; to perfection.]
1890 J. D. Robertson Gloss. Words County of Gloucester 103 Nick,..condition, fettle.
1905 J. Wright Eng. Dial. Dict. Suppl. 151/1 In good nick, in good condition.
1947 D. M. Davin Gorse blooms Pale 178 They're all in pretty good nick, considering. Shagged, of course.
1957 Railway Mag. June 431/1 It does not mean..that an ‘A4’ in good ‘nick’..is not capable of performances well up to the pre-war standard.
1984 M. Amis Money 134 I was in no sort of nick for this encounter, I admit.

Compounds

nick-translated adj. Biochemistry (of DNA) that has undergone nick translation.
ΚΠ
1976 Chromosoma 54 22 Specific hybridization with clean autoradiographic background was obtained with nick-translated 3H ‘Dm’ DNA that had been prepared from Drosophila melanogaster.
1989 Molecular & Cellular Probes 3 371 The stability of photobiotinylated probes is more or less the same as that of conventional nick-translated probes.
nick translation n. Biochemistry a process used esp. to insert labelled nucleotides into a strand of DNA, in which a DNA polymerase adds new nucleotides to the strand on one side of a nick whilst removing nucleotides from the strand on the other side, thus effectively replacing a sequence of nucleotides and translating the nick some distance along the strand.
ΚΠ
1976 Chromosoma 54 16 The technique..includes the in vitro enzymatic synthesis of 3H-labelled DNA by DNA polymerase I from single strand breaks introduced by deoxyribonuclease I; a method first employed by Kelly et al. (1970) and commonly known as ‘nick-translation’ of DNA.
1993 Ann. Human Genetics 57 10 The probes were biotin labelled by nick translation.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

Nickn.2

Origin: Formed within English, by clipping or shortening. Etymon: Old Nick n.
Etymology: Short for Old Nick n. N.E.D. (1907) gives the pronunciation as (nik) /nɪk/.
colloquial. Obsolete.
The Devil. Cf. Old Nick n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > deity > a devil > the Devil or Satan > [noun]
devileOE
Beelzebubc950
the foul ghosteOE
SatanOE
warlockOE
SatanasOE
worsea1200
unwinea1225
wondc1250
quedea1275
pucka1300
serpenta1300
dragon1340
shrew1362
Apollyon1382
the god of this worldc1384
Mahoundc1400
leviathan1412
worsta1425
old enemyc1449
Ruffin1567
dismal1570
Plotcocka1578
the Wicked One1582
goodman1603
Mahu1603
foul thief1609
somebody1609
legiona1616
Lord of Flies1622
walliman1629
shaitan1638
Old Nicka1643
Nick1647
unsel?1675
old gentleman1681
old boy1692
the gentleman in black1693
deuce1694
Black Spy1699
the vicious one1713
worricow1719
Old Roger1725
Lord of the Flies1727
Simmie1728
Old Scratch1734
Old Harry1777
Old Poker1784
Auld Hornie1786
old (auld), ill thief1789
old one1790
little-good1821
Tom Walker1833
bogy1840
diabolarch1845
Old Ned1859
iniquity1899
1647 Strange Newes from Campania 7 I..will for ever pray That all those Traytors who their King withstood, May..keepe a Senat with their Grandsire Nick, and in his Kingdome play him such a tricke (As they have lately in Campania done).
?c1695 in J. Maidment Scot. Pasquils (1827) ii. 54 It's not Staire's bairnes alone Nick doth infest, His children's children lykewise are possest.
1786 R. Burns Poems & Songs (1968) I. 168 O thou, whatever title suit thee! Auld Hornie, Satan, Nick, or Clootie.
1842 R. H. Barham St. Medard in Ingoldsby Legends 2nd Ser. 288 Unless you're too Saintly to care about Nick.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2019).

nickn.3

Brit. /nɪk/, U.S. /nɪk/
Forms: also with capital initial.
Origin: Formed within English, by clipping or shortening. Etymon: nickel n.
Etymology: Shortened < nickel n.
U.S. slang.
(The value of) a nickel coin.
ΚΠ
1857 N.Y. Herald 27 May 5/2 The bags containing the ‘Nicks’..each..held five hundred.
1865 G. A. Sala My Diary in Amer. II. i. 54 You should have given them a paper ‘spondoulick’ for ten cents, or else a few nickel cents. Those they know, for two sticks of lollipops are to be had for two ‘nicks’.
1894 S. Crane N.Y. City Sketches (1966) 106 Say, Jimmie, gimme change for a nick!
1910 G. Ade I knew him When 17 At the age of 7 he paid a Nick for three Cheroots.
1976 M. Knapp & H. Knapp One Potato, Two Potato 21 They can draw straws or flip a ‘nick’.
1983 Publishers Weekly 15 Apr. 52 We stocked up on this paper a while ago..so now it's only a nick more expensive than our regular stock.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, September 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

nickv.1

Forms: Middle English nekyd (past participle), Middle English nic, Middle English nich, Middle English nik, Middle English nikke, Middle English nycke, Middle English nyk, Middle English nykke, Middle English–1600s 1800s nick; also Scottish pre-1700 neck, pre-1700 nyk.
Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: nich adv.
Etymology: < nich adv. (compare forms s.v.).The Old English verb niccan to refuse a person something, cited in Bosworth-Toller and in Middle Eng. Dict. s.v. nikken v.1, is a ghost, based on a misreading by J. M. Kemble ( Codex Diplomaticus Aevi Saxonici (1848) VI. 201) of nittað use, enjoy (see nitte v.) as niccað in the following passage:c1275 ( Will of Ketel (Sawyer 1519) in D. Whitelock Anglo-Saxon Wills (1930) 90 Ic bidde þe..þat þu it nefre ne let welden mine vnwinan after me þe mid unrichte sitteð þeron, and nittað it me euere to vnþanke.
Obsolete.
1.
a. intransitive. To make denial. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > statement > denial or contradiction > deny or contradict [verb (intransitive)]
atsakec1000
nick?c1225
renege1548
nay-saya1800
disclaima1817
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 228 Hit nis naut igodes curt. ase iþe schire. þer as þe þe nickeð [a1250 Titus nicken; a1300 Caius nichet] wel. Mei beon iboreȝen.
b. transitive. To deny (a thing); to disavow, refuse to acknowledge (a person). rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > statement > denial or contradiction > deny or contradict [verb (transitive)]
withquethec888
withsake971
falsea1225
withsay?c1225
denyc1300
again-saya1382
naitc1390
nitec1390
naya1400
nicka1400
warna1400
denytec1420
traversea1450
repugnc1456
unsayc1460
renay1512
disavow?1532
disaffirm1548
contradict1582
fault1585
belie1587
infringe1590
dementie1594
abnegate1616
negate1623
nege1624
abrenounce1656
nay-saya1774
negative1784
dement1884
the mind > language > statement > repudiation or refusal to acknowledge > repudiate or refuse to acknowledge [verb (transitive)] > knowledge of
forsakea1400
nicka1400
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 21078 (MED) Þat erth, þai sai, vmstund Men sais vprisand fra þe grund..Þe landes folk it wil noght nick.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) 15566 (MED) Do wai, leue freind..þu sal me nickin..Ar þe koc him crau to-night.
2.
a. transitive. In to nick —— with nay (and variants): to answer (a person) in the negative; to deny (a thing). archaic in later use.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > statement > negation > negate [verb (transitive)]
to nick —— with nayc1330
no1835
c1330 (?c1300) Amis & Amiloun (Auch.) (1937) 2188 (MED) No wold þai nick him wiþ no nay, What so euer he asked.
c1390 Pistel of Swete Susan (Vernon) 148 Ȝif I nikke hem with nai, hit helpeþ me nouȝt.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 3917 (MED) Laban o leue þam nicked nai.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 4382 Has þou nicked me wit nay?
c1426 J. Audelay Poems (1931) 26 (MED) Seche and þou schalt fynd..Nyk not þis with nay.
a1450 (a1400) Athelston (1951) 503 (MED) On here knees þey kneleden adoun And prayden hym off hys benysoun; He nykkyd hem wiþ nay.
1508 Golagros & Gawane (Chepman & Myllar) sig. aii*v Lord wendis on your way Yone berne nykis yow with nay.
?a1600 ( R. Sempill Legend Bischop St. Androis in J. Cranstoun Satirical Poems Reformation (1891) I. xlv. 364 And sua he neckit thame with nay.
?c1600 (c1515) Sc. Field (Lyme) 54 in I. F. Baird Poems Stanley Family (D.Phil. thesis, Univ. of Birm.) (1990) 231 But he nicked them with nay, and none of yt woulde.
1603 Philotus xxxii. sig. B3 Sweit sucker, neck me not with nay, Bot be content to tak him.
1820 W. Scott Abbot III. xi. 363 I have but one boon to ask, I trust you will not nick me with nay.
b. intransitive. to nick (with) nay: to answer in the negative. rare.
ΚΠ
a1350 in G. L. Brook Harley Lyrics (1968) 36 (MED) Euer wymmen ich herie ay..ant euer at neode y nyckenay þat y ner nemnede þat heo nolde.
a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) 4145 Ȝif sche nickes wiþ nay & nel nouȝt com sone..I wol..fecche hire with fin forse.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2003; most recently modified version published online December 2021).

nickv.2

Brit. /nɪk/, U.S. /nɪk/
Forms: Middle English–1600s nicke, 1500s nycke, 1500s nykk, 1500s– nick, 1600s knick, 1600s nike, 1700s nig; also Scottish pre-1700 neck, pre-1700 nek, pre-1700 nik.
Origin: Perhaps formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: nick n.1
Etymology: < nick n.1 or its (uncertain) etymon (see etymological note at that entry).There is no obvious connection with formally similar verbs in other Germanic languages, as Middle Dutch nicken to bow, to bend (Dutch nikken , knikken to nod), Middle Low German nicken to bend over, sink down, Middle High German nicken to bend, press down (German nicken , to nod), Middle Low German knicken to bend, snap, German knicken to bend, break, snap. Sense 17 may be of independent, perhaps imitative origin; compare snick v.3
I. Senses relating to the making of notches or cuts.
1.
a. transitive. To make a notch or notches in; to mark with a notch or notches; to indent. Occasionally intransitive with object implied. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > unevenness > condition or fact of receding > form a recess in [verb (transitive)] > notch
nick?1440
jag1568
natch1570
notch1581
notch1834
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > damage > damage or injure [verb (transitive)] > by breaking, tearing, or cutting something off
forcutc1386
shattera1513
cancel1574
snip1822
mutilate1824
shard1879
detruncate1885
nick1885
tr. Palladius De re Rustica (Duke Humfrey) (1896) viii. 167 (MED) That sensis spille..Is not my wille, and yit in hit is she, Myn ignoraunce..but he, That she myschaunce, he pricke or nicke hit theer.
1460 Ayr Burgh Court Bks. 12 July in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue at Nik That ony that war filit for pike of reset..suld be nikit with kyrk dure key apon the chek.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 644/1 It is no trewe poynte to nycke your tayle [more than mine].
1573 T. Tusser Points Huswifrie (new ed.) f. 19, in Fiue Hundreth Points Good Husbandry (new ed.) Some cuttith the napkin, some trencher wil nick.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Comedy of Errors (1623) v. i. 176 His man with Cizers nickes him like a foole. View more context for this quotation
a1650 Robin Hood & Guy of Gisborne xlii, in F. J. Child Eng. & Sc. Pop. Ballads (1888) III. v. 93/2 Robin pulled forth an Irish kniffe, And nicked Sir Guy in the fface.
1681 W. Robertson Phraseologia generalis (1693) 918 To nick or notch.
1752 E. Moxon Eng. Housewifery (new ed.) 50 Nick your beef about an inch distance.
1815 J. Smith Panorama Sci. & Art I. 122 Before a saw is employed.., nick the place with a paring chisel.
1856 E. B. Browning Aurora Leigh ix. 388 The falling beam, Which nicked me on the forehead as I passed The gallery-door.
1885 Harper's Mag. Feb. 477/1 As regards china..our servants are not in the least careful not to nick.
1936 E. A. Atkins & A. G. Walker Electr. Arc & Oxy-acetylene Welding (ed. 3) iv. 32 In the case of..cast iron the best way is to mark off the Vee and nick down with a hack-saw at intervals of 3/ 16 in.
1951 J. Hawkes Land x. 228 The even contours of the next headland are nicked by the banks and ditches of a Celtic fort.
1985 E. Leonard Glitz i. 12 The .38 slug chipped bone, nicked the ilium.
b. transitive. To record or keep an account of by means of a notch or notches made on a tally or stick. Also with up, down. Also figurative. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > record > pictorial, etc., records > [verb (transitive)]
nick?1523
notch1573
score1590
tallya1640
the world > relative properties > number > enumeration, reckoning, or calculation > number, calculate, or reckon [verb (transitive)] > record > by notches
scorec1386
tallyc1440
nick?1523
notch1573
strike1626
?1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Husbandry f. xlviiv And if he can nat write: let hym nicke the defautes vpon a sticke.
1582 R. Stanyhurst tr. Virgil First Foure Bookes Æneis i. 5 Bee sure, this practise wil I nick in a freendlye memento.
1598 B. Yong tr. G. Polo Enamoured Diana in tr. J. de Montemayor Diana 484 Vpon our score You should nicke vp so many merie tides.
1614 J. Day Dyall xii. 318 So is their reasoning again as silly, who vpon the word Merit in the Fathers nick vp still our owne Deserts.
a1642 H. Best Farming & Memorandum Bks. (1984) 103 With a knife wee nick on a spell howe many cleane weathers.
1738 J. Swift Compl. Coll. Genteel Conversat. 5 I'll get a Knife, and nick it down, that Mr. Neverout came to our House.
1841 T. Hood Tale of Trumpet i, in New Monthly Mag. May 123 As for the clock the moments nicking, The Dame only gave it credit for ticking.
1853 G. J. Cayley Las Alforjas I. 61 In the fingers of his right [hand] was a crooked whittle, with which..as the basketfuls arrived, he would nick the score upon notch-sticks.
2.
a. transitive. To cut into or through; to cut short, truncate; (now) esp. to nip or snip off.to nick the thread (Scottish): to kill (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > cutting > cut [verb (transitive)]
snithec725
carvec1000
cutc1275
slitc1275
hag1294
ritc1300
chop1362
slash1382
cut and carvea1398
flash?a1400
flish?a1400
slenda1400
race?a1425
raise?a1425
razea1425
scotch?c1425
ochec1440
slitec1450
ranch?a1525
scorchc1550
scalp1552
mincea1560
rash?1565
beslash1581
fent1589
engrave1590
nick1592
snip1593
carbonado1596
rescide1598
skice1600
entail1601
chip1609
wriggle1612
insecate1623
carbonate1629
carbonade1634
insecta1652
flick1676
sneg1718
snick1728
slot1747
sneck1817
tame1847
bite-
1592 ‘C. Cony-Catcher’ Def. Conny-catching sig. D His beard squard with such Arte, eyther..standing as stiffe as if he wore a Ruler in his mouth, or else nickt off with the Italian cut.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Antony & Cleopatra (1623) iii. xiii. 8 The itch of his Affection should not then Haue nickt his Captain-ship, at such a point. View more context for this quotation
1721 A. Ramsay Poems (1877) I. 162 Excepting some, wha a' the leave will nick, And gie them nought but bare Whop-shafts to lick.
1787 R. Burns Death & Dr. Hornbook xii, in Poems (new ed.) 59 It's e'en a lang, lang time indeed Sin' I began to nick the thread.
1827 J. Watt Poems 90 Wi' rage an' spleen the thread he's nicket.
1865 A. D. Whitney Gayworthys xxvi Skylark grew to be her ordinary appellative; shortened, indeed to Skylie; the nickname nicked.
1887 G. Outram Lyrics 34 If mortal means could nick her thread, Sma' crime it wad appear to me.
1946 D. C. Peattie Road of Naturalist (U.K. ed.) v. 52 This was Utah, state shaped like a brick with the corner nicked off.
1977 B. MacLaverty Secrets 27 He opened his mouth in a mock yawn and nicked off the remaining hairs.
1991 Independent 28 Nov. 15/6 Too soon for a verdict, he said, but the protrusion might need to be nicked off under local anaesthetic.
b. transitive. To shape or mark out by cutting. Frequently with out. Also figurative. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > shape or give shape to [verb (transitive)] > by or as by cutting
hewc900
behewc1314
tailc1400
chisel1517
tailye1581
cut1600
nick1605
pare1708
whittle1848
nibble1987
society > communication > indication > marking > mark [verb (transitive)] > by cutting
score1590
scribe1800
nick1827
1605 W. Camden Remaines ii. 42 A Monke of Duresme busied his braine in nicking out these nice verses vpon the death of W. de La-march.
1719 W. Hamilton Epist. to Ramsay ii. vi, in A. Ramsey Poems Thy verses nice as ever nicket, Made me as canty as a cricket.
1827 J. Clare Shepherd's Cal. 180 Nicking the ‘Nine-peg morris’ in the grass.
1838 Civil Engineer & Architect's Jrnl. 1 326/1 The breadth of land has been nicked out upon the ground.
1883 Atlantic Monthly Mar. 372 It is built upon a corner nicked out of the consecrated space, and has the graves close at its back and along one of its sides.
c. transitive. Mining. To cut away (coal) from a seam after it has been undercut. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1847 J. O. Halliwell Dict. Archaic & Provinc. Words II. 576/1 Nick, to cut vertical sections in a mine from the roof. North.
1883 W. S. Gresley Gloss. Terms Coal Mining 174 Nick, to cut or shear coal after holing.
d. transitive. Biochemistry. To introduce a nick (nick n.1 2i) into (a DNA molecule); (more generally) to break a bond between two adjacent units in (a biological polymer).
ΚΠ
1969 Jrnl. Biochem. (Tokyo) 66 6/2 B. subtilis DNA was nicked at 37°C for 2 hr.
1978 Nature 25 May 315/1 This treatment is known to nick ccc-DNA, producing the open circular (oc) form of DNA.
1984 M. J. Taussig Processes in Pathol. & Microbiol. (ed. 2) iii. 316 The haemagglutinin protein is enzymatically ‘nicked’ during viral maturation into two chains..which remain linked by a disulphide bond.
1990 EMBO Jrnl. 9 2919/2 Supercoiled..input DNA is rapidly nicked in cell-free systems.
3. transitive. To make an indentation in the base of (a tankard) in order to reduce its capacity. Also intransitive with object implied. Obsolete.Frequently coupled with froth, esp. with general implication of the giving of short measure. Cf. nick n.1 2c.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > drink > providing or serving drink > [verb (transitive)] > supply fraudulent measure
nick1592
1592 ‘C. Cony-Catcher’ Def. Conny-catching sig. C3v The Alewife vnlesse she nicke her Pottes and Conny-catch her guestes with stone Pottes..can hardly pay her Brewer.
1616 Shirburn Ballads (1906) 92 Though I be loth To nicke and to froth, That built the Pie at Algate.
c1665 in Roxburghe Ballads VI. 487 Bee't tankerd or flaggon,..we'l trust you to Nick and to Froth.
1700 E. Ward London Spy II. iii. 6 Sent up to Town, as Thousands were before, To Nick and Froth, and Learn the Double-Score.
4. transitive. To make an incision at the root of (a horse's tail) in order to make the animal carry it higher; to cut (a horse) in this way. Occasionally intransitive with object implied. See also nicking n.2 1b. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > [verb (transitive)] > dock or nick horse
dock1530
curtail1577
nick1740
bob1822
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > [verb (transitive)] > dock or nick horse > nick tail
nick1740
1740 H. Bracken Farriery Improv'd (ed. 2) II. i. 4 Why should any Horse carry me better when his Tail is nick'd, (as the Term is) than he did before?
1753 J. Bartlet Gentleman's Farriery xliii. 311 The art of nicking horses then chiefly consists in a transverse division of these depressing tendons of the tail.
1791 W. Gilpin Remarks Forest Scenery II. 268 The custom..of docking, nicking, and cropping their horses.
1859 A. Cary Pictures Country Life 189 I'm a going to..learn to nick and dock.
1887 H. Caine Son of Hagar i. vii Anything from ploughing to threshing and nicking a nag's tail.
1896 Daily News 11 Feb. 9/1 Prosecuted..for ‘nicking’ two hackneys and a chestnut mare.
1990 E. Cotchin Royal Vet. Coll. London (BNC) 73 He condemned the practice of nicking horses' tails.
5. transitive. To cut (the skin, etc.) accidentally, esp. while shaving. Frequently reflexive.
ΚΠ
1922 J. Joyce Ulysses ii. iv. [Calypso] 67 Nicked myself shaving.
1967 G. Vidal Washington, D.C. I. ii. 15 The razor nicked his chin.
1988 G. Swift Out of this World 102 He has nicked himself shaving.
II. Senses relating to correspondence or precision.
6. Dice.
a. transitive. In the game of hazard: to win against (a player) by throwing a nick (nick n.1 9a). Also figurative. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > games of chance > dice-playing > play at dice [verb (transitive)] > specific throw at hazard > win over at hazard
nicka1553
a1553 Nice Wanton 212 Iniq. Here, sirs, come on; seuen! (They set him.) Aleauen at all! Ism. Do ye nycke vs?
1601 B. Jonson Fountaine of Selfe-love ii. ii. sig. D2 I haue a Salutation wil nick all. View more context for this quotation
a1657 G. Daniel Trinarchodia: Henry V cccx, in Poems (1878) IV. 178 France vnderhand pursues The Advantage of the Warre to nicke him out Ere he could prize his Chance; False Dice may doo't.
1671 J. Dryden Evening's Love iv. 54 My Don he sets me ten pistols; I nick him: ten more, I sweep them too.
1697 C. Cibber Womans Wit i. 8 Fortune was on my side, and in less then two Hours I fairly nickt him of Five Hundred Pound.
b. transitive. To make (a winning throw); to get as a nick; to throw the nick of (a specified number). Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1598 J. Florio Worlde of Wordes To binde, tie, or nick a cast at dice.
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues at Ambezatz Hauing had that chance that no wise man would nicke.
1705 S. Centlivre Gamester i. i. 9 Come, throw a Main, Sir, then I'll instruct you how to nick it.
1773 O. Goldsmith She stoops to Conquer iii. 63 My old luck: I never nick'd seven that I did not throw ames ace three times following.
1801 Sporting Mag. 17 7 Dreamt that I had thrown crabs all night, and could not nick seven for the life of me.
1815 Chron. in Ann. Reg. 289/2 A wager whether there are more ways than 6 of nicking 7 on the dice.
c. intransitive. To gamble with dice. Formerly also: †to throw a nick (obsolete). Now Caribbean.Continuity of the Caribbean usage with earlier use is not certain.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > games of chance > play games of chance [verb (intransitive)]
play1340
game1529
nick1611
to cast a chancea1628
to go even or odd1658
gamble1757
gaff1819
buck1849
spiel1859
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > games of chance > dice-playing > play at dice [verb (intransitive)] > specific throw at hazard
nick1611
to throw in1772
1611 J. Florio Queen Anna's New World of Words at Zarare To play at hazards or throw hazards, to nike at hazard.
1676 W. Wycherley Plain-dealer ii. i Thou art some..gaming Companion, and want'st some Widow's old Gold to nick upon.
1732 H. Fielding Lottery i. 7 If I can but nick this time, Ame's-Ace, I defy thee.
1953 Daily Chron. (Georgetown, Guyana) 6 Jan. 3 He had lost it [sc. his pay-packet] ‘nicking’ with the boys.
d. transitive. Caribbean. To gamble with (dice).
ΚΠ
1941 ‘J. Canoe’ Country Cousin 20 Lak wen corpie ketch dem bwoy a nick dice a Race Course an dem run.
1977 Nation (Bridgetown, Barbados) 9 Nov. 20 You find a crowd slamming dominoes, playing a card game, ‘nicking’ dice or casually passing the time with some lighthearted debate.
7.
a. transitive. To correspond to, tally with; to suit exactly. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > agreement, harmony, or congruity > suitability or appropriateness > suit or be suitable for [verb (transitive)] > exactly
hitc1580
nick1589
1589 G. Puttenham Arte Eng. Poesie ii. xii. 111 By reason one [word] of them doth as it were nicke another.
1605 W. Camden Remaines i. 140 Words nicking and resembling one the other, are appliable to diffrent significations.
1702 P. A. Motteux in G. Farquhar Inconstant Prol. sig. a An Op'ra, like an Olio, nicks the Age.
a1704 T. Brown Acct. Conversat. Liberty of Conscience in Duke of Buckingham Misc. Wks. (1705) II. i. 126 To this odd-conditioned Soul was tack'd a Body that nickt it like two Exchequer Tallies.
b. intransitive. Of a domestic animal, etc.: to produce offspring of high quality when mated with an animal of a different breed or pedigree. Of (a mating between) two domestic animals, etc., of different breeds or pedigrees: to produce offspring of high quality. Cf. nick n.1 10.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > animal body > general parts > sexual organs and reproduction > [verb (intransitive)] > copulate > with excellent results
nick1865
1865 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 2nd Ser. 1 ii. 323 Colonel Cradock liked the sort for their size and milk, and they ‘nicked’ well both with the Booth and the Bates blood.
1876 3rd Rep. Vermont State Board Agric. 1875–6 132 There is another strain or peculiarity among these Canadians, that seems to nick well with the Morgans.
1942 R. B. Kelley Sheep Dogs 51 When the progeny of a bitch by a particular dog are outstanding the parents are said to have ‘nicked’.
1959 New Scientist 22 Oct. 737/2 Where the offspring's performance is conspicuously superior to that of its parents the mating [of poultry] is said to ‘nick’.
1974 Country Life 3 Jan. 43/3 The colour-marking Hereford ‘nicks’ well with virtually all beef and dairy breeds.
1980 D. G. Carlson Dog Owner's Home Vet. Handbk. xv. 253 When two strains have nicked successfully, other crosses between them may work as well.
c. intransitive. To compare or compete with. Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > discovery > comparison > compare [verb (intransitive)] > admit of comparison
parec1450
comparea1500
march1567
to deserve to carry the buckler1642
nick1887
to side up with1895
stack1896
1887 Viscount Bury & G. L. Hillier Cycling (Badminton Libr. of Sports & Pastimes) vi. 227 Only one sport ‘nicks’ with cycling, and that is fair toe and heel walking.
8.
a. transitive. To designate or call (a person or thing) with (occasionally by, in, etc.) a particular name. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > naming > give a name to [verb (transitive)] > give appropriate name to
nick1589
1589 J. Lyly Pappe with Hatchet B iv If anie be vnchristened, Ile nicke him with a name.
1605 W. Camden Remaines i. 80 Goodith.., by which name king Henry the first was nicked in contempt.
1605 W. Camden Remaines i. 141 The Greekes..nicked Antiochus Epiphanes, that is, the famous, with Epimanes, that is, the furious.
1687 M. Prior & Earl of Halifax Hind & Panther Transvers'd 24 I have so nickt his Character in a Name as will make you split.
1694 R. South 12 Serm. II. 455 Take any Passion of the Soul of Man..and..nick it with some lucky, or unlucky Word.
b. transitive. To call by some name; to nickname. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > naming > give a name to [verb (transitive)] > give or call by nickname
nickname1567
byname1587
agnominate1595
nick1607
cognominate1609
agname1652
to-name1775
cognomen1831
sobriquet1842
cognominize1849
soubriquet1880
moniker1923
1607 T. Dekker & J. Webster West-ward Hoe v. sig. H1v Goz. Ha! doe I not Magera. Bird. I am none of your Megges, do not nick-name me so: I will not be nickt.
1634 J. Ford Chron. Hist. Perkin Warbeck iv. sig. Hv Warbecke as you nicke him, came to me.
1656 T. Blount Glossographia at Allusion The Greeks nicked Antiochus Epiphanes, that is, the famous, with Epimanes, that is, the furious.
1689 N. Lee Princess of Cleve ii. iii Believe me Sir, in a little time you'll be nick'd the Town-Bull.
1889 E. R. Lankester in Nature 21 Mar. 485 There is no ground for regarding the word ‘Lamarckism’ as a nickname. There can be no desire to ‘nick’ him or anyone else.
c. transitive. To criticize, censure, speak ill of. Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disapproval > criticism > criticize [verb (transitive)]
reprehendc1400
murmur1424
discommenda1500
belack1531
to find fault (with, at)c1540
scan?c1550
fault1563
pinch1567
to lift or move a lip1579
raign1581
reflect1605
criminate1645
criticize1652
nick1668
critic1697
chop1712
stricture1851
to get on to ——1895
chip1898
rap1899
nitpick1956
1668 J. Dryden Secret-love 2nd Prol. sig. a4 Those who write not, and yet all Writers nick, Are Bankrupt Gamesters.
9.
a. transitive. To seize, take advantage of, grasp (an opportunity, etc.). Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > advantage > an opportunity > give opportunity for [verb (transitive)] > take (opportunity)
catchc1425
to take‥vantage (of)1573
apprehend1586
to take odds of1596
to catch at ——1610
feea1616
seize1618
nick1634
to jump at1769
1634 J. Shirley Opportunity v. i Something will come on't, if he have The grace to nick this opportunity.
1672 A. Marvell Rehearsal Transpros'd i. 4 None more ready to nick a juncture of Affairs than a malapert Chaplain.
1703 T. Brown et al. Contin. Lett. from Dead to Living Pref. 17 Blame his damn'd Courtiers and not me, that instead of nicking the nice operation of the Medicine, let in Books and Priests to debauch his understanding.
1708 O. Dykes Moral Reflexions Eng. Prov. 181 Tim'd according to the nice Punctillo's of nicking the Opportunity.
1760 S. Foote Minor ii. 53 Slam me, but he has nick'd the chance.
b. transitive. To hit or catch exactly (the right time, moment, etc., for something). Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > a suitable time or opportunity > provide occasion or opportunity [verb (transitive)] > just be in time for
nicka1664
save1665
a1664 M. Frank in C. H. Spurgeon Treasury of David (1872) III. Ps. lxix. 13 Come we but to him in either of these, and we have nicked the time; we are sure to be accepted.
1677 W. Hughes Man of Sin ii. viii. 123 You must be sure to nick the Season; 'Tis at the Masse, just between the Elevation of our Lord, and the three Agnus Dei.
1725 T. Thomas in Portland Papers (Hist. MSS. Comm.) VI. 139 We nicked the time very happily.
1759 O. Goldsmith Bee 20 Oct. 72 He had, as he fancied, just nicked the time, for he came in as the cloth was laying.
1821 Ld. Byron 15 Oct. in Lett. & Jrnls. (1979) IX. 29 I had just nicked a minute when neither mothers nor husbands..were near.
1843 G. W. Le Fevre Life Trav. Physician I. i. iv. 75 I had nicked my time, and..I embarked.
1846 W. S. Landor Citation & Exam. Shakespere in Wks. II. 269 Unless he nicked the time he might miss the monster.
c. transitive. colloquial. To catch (a boat, train, etc.) just at the time of departure. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > a suitable time or opportunity > provide occasion or opportunity [verb (transitive)] > just be in time for > catch just at the time of departure
nick1841
1841 E. Bulwer-Lytton Night & Morning ii. iv I must arrive just in time to nick the vessels.
1888 Poor Nellie 16 ‘Awfully glad we've nicked it [sc. a train],’ said George.
10.
a. transitive. to nick it: to hit the mark, to make a hit; to guess correctly. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > prosperity > success > succeed or be a success [verb (intransitive)] > achieve success (of persons)
speed993
achievec1300
escheve?a1400
succeed1509
to turn up trumps1595
fadge1611
to nick ita1637
to hit the mark (also nail, needle, pin)1655
to get on1768
to reap, win one's laurels1819
to go a long way1859
win out1861
score1882
to make it1885
to make a ten-strike1887
to make the grade1912
to make good1914
to bring home the bacon1924
to go places1931
the mind > mental capacity > belief > conjecture, guessing > form conjectures, guess [verb (intransitive)] > rightly
to hit it1591
to nick ita1637
a1637 B. Jonson Magnetick Lady ii. iv. 24 in Wks. (1640) III Now, is your time: goe nick it with the Neice.
a1640 P. Massinger Parl. of Love (1976) v. i. 296 Haue I not nickd it tutor?
1682 E. Hickeringill Black Non-Conformist Concl. 64 Jezabel nick't it in Politicks, when..she made the Law..contribute and club to the knocking out Naboth's brains.
1705 J. Vanbrugh Confederacy Prol. All his decent plays, Where he so nicked it, when he writ for praise.
1740 S. Richardson Pamela II. 242 So, Jackey, we but just nick'd it, I find.
a1804 R. Graves tr. Martial ii. vii At every ball how prettily you nick it!
1823 W. T. Moncrieff Tom & Jerry i. iv You've nicked it: the fact is this, Dicky—you must turn missionary.
1831 C. Lamb Satan in Search i. xii ‘I wish my Nicky is not in love’.—‘O mother, you have nicked it!’
1860 G. W. Thornbury Turkish Life & Char. I. iv. 73 We at last..found ourselves at the convent. ‘I thought we should nick it,’ Rocket said.
b. transitive. To arrive at with precision, hit upon; to guess or understand correctly. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > freedom from error, correctness > exactness, accuracy, precision > locate with precision [verb (transitive)]
nick1673
pinpoint1917
1673 R. Leigh Transproser Rehears'd 6 I gad sir, and there you have nickt the present juncture of affairs.
1694 T. D'Urfey 1st Pt. Don Quixote ii. i. 12 Why the truth on't it Sir, you have nick'd me there to a Hair, for my whole Office has been to Pray and Fast ever since I came into your Service.
1697 T. Dilke City Lady v. 48 You have nick'd me to a T. and have hit the Punctum of my Conceptions.
1712 W. Oldisworth tr. R. Bentley Note in Horace Odes VII. i. xxxvii. 29/1 Without doubt we have nick'd Horace's Meaning.
1750 M. Clancy Sharper 38 There is a great deal of Judgment in properly nicking the Necessities of a Spendthrift.
1764 S. Foote Patron I. 6 It was lucky I went to Brighthelmstone; I nick'd the time to a hair.
1800 C. Lamb Let. 22 Sept. in Lett. C. & M. A. Lamb (1975) I. 237 You just nick'd my palate.
1853 E. Bulwer-Lytton My Novel I. ii. v. 113 He..perceived the chances for and against.., and nicked the question between wind and water.
1889 A. Conan Doyle Micah Clarke xxvii. 288 Mayhap you have nicked the truth.
c. transitive. to nick off: = to hit off at hit v. 1b(b). Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > care, carefulness, or attention > take care about [verb (transitive)] > do accurately
to nick offa1694
a1694 M. Robinson Autobiogr. (1856) 6 His father..did admire to see how the boy would nick off the very sense of difficult passages.
1839 W. M. Thackeray Second Lect. Fine Arts in Fraser's Mag. June 749/1 The chairs, tables, curtains, and pictures, are nicked off with extraordinary neatness and sharpness.
1856 W. M. Thackeray Christmas Bks. (1872) 25 He dockets his tailor's bills, and nicks off his dinner notes in diplomatic paragraphs.
11. transitive. slang. to nick the pin: to drink exactly one's share. See pin n.1 2a. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > drink > drinking > [verb (intransitive)] > drink specific amount
to nick the pin1655
the world > food and drink > drink > drinking > [verb (intransitive)] > drink intoxicating liquor > drink one's fair share
to keep the round1633
to nick the pin1655
1655 T. Fuller Church-hist. Brit. iii. 17 And he accounted the Man, who could nick the Pin, drinking even unto it.
1699 B. E. New Dict. Canting Crew at Pin Nick the Pin, to Drink fairly.
1708 J. Kersey Dict. Anglo-Britannicum To Nick the Pin, to drink just to the Pin plac'd about the middle of a Wooden Bowl or Cup.
12. transitive. slang. To break (a window) by throwing stones at it (see nicker n.2). Cf. nicker n.2 3. Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > breaking or cracking > break [verb (transitive)] > windows
mill1699
nick1717
pin1824
1717 M. Prior Alma iii. 235 He starts up mohack; Breaks watchmen's heads, and chairmen's glasses, And thence proceeds to nicking sashes.
13.
a. intransitive. Hunting, Horse Racing, etc. Of a horse, rider, etc.: to cut in. Also in similar phrases. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > hunting > hunting with hounds > hunt with hounds [verb (intransitive)] > cut in
nick1831
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > racing or race > horse racing > engage in horse racing [verb (intransitive)] > actions of horse
to carry weight1734
to get up1840
screw1840
to come again1841
to set to1856
to wait off1856
romp1869
to answer the question1875
compound1876
to gallop to a standstill1892
nick1898
to take up1912
rate1920
1831 New Sporting Mag. Oct. 415/2 The distinction would lie between those who ride fairly to hounds, and those who make a regular practice of what is called nicking in to meet them.
1883 Standard 22 Feb. 3/7 Glenlivet had a good winning balance when Strawberry Girl nicked past and killed.
1898 Daily News 16 June 2/3 That beautiful filly..was lucky enough to nick in on the inside when the leaders ran out at the bend.
b. intransitive. Originally Australian. To go off or away surreptitiously, hurriedly, etc. Also with other adverbs.
ΚΠ
1896 E. Turner Little Larrikin xxiii. 274 Trying to induce the driver of the motor, for whom he had a friendship, to promise at the end of the journey to ‘nick away and come too’.
1901 M. Franklin My Brilliant Career 258 If you go to a picnic, just when the fun commences you have to nick off home and milk.
1960 B. Crump Good Keen Man 121 Flynn, sensing my decision to nick out for a bit of hunting, kept dashing out.
1984 J. Kelman Busconductor Hines ii. 51 Aye, said McCulloch, and we could've nicked into the bar and had a game of dominoes.
1995 C. Bateman Cycle of Violence ii. 32 He was back at the same table, at just about the same time, just nicking in before they closed the kitchen.
2001 Scotl. on Sunday (Nexis) 4 Nov. 2 As he sought to nick past the Dundee defender he was bundled to the ground.
14. intransitive. Real Tennis and Squash. Of a ball: to strike the floor and wall simultaneously, and so lose momentum. Of a player: to strike (a wall) with such a shot.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > racket games > squash rackets > play squash rackets [verb (intransitive)] > actions in squash rackets
nick1898
double-fault1921
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > racket games > real tennis > play real tennis [verb (intransitive)] > action of ball
fall1890
nick1898
1898 W. A. Morgan et al. House on Sport 251 By volleying the service you prevent the ball ‘nicking’, i.e., so pitching in the angle formed by floor and wall as to be unplayable.
1926 C. Arnold Game of Squash Rackets iii. 34 It [sc. the ball] should be made just to nick on to the side wall and floor and there lie dead.
1960 Times 29 Nov. 17/3 Oddy was nicking the side wall more often.
III. Senses relating to stealing or taking.
15. colloquial and slang.
a. transitive. Originally: to trick, cheat, or defraud; to obtain something from (a person) by dishonest or unfair means. Later used more generally with reference to unwelcome requests for money, etc. Frequently with for (also of, out of). Now chiefly North American.In quot. 1630 with punning reference to sense 3.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > defrauding or swindling > perpetrate (a swindle) [verb (transitive)] > defraud or swindle
defraud1362
deceivec1380
plucka1500
lurch1530
defeata1538
souse1545
lick1548
wipe1549
fraud1563
use1564
cozen1573
nick1576
verse1591
rooka1595
trim1600
skelder1602
firk1604
dry-shave1620
fiddle1630
nose1637
foista1640
doa1642
sharka1650
chouse1654
burn1655
bilk1672
under-enter1692
sharp1699
stick1699
finger1709
roguea1714
fling1749
swindle1773
jink1777
queer1778
to do over1781
jump1789
mace1790
chisel1808
slang1812
bucket1819
to clean out1819
give it1819
to put in the hole1819
ramp1819
sting1819
victimize1839
financier1840
gum1840
snakea1861
to take down1865
verneuk1871
bunco1875
rush1875
gyp1879
salt1882
daddle1883
work1884
to have (one) on toast1886
slip1890
to do (a person) in the eye1891
sugar1892
flay1893
to give (someone) the rinky-dink1895
con1896
pad1897
screw1900
short-change1903
to do in1906
window dress1913
ream1914
twist1914
clean1915
rim1918
tweedle1925
hype1926
clip1927
take1927
gazump1928
yentz1930
promote1931
to take (someone) to the cleaners1932
to carve up1933
chizz1948
stiff1950
scam1963
to rip off1969
to stitch up1970
skunk1971
to steal (someone) blind1974
diddle-
1576 G. Whetstone Ortchard of Repentance 9 in Rocke of Regard I neuer nickt the poorest of his pay, But if hee lackt, hee had before his day.
1579 E. Hake Newes out of Powles Churchyarde newly Renued viii. sig. Gviii How doth he nick the debter now by hault exacting wayes.
1595 ‘J. Dando’ & ‘H. Runt’ Maroccus Extaticus 8 To nycoll you, or nicke you rather of an old peece of velvet hose.
a1625 J. Fletcher Mad Lover i. i, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. B2/1 You men of wars, the men of wars will nick ye, For sterve nor beg they must not.
1630 J. Taylor Great Eater of Kent 8 Ale-houses nor tapsters cannot nick this Nick [Wood] with froth: curtoll cannes..could neuer cheate him.
1728 J. Gay Beggar's Opera ii. iv. 24 She rivetted a Linen-draper's Eye so fast upon her, that he was nick'd of three Pieces of Cambrick before he could look off.
1777 C. A. Burney Jrnl. in F. Burney Early Diary (1889) II. 279 He nickd us entirely and never came at all.
a1809 H. Cowley Town before You iii. i, in Wks. (1813) II. 366 A man will be mad that is choused out of a thousand pounds, but, if his Neighbour is nicked out of it, he laughs, and says [etc.].
1818 W. Scott Heart of Mid-Lothian viii, in Tales of my Landlord 2nd Ser. II. 209 Three words of your mouth would give the girl the chance to nick Moll Blood [i.e. the gallows].
1868 J. Maidment Sc. Pasquils 349 'Tis to be hop'd we'll spoil their fun, And nick them of their fishing.
1902 H. Hapgood Autobiogr. Thief (1912) 210 She stopped; and at that moment the Kid nicked her.
1935 in H. Galewitz Great Comics (1972) 256 Wot th'!—so you was gonna nick me for my gun!
1962 Washington Daily News 30 May 48/1 District taxpayers..have heard rumblings that they might be nicked for about a million dollars each year to subsidize professional sports here.
1977 R. Coover Public Burning 204 After nicking gullible old Peter Minuit..for twenty-four dollars.
b. intransitive with object implied. Obsolete. rare.
ΚΠ
1734 H. Fielding Don Quixote in Eng. ii. xiv. 41 The Miser and the Man will trick, The Mistress and the Maid will nick.
c. transitive. To rob (a bank, etc.). Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > robbery > rob [verb (transitive)] > specifically a place
robc1225
nick1829
1829 Sessions' Papers Old Bailey 9 Apr. 329/2 That oil-shop the corner of Cannon-street, i went in a [i.e. to] nick the lob [i.e. till] of 7 peg, and parcel papers rold up.
1927 in D. Hammett Big Knockover 277 All I got was that the Seaman's [bank] is gonna be nicked.
16. colloquial and slang.
a. transitive. To catch, take unawares; to apprehend. Now: spec. (of the police) to arrest, take into custody (slang).nick me!: (in quot. 1760) used as an imprecation (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > seizing > catching or capture > catch or capture [verb (transitive)]
i-lecchec1000
fang1016
hentOE
takeOE
alatchlOE
catchc1275
wina1300
to take ina1387
attain1393
geta1400
overhent?a1400
restay?a1400
seizea1400
tachec1400
arrest1481
carrya1500
collara1535
snap1568
overgo1581
surprise1592
nibble1608
incaptivate1611
nicka1640
cop1704
chop1726
nail1735
to give a person the foot1767
capture1796
hooka1800
sniba1801
net1803
nib1819
prehend1831
corral1860
rope1877
the mind > language > malediction > oaths > [interjection] > oaths other than religious or obscene > imprecations
woeOE
dahetc1290
confoundc1330
foul (also shame) fall ——c1330
sorrow on——c1330
in the wanianda1352
wildfirea1375
evil theedomc1386
a pestilence on (also upon)c1390
woe betide you (also him, her, etc.)c1390
maldathaita1400
murrainc1400
out ona1415
in the wild waning worldc1485
vengeance?a1500
in a wanion1549
with a wanion1549
woe worth1553
a plague on——a1566
with a wanion to?c1570
with a wanyand1570
bot1584
maugre1590
poxa1592
death1593
rot1594
rot on1595
cancro1597
pax1604
pize on (also upon)1605
vild1605
peascod1606
cargo1607
confusion1608
perditiona1616
(a) pest upon1632
deuce1651
stap my vitals1697
strike me blind, dumb, lucky (if, but—)1697
stop my vitals1699
split me (or my windpipe)1700
rabbit1701
consume1756
capot me!1760
nick me!1760
weary set1788
rats1816
bad cess to1859
curse1885
hanged1887
buggeration1964
society > law > administration of justice > general proceedings > arrest > [verb (transitive)]
at-holda1230
attacha1325
resta1325
takec1330
arrest1393
restay?a1400
tachec1400
seisinc1425
to take upa1438
stowc1450
seize1471
to lay (also set, clap, etc.) (a person) by the heels?1515
deprehend1532
apprehend1548
nipa1566
upsnatcha1566
finger1572
to make stay of1572
embarge1585
cap1590
reprehend1598
prehenda1605
embar1647
nap1665
nab1686
bone1699
roast1699
do1784
touch1785
pinch1789
to pull up1799
grab1800
nick1806
pull1811
hobble1819
nail1823
nipper1823
bag1824
lag1847
tap1859
snaffle1860
to put the collar on1865
copper1872
to take in1878
lumber1882
to pick up1887
to pull in1893
lift1923
drag1924
to knock off1926
to put the sleeve on1930
bust1940
pop1960
vamp1970
a1640 J. Fletcher & P. Massinger Prophetesse iii. i, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Eeee/2 We must be sometimes wittie, to nick a knave.
1673 S'too him Bayes 83 Now will I nick thee here—worse than any where in all my book.
1707 E. Ward Wooden World Dissected 94 If he gets him dead drunk, for then is the critical Minute to nick him.
1742 R. North & M. North Life F. North 99 There the Common Pleas thought they had nicked them.
1759 J. Townley High Life below Stairs ii. i You have just nick'd them in the very Minute.
1760 S. Foote Minor i. 32 Nick me, but I have a great mind to tie up, and ruin the rascals.
1806 Spirit of Public Jrnls. 9 379 He..stands a chance of getting nicked, because he was found in bad company.
1836 F. Marryat Japhet III. iii. 35 He has come to get off his accomplice, and now we've just nicked them both.
1893 P. H. Emerson Signor Lippo xvii All my pals got nicked, and I chucked it.
1926 J. Gray Stray Leaves xi. 2 It wis him 'at struck the blow, 'at I wis nickit for.
1959 ‘M. Cronin’ Dead & Done With x. 152 They nicked your chum for killing his wife.
1973 J. Wainwright Devil you Don't 32 I am talking to you, copper..either nick me..or close that bloody door.
2001 Sun 27 Jan. 76/1 Police nicked a bloke outside the Barcelona training ground last week.
b. transitive. To steal; to pilfer. Also in extended use.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > steal [verb (transitive)]
pick?c1300
takec1300
fetch1377
bribec1405
usurpc1412
rapc1415
to rap and rendc1415
embezzle1495
lifta1529
pilfer1532
suffurate1542
convey?1545
mill1567
prig1567
strike1567
lag1573
shave1585
knave1601
twitch1607
cly1610
asport1621
pinch1632
snapa1639
nap1665
panyar1681
to carry off1684
to pick up1687
thievea1695
to gipsy away1696
bone1699
make1699
win1699
magg1762
snatch1766
to make off with1768
snavel1795
feck1809
shake1811
nail1819
geach1821
pull1821
to run off1821
smug1825
nick1826
abduct1831
swag1846
nobble1855
reef1859
snig1862
find1865
to pull off1865
cop1879
jump1879
slock1888
swipe1889
snag1895
rip1904
snitch1904
pole1906
glom1907
boost1912
hot-stuff1914
score1914
clifty1918
to knock off1919
snoop1924
heist1930
hoist1931
rabbit1943
to rip off1967
to have off1974
1826 D. Anderson Poems in Sc. Dial. 69 Some there ha'e gotten their pouches picket, Their siller an' their watches nickit.
1869 Temple Bar July 75 I bolted in and ‘nicked’ a nice silver tea-pot.
1903 J. London People of Abyss xxiii. 280 At thirteen we nicks things; an' at sixteen we bashes the copper.
1966 J. Porter Sour Cream xiii. 169 I had Azatov's own pass which I had nicked from him at the airport.
1987 Today 10 Nov. 11 Union official Tucker Chance said: ‘They're nicking our jobs.’
c. transitive. Chiefly Sport. To win (a point, game, championship, award, etc.), esp. narrowly or unexpectedly.
ΚΠ
1988 Squash World May 25/2 Having already beaten number 11 seed Ricki Hill of Australia, Hailstone nicked the first game from Jansher Khan.
1990 Rolling Stone 5 Apr. 5/2 At the thirty-second annual awards presentation, Bonnie Raitt received long-overdue recognition, nicking four awards.
1993 Time Out 31 Mar. 105/1 Blisset ended their nightmare last week when his 100th Brentford goal nicked an away win at Grimsby.
IV. Senses relating to the making of a clicking sound.
17. transitive. To fasten or unfasten with a click. Also with open, shut, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > fastening > fasten [verb (transitive)] > with a click
nick1856
1856 E. B. Browning Aurora Leigh vi. 267 The lady closed That door and nicked the lock.
1927 V. Woolf To Lighthouse i. ix. 83 She nicked the catch of her paint-box to, more firmly than was necessary.
1941 V. Woolf Between Acts 245 Miss La Trobe nicked the lock and hoisted the heavy case of gramophone records to her shoulder.
1943 G. Greene Ministry of Fear iii. ii. 198 A pocket watch. He nicked open the heavy back and read aloud: [etc.].
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2003; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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