/ nɪp; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb ( -pp- )
1.
nip (at sth) to give sb/sth a quick painful bite or pinch :
[ vn ]
He winced as the dog nipped his ankle.
[ v ]
She nipped at my arm.
2.
nip (at sth) ( of cold, wind, etc. ) to harm or damage sth :
[ v ]
The icy wind nipped at our faces.
[ vn ]
growing shoots nipped by frost
3.
[ v + adv. / prep. ] ( BrE , informal ) to go somewhere quickly and/or for only a short time
SYN pop :
He's just nipped out to the bank.
A car nipped in (= got in quickly) ahead of me.
•
IDIOMS
- nip sth in the bud
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- nip sth off
■ noun
1.
the act of giving sb a small bite or pinch (= squeezing their skin between your finger and thumb)
2.
( informal ) a feeling of cold :
There was a real nip in the air .
—see also nippy
3.
( informal ) a small drink of strong alcohol
••
WORD ORIGIN
verb and noun senses 1 to 2 late Middle English : probably of Low German or Dutch origin.
noun sense 3 late 18th cent. (originally denoting a half-pint of ale): probably an abbreviation of the rare term nipperkin small measure ; compare with Low German and Dutch nippen to sip.