nicking

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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.