| 释义 |
in the nick of time
nick N0095900 (nĭk)n.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 1. 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.]Thesaurus| Adv. | 1. | in the nick of time - at the last possible moment; "she was saved in the nick of time"just in time |
Translationsnick (nik) noun a small cut. There was a nick in the doorpost. 裂口, 刻痕 裂口，刻痕 verb to make a small cut in something. He nicked his chin while he was shaving. 割傷 割伤in the nick of time at the last possible moment; just in time. He arrived in the nick of time. 緊要關頭，及時 刚好来得及，在紧要关头 in the nick of time
in the nick of timeAt the last possible moment before a deadline or before something begins or ends; just in time. That car moved off the track in the nick of time—another moment and the train would have smashed into it. You got here in the nick of time—we're just about to start the show.See also: nick, of, time*in the (very) nick of timeFig. just in time; at the last possible instant; just before it's too late. (*Typically: arrive ~; get there ~; happen ~; reach something ~; Save someone ~.) The doctor arrived in the nick of time. The patient's life was saved. I reached the airport in the very nick of time and made my flight.See also: nick, of, timein the nick of timeAlso, just in time. At the last moment, as in The police arrived in the nick of time, or He got there just in time for dinner. The first term began life as in the nick and dates from the 1500s, when nick meant "the critical moment" (a meaning now obsolete). The second employs just in the sense of "precisely" or "closely," a usage applied to time since the 1500s. Also see in time, def. 1. See also: nick, of, timein the nick of time COMMON If something happens in the nick of time, it happens at the last possible moment, when it is almost too late. She woke up just in the nick of time and raised the alarm. They got to the hospital in the nick of time, just as the baby was about to be born.See also: nick, of, timein the nick of time only just in time; just at the critical moment. Nick is used here in the sense of ‘the precise moment of an occurrence or an event’. This form of the phrase dates from the mid 17th century, but in the (very ) nick is recorded from the late 16th century. 1985 Nini Herman My Kleinian Home Time and again, when all seemed lost, I somehow won through in the nick of time. See also: nick, of, timein the ˌnick of ˈtime (informal) at the last possible moment; just in time: He got to the railway station in the nick of time. ♢ He remembered in the nick of time that his passport was in his coat pocket.See also: nick, of, time in the nick of time Just at the critical moment; just in time.See also: nick, of, timenick of time, (just) in theAt the last minute, just in time. This term comes from a now obsolete meaning of nick, that is, “the critical moment.” A 1577 chronicle states, “The Romane navie . . . arrived at the very pinch, or as commonly we say, in the nicke.” Nearly a century later of time was added to clarify the issue, although just in the nick continued to be used for many years. It probably was a cliché by the time Sir Walter Scott wrote (The Pirate, 1821), “The fortunate arrival of Gordaunt, in the very nick of time.”See also: nick, ofin the nick of time
Related to in the nick of time: for the time being, Take TimeSynonyms for in the nick of timeadv at the last possible momentSynonyms |