in the nick of time

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Related to in the nick of time: for the time being, Take Time

nick

(nĭk)

1. A shallow notch, cut, or indentation on an edge or a surface: nicks in the table; razor nicks on his chin.

2. Chiefly British Slang A prison or police station.

3. Printing A groove down the side of a piece of type used to ensure that it is correctly placed.

tr.v. nicked, nick·ing, nicks

a. To cut a nick or notch in.

b. To cut into and wound slightly: A sliver of glass nicked my hand.

2. To cut short; check: nicked an impulse to flee.

3. Slang To cheat, especially by overcharging.

4. Chiefly British Slang

a. To steal.

b. To arrest.

Idiom:

in the nick of time

Just at the critical moment; just in time.

[Middle English nik, possibly alteration (influenced by nokke, notch) of niche; see niche.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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Adv.

in the nick of time - at the last possible moment; "she was saved in the nick of time"

just in time

Translations

في اللحظِة المناسِبَه الأخيرَه

jako na zavolanouv posledním okamžiku

i sidste øjeblik

gerade zur rechten Zeit

juste à temps

legjobb: a legjobbkor

á síîustu stundu

al momento giusto prigione

i grevens tid

tam sırasındatam zamanında

刚好来得及在紧要关头

nick

(nik) noun

a small cut. There was a nick in the doorpost.

verb

to make a small cut in something. He nicked his chin while he was shaving.

in the nick of time

at the last possible moment; just in time. He arrived in the nick of time.

References in periodicals archive ?

But the man of the match was undoubtedly Dion O'Cuinneagain who stormed right back into his best form just in the nick of time before the Six Nations Championship begins in a fortnight.

Rugby Union: Kiwi KOs Clontarf; Ballymena 30 Clontarf 10

In fact, when one considers the current stalemate in American figuration, between the genre-ridden indulgences of John Currin or Elizabeth Peyton, and the decorative ironies of Lari Pittman or Sue Williams, we can afford to borrow another cliche from the dustbin of American history and assure ourselves that, just like the US Cavalry, Dunham's most radical, challenging, and, in the end, satisfying paintings have arrived in the nick of time.