in the nick of time
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.
QUIZZES
LEARN THE SPANISH WORDS FOR THESE COMMON ANIMALS!
Are you learning Spanish? Or do you just have an interest in foreign languages? Either way, this quiz on Spanish words for animals is for you.
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How do you say “cat” 🐈 in Spanish?
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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