"A cry of anguish ascended to high heavens," reported Business Week in 1933, "when millions of white-collar workers discovered that they had been nicked for a considerable percentage of their earnings when J. P. Morgan and partners had paid no income tax at all." Cynthia Crossen
The new owner, my brother, had installed all the window grilles and had them wired on a direct alarm to the police station so that if anyone tried to enter that way they would be nicked. Dick Francis
Noun There are a couple of nicks on the painting. His face was covered with nicks and cuts after shaving. She spent a night in the nick. an economy in bad nickVerb He was nicked on the shoulder by a bullet. She was nicked for the theft. I nicked a couple of cars when I was younger. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
With all that in mind, there is an MCU rumor on Reddit that dropped right in the nick of time. Chris Smith, BGR, 31 Aug. 2022 Yet in the nick of time, the Biden administration and Democrats in Congress are riding to GM’s rescue. Allysia Finley, WSJ, 9 Aug. 2022 Domestic airfares drop to pre-pandemic levels in the nick of time for vacationers still looking to take a summer trip. Laura Smythe, Forbes, 3 Aug. 2022 This pyrrhic victory comes at a tremendous cost: the deaths of Eddie and Max, although El manages to revive Max's heart remotely in the nick of time. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 17 July 2022 Rescuers reached the woman, who was hanging onto a tree and her dog, just in the nick of time, Wellton Police Sgt. Abigail Adams, PEOPLE.com, 13 June 2022 Luckily, Danny performs a spacewalk in the nick of time — but not before Karen’s second husband and Polaris co-founder Sam (Jeff Hephner) is among the dead. Hunter Ingram, Variety, 10 June 2022 Madison shows up in the nick of time and easily kills half a dozen men with her gun without hitting Mo. Erik Kain, Forbes, 8 June 2022 But the international flags were hoisted Wednesday morning, just in the nick of time. Lori Nickel, Journal Sentinel, 3 June 2022
Verb
This may be done by soaking the seeds in water or by using a tool to nick a hole in the seed coat. Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2022 Houston could nick 100 degrees any day through Sunday before simmering back into the mid 90s. Matthew Cappucci, Washington Post, 9 June 2022 The sponge protects the dolphins from sharp rocks and coral that would otherwise nick their faces. Daisy Hernandez, Popular Mechanics, 14 Apr. 2022 Ida will likely nick the economy’s growth in the current July-September quarter, though repairs and rebuilding efforts are expected to make up for some of that in the coming months. Christopher Rugaber, Anchorage Daily News, 16 Sep. 2021 Ida will likely nick the economy’s growth in the current July-September quarter, though repairs and rebuilding efforts are expected to regain those losses in the coming months. Christopher Rugaber, chicagotribune.com, 16 Sep. 2021 Ida will likely nick the economy’s growth in the current July-September quarter, though repairs and rebuilding efforts are expected to regain those losses in the coming months.BostonGlobe.com, 16 Sep. 2021 Ida will likely nick the economy's growth in the current July-September quarter, though repairs and rebuilding efforts are expected to regain those losses in the coming months.CBS News, 16 Sep. 2021 Meanwhile, Marquez, gifted with a 3-0 lead, was nicked for a run in each of the first two frames. Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 26 July 2019 See More
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English nyke, probably alteration of nocke nock