nick

• POS: Noun, Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

nick, n. [AS. nicor a marine monster; akin to D. nikker a water spite, Icel. nykr, ONG. nihhus a crocodile, G. nix a water sprite; cf. Gr. ni`ptein to wash, Skr. nij. Cf. Nix.].

 An evil spirit of the waters.  [1913 Webster]

Old Nick, the evil one; the devil. [Colloq.]

nick, n. [Akin to Nock.].

•  A notch cut into something  W. Savage.  [1913 Webster]
•  A broken or indented place in any edge or surface; as, nicks in a china plate; a nick in the table top.  [1913 Webster]
•  A particular point or place considered as marked by a nick; the exact point or critical moment.  [1913 Webster]

  "To cut it off in the very nick."  [1913 Webster]

  "This nick of time is the critical occasion for the gaining of a point."  [1913 Webster]

nick, v. t. 

•  To make a nick or nicks in; to notch; to keep count of or upon by nicks; as, to nick a stick, tally, etc.  [1913 Webster]
•  To mar; to deface; to make ragged, as by cutting nicks or notches in; to create a nick{2} in, deliberately or accidentally; as, to nick the rim of a teacup.  [1913 Webster]

  "And thence proceed to nicking sashes."  [1913 Webster]

  "The itch of his affection should not then
  Have nicked his captainship."  [1913 Webster]
•  To suit or fit into, as by a correspondence of nicks; to tally with.  [1913 Webster]

  "Words nicking and resembling one another are applicable to different significations."  [1913 Webster]
•  To hit at, or in, the nick; to touch rightly; to strike at the precise point or time.  [1913 Webster]

  "The just season of doing things must be nicked, and all accidents improved."  [1913 Webster]
•  To make a cross cut or cuts on the under side of (the tail of a horse, in order to make him carry it higher).  [1913 Webster]

nick, v. t. 

 To nickname; to style.  [1913 Webster]
"For Warbeck, as you nick him, came to me."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

nick, n.

Idiom

Old Nick the Devil.

Etymology

prob. f. a pet-form of the name Nicholas

nick, n. & v.
--n.
1 a small cut or notch.
2 Brit. sl. a a prison. b a police station.
3 (prec. by in with adj.) Brit. colloq. condition (in reasonable nick).
4 the junction between the floor and walls in a squash court.
--v.tr.
1 make a nick or nicks in.
2 Brit. sl. a steal. b arrest, catch.

Idiom

in the nick of time only just in time; just at the right moment.

nick, v.intr. Austral. sl. (foll. by off, in, etc.) move quickly or furtively.

Etymology

19th c.: orig. uncert. (cf. NIP(1) 4)

THESAURUS

nick

Vandyke, appropriate, arrest, ascender, back, bastard type, beard, beat it, belly, bevel, birthmark, black letter, blaze, blaze a trail, blemish, blotch, body, brand, cabbage, cap, capital, case, cast, caste mark, chalk, chalk up, check, check off, checkmark, chip, chop, cicatrix, cicatrize, cleft, clout, collar, counter, crap, craps, crena, crenellate, crenulate, crimp, cut, dapple, dash, defect, define, delimit, demarcate, dent, depart, depression, descender, discolor, discoloration, dot, earmark, em, en, engrave, engraving, face, fat-faced type, feet, flaw, fleck, flick, font, freckle, gash, gouge, graving, groove, hack, hatch, hook, impress, imprint, incise, incision, indent, indentation, indenture, italic, jag, jog, joggle, jot, kerf, knurl, lentigo, letter, ligature, line, logotype, lower case, machicolate, macula, majuscule, make a mark, make off with, make tracks, mark, mark off, mark out, marking, mill, minuscule, mole, mottle, nab, nail, natural, nevus, nip, nock, notch, patch, pencil, pepper, pi, pica, picot, pinch, pink, point, police station, polka dot, prick, print, punch, punctuate, puncture, purloin, riddle, roll, roman, sans serif, scallop, scar, scarification, scarify, score, scotch, scratch, scratching, script, seal, seam, serrate, shank, shot, shoulder, slash, small cap, small capital, speck, speckle, splash, splotch, spot, stain, stamp, steal, stem, stigma, stigmatize, strawberry mark, streak, striate, stripe, take, take in, take off, tattoo, tattoo mark, throw, tick, tick off, tittle, tooth, trace, type, type body, type class, type lice, typecase, typeface, typefounders, typefoundry, underline, underscore, upper case, watermark

ROGET THESAURUS

nick

Notch

N notch, dent, nick, cut, indent, indentation, dimple, embrasure, battlement, machicolation, saw, tooth, crenelle, scallop, scollop, vandyke, depression, jag, notched, crenate, crenated, dentate, dentated, denticulate, denticulated, toothed, palmated, serrated.

VB notch, nick, cut, dent, indent, jag, scarify, scotch, crimp, scallop, scollop, crenulate, vandyke.

Deception

VB deceive, take in, defraud, cheat, jockey, do, cozen, diddle, nab, chouse, play one false, bilk, cully, jilt, bite, pluck, swindle, victimize, abuse, mystify, blind one's eyes, blindfold, hoodwink, throw dust into the eyes, dupe, gull, hoax, fool, befool, bamboozle, flimflam, hornswoggle, trick, impose upon, practice upon, play upon, put upon, palm off on, palm upon, foist upon, snatch a verdict, bluff off, bluff, bunko, four flush, gum, spoof, stuff (a ballot box), circumvent, overreach, outreach, out wit, out maneuver, steal a march upon, give the go-by, to leave in the lurch decoy, waylay, lure, beguile, delude, inveigle, entrap, intrap, ensnare, nick, springe, set a trap, lay a trap, lay a snare for, bait the hook, forelay, spread the toils, lime, trapan, trepan, kidnap, let in, hook in, nousle, nousel, blind a trail, enmesh, immesh, shanghai, catch, catch in a trap, sniggle, entangle, illaqueate, hocus, escamoter, practice on one's credulity, hum, humbug, gammon, stuff up, sell, play a trick upon one, play a practical joke upon one, put something over on one, put one over on, balk, trip up, throw a tub to a whale, fool to the top of one's bent, send on a fool's errand, make game, make a fool of, make an April fool of, make an ass of, trifle with, cajole, flatter, come over, gild the pill, make things pleasant, divert, put a good face upon, dissemble, cog, cog the dice, load the dice, stack the deck, live by one's wits, play at hide and seek, obtain money under false pretenses, conjure, juggle, practice chicanery, deacon, play off, palm off, foist off, fob-off, lie, misinform, mislead, betray, be deceived.

Indication

N indication, symbolism, symbolization, semiology, semiotics, semeiology, semeiotics, Zeitgeist, characteristic, diagnostic, lineament, feature, trait, fingerprint, voiceprint, footprint, noseprint, cloven hoof, footfall, recognition (memory), diagnostic, divining rod, detector, sign, symbol, index, indice, indicator, point, pointer, exponent, note, token, symptom, dollar sign, dollar mark, type, figure, emblem, cipher, device, representation, epigraph, motto, posy, gesture, gesticulation, pantomime, wink, glance, leer, nod, shrug, beck, touch, nudge, dactylology, dactylonomy, freemasonry, telegraphy, chirology, byplay, dumb show, cue, hint, clue, clew, key, scent, signal, signal post, rocket, blue light, watch fire, watch tower, telegraph, semaphore, flagstaff, cresset, fiery cross, calumet, heliograph, guidon, headlight, mark, scratch, line, stroke, dash, score, stripe, streak, tick, dot, point, notch, nick, print, imprint, impress, impression, keyboard symbols, printing symbols, red letter, italics, sublineation, underlining, bold font, jotting, note, annotation, reference, blaze, cedilla, guillemets, hachure, quotation marks, ", double quotes, " ", parentheses, "( )", brackets, "", braces, "", left arrow, "<", right arrow, ">", forward slash, "/", backward slash, "\", exclamation point, "!", commercial at, "@", pound sign, "#", percent sign, "%", carat, "", ampersand, "&", asterisk, "*", hyphen, "-", dash, "-", "_", em dash, "--", plus sign, "+", equals sign, "=", question mark, "?", period, ", ", semicolon, ", ", colon, ":", comma, ", ", apostrophe, "'", single quote, "'", tilde, "~", badge, criterion, countercheck, countermark, countersign, counterfoil, duplicate, tally, label, ticket, billet, letter, counter, check, chip, chop, dib, totem, tessera, card, bill, witness, voucher, stamp, cacher, trade mark, Hall mark, signature, mark, autograph, autography, attestation, hand, hand writing, sign manual, cipher, seal, sigil, signet, hand and seal, paraph, brand, superscription, indorsement, endorsement, password, watchword, catchword, security card, pass, passkey, credentials, open sesame, timbrology, mot de passe, mot du guet, pass-parole, shibboleth, title, heading, docket, address card, visiting card, carte de visite, insignia, banner, banneret, bannerol, bandrol, flag, colors, streamer, standard, eagle, labarum, oriflamb, oriflamme, figurehead, ensign, pennon, pennant, pendant, burgee, blue Peter, jack, ancient, gonfalon, union jack, banderole, old glory, quarantine flag, vexillum, yellow-flag, yellow jack, tricolor, stars and stripes, bunting, heraldry, crest, coat of arms, arms, armorial bearings, hatchment, escutcheon, scutcheon, shield, supporters, livery, uniform, cockade, epaulet, chevron, garland, love knot, favor, beacon, cairn, post, staff, flagstaff, hand, pointer, vane, cock, weathercock, guidepost, handpost, fingerpost, directing post, signpost, pillars of Hercules, pharos, bale-fire, beacon-fire, l'etoile du Nord, landmark, seamark, lighthouse, balize, polestar, loadstar, lodestar, cynosure, guide, address, direction, name, sign, signboard, warning, omen, prefigurement, trace, record, warning &c, alarm, scepter, trophy, gauge, milestone, milepost, brand, fool's cap, check, telltale, test, mileage ticket, milliary, notification, advertisement, word of command, call, bugle call, trumpet call, bell, alarum, cry, battle cry, rallying cry, angelus, reveille, sacring bell, sanctus bell, exposition &c (explanation), proof, pattern, indicating, indicative, indicatory, denotative, connotative, diacritical, representative, typical, symbolic, pantomimic, pathognomonic, symptomatic, characteristic, demonstrative, diagnostic, exponential, emblematic, armorial, individual, known by, recognizable by, indicated, pointed, marked, denotable, indelible, in token of, symbolically, in dumb show, ecce signum, ex ungue leonem, ex pede Herculem, vide ut supra, vultus ariete fortior.