I. verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
back
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With his usual presence of mind he nipped back and picked up Sheldukher's hard copy map of the planet.
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Major airlines always act quickly to nip back .
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He must have felt that Fate, having knocked him down, had nipped back to knee him in the nuts.
down
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He was probably always nipping down to Underwoods for a few grams of thallium.
in
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Quick, nip in where that taxi's johnny-head-in-airing along.
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She wore a cream-colored silk blouse and a full linen skirt nipped in at the waist.
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So are gilts, especially if you nip in to them before the next - perhaps imminent - interest rate cut.
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Some one nipped in and stole his cheque book and wallet.
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And then he took advantage of a mix-up between Bennett and defender Darren Bradshaw to nip in and side-foot home.
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A cropped and fitted jacket nips in to show off a neat waist and looks trim with a long line skirt.
off
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The pigeons have a taste for flowers, nipping off their heads, and damaging displays around Rhuddlan.
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When they can catch them, the crabs will nip off bits of red plume from tubeworms.
out
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He nipped out to the off-licence at lunchtime and bought her a huge box of chocolates.
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Five seconds later, the weapon's fins nip out .
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He'd nip out while they were watching television.
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Of course, she had only nipped out to do a spot of shopping in London's Covent Garden.
over
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Then we thought we should nip over the next craggy bit to get a better view.
■ NOUN
bud
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If the economy is picking up steam, the recovery may be nipped in the bud by renewed Fed tightening.
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It was the best way to nip this in the bud .
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Guideline 18: Try to nip misbehaviour in the bud .
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The objective is to prevent, or at least nip in the bud , unwanted feelings.
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John's incipient school problems were nipped in the bud .
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Any breach of confidentiality concerning their children is something they have to nip in the bud right now.
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Thus, the possibility of social democracy is also neatly nipped in the bud .
heel
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It is projected to hit $ 1. 17 billion in 1996 sales, nipping at the heels of Sega and Nintendo.
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She used those wolves for all they were worth, as though imaginary wolves still nipped her heels in the Clifton Mall.
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A collie on a leash nipped me on the heel , going through the skin.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
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A school of fish swam around her feet, some nipping at her ankles.
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Keep the plants covered to keep frost from nipping them.
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When I took the hamster out of his cage, he nipped me.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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Guideline 18: Try to nip misbehaviour in the bud.
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I could nip round the corner and bring some back for us both.
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I was surprised how weak and light-headed I felt on nipping out of my hospital bed to recover a dropped book.
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In this case a budding urethral neurosis was nipped before it could really blossom.
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It is a reflex born of predation by voracious crabs that nip at the tender tubeworm plumes with their claws.
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Note the fare rate number printed on the part to be nipped.
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She used those wolves for all they were worth, as though imaginary wolves still nipped her heels in the Clifton Mall.
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The objective is to prevent, or at least nip in the bud, unwanted feelings.
II. noun
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
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The dog gave me a playful nip .
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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A nip here, a tuck there, and it was seven years ago.
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Already, the darkness was closing in, and there was a real winter nip in the air.
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He called his technique nips for blips, blips being the little green numbers that represent bond prices on the screens.
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He thought she might be on the point of offering him a nip of whisky but she did not go that far.
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He took to having a daily early-morning nip from a half-bottle of whisky in his hip pocket.
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He was shortly drinking hard, following bourbon two-fers with nip bottles of Lucky Lager.
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It was nip and tuck up to 7-7 before Best opened up a 12-9 lead.
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The nip on my cheeks of it confirms life.