nine
number /naɪn/
/naɪn/
Idioms - 9
- There are only nine of these rare animals left.
- nine of Sweden’s top financial experts
- Twelve people were invited but only nine turned up.
- Can you lend me nine dollars?
- a nine-month contract
- Look at page nine.
- Nine and one is ten.
- Two nines are eighteen.
- I can't read your writing—is this meant to be a nine?
- The bulbs are planted in sevens or nines (= groups of seven or nine).
- We moved to America when I was nine (= nine years old).
- Shall we meet at nine (= at nine o'clock), then?
Word OriginOld English nigon, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch negen and German neun, from an Indo-European root shared by Sanskrit nava, Latin novem, and Greek ennea.
Idioms
dressed (up) to the nines
- (informal) wearing very attractive or formal clothes
have nine lives
- (especially of a cat) to be very lucky in dangerous situations
a nine days’ wonder
- a person or thing that makes people excited for a short time but does not last very long
nine times out of ten
- almost every time
- I'm always emailing her, but nine times out of ten she doesn't reply.
nine to five
- the normal working hours in an office
- I work nine to five.
- a nine-to-five job
on cloud nine
- (old-fashioned, informal) extremely happy
possession is nine tenths of the law
- (saying) if you already have or control something, it is difficult for somebody else to take it away from you, even if they have the legal right to it
the whole nine yards
- (informal, especially North American English) everything, or a situation which includes everything
- When Dan cooks dinner he always goes the whole nine yards, with three courses and a choice of dessert.