NIP

nip

Noun

  1. A small quantity of something edible or a potable liquor.
    I’ll just take a nip of that cake.
    He had a nip of whiskey.

Noun (etymology 2)

  1. A nipple, usually of a woman.

Noun (etymology 3)

  1. A playful bite.
    The puppy gave his owner’s finger a nip.
  2. A pinch with the nails or teeth.
  3. Briskly cold weather.
    There is a nip in the air. It is nippy outside.
  4. A seizing or closing in upon; a pinching; as, in the northern seas, the nip of masses of ice.
  5. A small cut, or a cutting off the end.
  6. A blast; a killing of the ends of plants by frost.
  7. A biting sarcasm; a taunt.
  8. A short turn in a rope. Nip and tuck, a phrase signifying equality in a contest. U.S.
  9. The place of intersection where one roll touches another in papermaking.
  10. A pickpocket.

Verb

  1. To catch and enclose or compress tightly between two surfaces, or points which are brought together or closed; to pinch; to close in upon.
  2. To remove by pinching, biting, or cutting with two meeting edges of anything; to clip.
  3. To blast, as by frost; to check the growth or vigor of; to destroy.
  4. To vex or pain, as by nipping; hence, to taunt.

Verb (etymology 2)

  1. To make a quick, short journey or errand; usually roundtrip.
    Why don’t you nip down to the grocer’s for some milk?


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: nip
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

Need help with a clue?
Try your search in the crossword dictionary!