From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishnicknick1 /nɪk/ noun 1 → in the nick of time2 → in good nick/in bad nick etc3 CUT[countable] a very small cut made on the edge or surface of something4 → the nick
Examples from the Corpus
nick• Anyone still in Lewisham nick would have been carrying.• Even the smallest nick can cause streaking.• They're all in the nick. charged with possession.• But better in the nick of time than not at all.• With repairs completed in the nick of time she sailed for the operation with a depleted crew.• In the nick of time: according to one recent report 80 out of 92 league clubs are technically insolvent.• I could smell their tobacco and see the nicks left by their razors.• You could see the nicks on them, places where you stuck some one.nicknick2 verb [transitive] 1 British English informalSCCSTEAL to steal something SYN pinch, steal Someone’s nicked my wallet.nick something from somebody/something You nicked those pens from my desk.► see thesaurus at steal2 CUTto make a small cut in the surface or edge of something, usually by accident He nicked his hand on some broken glass.3 British English informalSCPCATCH if the police nick you, they catch you and charge you with a crime SYN arrest You’re nicked!→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
nick• Roy Winters nicked a line-out ball, and the forwards worked their way closer.• The bullet spun around his body, nicking a rib and burning across his back.• He'd scatter some of the grain he'd nicked, and fetch down the wire and cutters, and his books.• She looked, appropriately, nicked by the sarcasm of his tone.• He was not sure how he cut his hand, but suggested that he nicked himself while wrestling with his son.• I must have nicked myself when I was shaving this morning.• They'd nick you for lifting the wallet, and me as well probably, for helping you.• There isn't a finite amount of love to go round so there's a danger some one else might nick your share.Origin nick1 (1400-1500) Perhaps from nock “small cut in the end of a bow for the string to fit in” ((14-20 centuries)) 