nick

See also Nick

English

Wikipedia

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪk

Noun

nick (plural nicks)

1. A small cut in a surface
2. (now rare) A particular point or place considered as marked by a nick; the exact point or critical moment.
   • 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essays, II.20:

     Truely he flies when he is even upon the nicke, and naturally hasteneth to escape it, as from a step whereon he cannot stay or containe himselfe, and feareth to sinke into it.

3. (cricket) a small deflection of the ball off the edge of the bat, often going to the wicket-keeper for a catch
4. Short for nickname.

   a user's reserved nick on an IRC network

5. (UK, slang) Condition

   The car I bought was cheap and in good nick.

6. (UK, slang) A police station or prison

   He was arrested and taken down to Sun Hill nick to be charged. (police station)

   He's just been released from Shadwell nick after doing ten years for attempted murder. (prison)

7. (real tennis) The point where the wall of the court meets the floor.
8. (archaic) A nixie, or water-sprite.
   • 1879, Viktor Rydberg, The Magic of the Middle Ages (page 201)

     […] imps, giants, trolls, forest-spirits, elves and hobgoblins in and on the earth; nicks, river-sprites in the water, fiends in the air, and salamanders in the fire.

Derived terms

• in the nick of time

Translations

small cut in a surface

• Czech: zářez (cs) m, vrub (cs) m

• Finnish: naarmu (fi)

critical moment

• Finnish: käännekohta (fi)

cricket: small deflection of the ball

• Finnish: näpy (fi), näpäys (fi)

nickname — see nickname

condition

• Finnish: kondis (fi)

slang: police station or prison

• Finnish: naarmu (fi)

real tennis: point where the wall of the court meets the floor

Verb

nick (third-person singular simple present nicks, present participle nicking, simple past and past participle nicked)

1. (transitive) To make a nick in, especially unintentionally.

   I nicked myself while I was shaving.

2. (transitive, slang) To steal.

   Someone's nicked my bike!

3. (transitive, UK, slang) To arrest.

   The police nicked him climbing over the fence of the house he'd broken into.

4. (transitive, cricket) to hit the ball with the edge of the bat and produce a fine deflection
5. (obsolete) To nickname; to style.

   For Warbeck, as you nick him, came to me. — Ford.

6. To throw or turn up (a number when playing dice); to hit upon.
   • 1773, Oliver Goldsmith, She Stoops to Conquer

     My old luck: I never nicked seven that I did not throw ames ace three times following.

Translations

slang: to make a nick in

• Finnish: raapaista (fi), naarmuttaa (fi)

slang: to steal

• Finnish: pölliä (fi), nyysiä (fi), vohkia (fi)
• French: piquer (fr)
• German: klauen (de)

• Russian: тырить (ru) (tyritʹ), спереть (ru) (speretʹ)
• Swedish: norpa (sv), knycka (sv), sno (sv)

slang: to arrest

• Finnish: napata (fi)

cricket: to hit he ball with the edge of a bat

• Finnish: näpäyttää (fi), näpätä (fi)

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German

Pronunciation

• IPA: /nɪk/
• Rhymes: -ɪk

Verb

nick

1. Imperative singular of nicken.
2. (colloquial) First-person singular present of nicken.

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Kashubian

Pronoun

nick

1. nothing

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Swedish

Pronunciation

• audio

  (file)

Etymology 1

Noun

nick c

1. nod (movement of the head to indicate agreement)
2. header (in football)

Declension

Declension of nick

	singular		plural
Common	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	nick	nicken	nickar	nickarna
genitive	nicks	nickens	nickars	nickarnas

Synonyms

• (header): nickning c
• (nod): nickning c

Derived terms

• nickedocka
• nicka
• nicka till

Etymology 2

From the English nickname

Noun

nick n

1. (slang) nick, nickname

Declension

Declension of nick

	singular		plural
Neuter	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	nick	nicket	nick	nicken
genitive	nicks	nickets	nicks	nickens