in the nick of time

1. 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.

Example Sentences

The best he’ll do is trust they know he’s computed their running speed against the rate of the closing doors to ensure the humans make it in the nick of time.

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As it happened, Bernstein made good on his promise of filling up Shea and meeting Epstein’s expectations in the nick of time.

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She was reinstated in the nick of time to stand as a Labour candidate in last year's general election.

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BBC News later discovered from the alleged attackers that the company disconnected the internet from IT networks in the nick of time to stop the hackers from deploying ransomware and so causing even more disruption.

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The BBC later discovered from the criminals that the company disconnected the internet from IT networks in the nick of time to stop the hackers from deploying ransomware and so causing even more disruption.

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