in the nick of time
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Also, 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.
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QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!
In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”
Question 1 of 7
The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.
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Words nearby in the nick of time
in the mouth, in the name of, in the near future, in the neck, in the neighborhood of, in the nick of time, in the offing, in the pink, in the pipeline, in the public eye, in the raw
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
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