I. nip 1 /nɪp/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle nipped , present participle nipping )
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Middle Low German ; Origin: nipen ]
1 . [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] British English informal to go somewhere quickly or for a short time SYN pop :
Have we time to nip down the pub for a quick drink?
Another car nipped in (=moved quickly into a space) in front of me.
I’ve got to nip home and change my clothes.
2 . [intransitive and transitive] to bite someone or something lightly:
She gently nipped the lobe of his ear.
nip at
The fish swam all around her and nipped at her legs.
3 . nip something in the bud to prevent something from becoming a problem by stopping it as soon as it starts:
Try to nip this kind of bad behaviour in the bud.
4 . [transitive] British English to suddenly and quickly press something tightly between two fingers, edges, or surfaces ⇨ pinch :
Sally nipped her cheeks to make them look less pale.
He nipped his finger in the door.
5 . [intransitive and transitive] written if cold weather or the wind nips at part of your body or at a plant, it hurts or damages it
nip at
The frost nipped at our fingers.
nip something ↔ off phrasal verb
to remove a small part of something, especially a plant, by pressing it tightly between your finger and thumb:
She nipped off a dead flower.
II. nip 2 BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Sense 1, 4-5: Date: 1500-1600 ; Origin: ⇨ ↑ nip 1 ]
[ Sense 3: Date: 1900-2000 ; Origin: Nipponese 'Japanese' (19-21 centuries) , from Japanese Nippon 'Japan' ]
[ Sense 2: Date: 1700-1800 ; Origin: Probably from nipperkin 'small container for alcoholic drink' (17-19 centuries) , probably from Dutch or Low German ]
1 . the act or result of biting something lightly or pressing something between two fingers, edges, or surfaces:
His dog gave me a painful nip on the leg.
2 . a small amount of strong alcoholic drink
nip of
a nip of brandy
3 . a nip in the air coldness in the air
4 . nip and tuck informal
a) American English equally likely to happen or not happen:
We made it to the airport, but it was nip and tuck.
b) American English if two competitors are nip and tuck in a race or competition, they are doing equally well SYN neck and neck :
The fourth quarter was nip and tuck, but the Bulls won 92–90.
c) a medical operation on your face or stomach that is done to make you look younger or thinner:
I might consider getting a nip and tuck in a few years' time.