nipper

[ nip-er ]

/ ˈnɪp ər /

noun

a person or thing that nips.

Usually nippers. a device for nipping, as pincers or forceps.

one of the two large claws of a crustacean.

Metalworking. dog(def 13).

nippers, Older Slang. handcuffs.

Informal.

a small boy.
Chiefly British. a costermonger's helper or assistant.

Nautical. a short rope for seizing an anchor cable to a messenger from a capstan.

Words nearby nipper

nip-up, nipa, nipigon, nipissing, nipmuck, nipper, nippers, nipping, nipple, nipple line, nipple shield

Origin of nipper

First recorded in 1525–35; nip¹ + -er¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for nippers

Every now and then the hard, wiry line slipped off the nippers and sawed across his smarting fingers or palms.
Jim Spurling, Fisherman|Albert Walter Tolman
Once more he had recourse to his nippers, and speedily the door was opened.
The Spruce Street Tragedy|Irvin S. Cobb
Man alive, with a chap like that Nippers, how long do you suppose it will remain a secret that Cleek is in Yorkshire?
Cleek of Scotland Yard|Thomas W. Hanshew
It perches on a leaf, which the nippers of the mandibles cut half across.
The Life of the Fly|J. Henri Fabre

The first pair end in nippers or chelae and are usually much more massive than the others which are used in walking or swimming.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 6|Various

British Dictionary definitions for nippers (1 of 2)

nippers

/ (ˈnɪpəz) /

pl n

an instrument or tool, such as a pair of pliers, for snipping, pinching, or squeezing

British Dictionary definitions for nippers (2 of 2)

nipper

/ (ˈnɪpə) /

noun

a person or thing that nips

the large pincer-like claw of a lobster, crab, or similar crustacean

informal a small child

Australian a type of small prawn used as bait

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

nipper

noun

Words related to nipper

Words nearby nipper

Origin of nipper

Examples from the Web for nippers

British Dictionary definitions for nippers (1 of 2)

pl n

British Dictionary definitions for nippers (2 of 2)

noun