a hollow place produced in an edge or surface by breaking, chipping, or the like. notches on a tally stick, though nick in the general sense of The verb “nick” has been used since the 16th century in the sense of to trick, cheat, or defraud. 1700 in F & H V 38: Well madam, you see I am punctual—you've nicked your man, faith. Why do single transistor oscillators work to power a transformer, if a transformer needs AC? West Bromwich had a population of almost 78,000 in 2018. (b) {1910s+) a police station, esp [ecially] its … What effect does closing a lid in some recipe do? Nick wanted to get out of the police station as quickly as possible. I suspect that the slang nick meaning to steal led to this meaning as arresting is taking someone away which, in turn, led to the slang for a prison cell. Why does The Mandalorian use a telescope in some scenes? But nick in the sense of "rob" or "catch" remains unexplained in the reference works I consulted. Night duty: Shift that starts at 10pm. Unfortunately Lighter doesn't offer any suggestion as to why nick came to be used for rob, cheat, steal, or arrest the first place. The illicit senses of 'nick' start in the later 16th century in reference to what was later 'chiseling': cheating or defrauding debtors and the poor for one's own benefit (sense III.15.a). say") than the phrase. Bluebottle – The police from Cockney Slang. 3 Individual exercise After reading the case study, think about the questions below: Nick – A police station. West Bromwich (/ ˈ b r ɒ m ɪ tʃ / BROM-itch) is a large market town in the borough of Sandwell, West Midlands, England. Here’s an example from an 1826 collection of English and Scottish poems: “Some there ha’e gotten their pouches picket, / Their siller an’ their watches nickit.”. 'I'll see you back at the nick'. Whatever the origin of this usage, it’s not surprising that a word with such shady connections should come to mean a place where shady characters are held by the police. Can a wizard prepare new spells while blinded? What speed shall I go to make my day longer? NP Alerts. stolen) and shorter "tayk'n in the nick" and later "nick'd" were derived. Words with different meanings in American and British English. police How to remove very stuck stripped screws? See more. Gay [Beggar's Opera] in F & H V 37: He was nick'd of three pieces of cambric before he could look off. Related: Stationed; stationing. We must be sometimes wittie, to nick a knave. Likewise, Tony Thorne, The Dictionary of Contemporary Slang (1990) has this etymological note in connection with nick in the sense of "arrest": Nick was a colloquial term for catch from the 16th century. Und[erworld]. Police state "state regulated by means of national police" first recorded 1865, with reference to Austria. station (v.) "to assign a post or position to," 1748, from station (n.). As FumbleFingers pointed out above, this is probably related to the "Prison" meaning. “British English” or “English English” or simply “British”? By the early 19th century it had also acquired this specific meaning. (ed. Contact your local team. In what contexts would one use the slang word “minging” in British English? Why am I getting rejection in PhD after interview? 1746 in Dugaw Warrior Women 53: Slap then we're nick'd of 20,000 Spouses. a. to rob. First attested in English in the early 15th century, originally in a range of senses encompassing '(public) policy; state; public order', the word police comes from Middle French police (public order, administration, government), in turn from Latin politia, which is the Latinisation of the Greek πολιτεία (politeia), "citizenship, administration, civil polity". According to the dictionary, the main meanings are: And other similar meanings, both nouns and verbs. What is this called? Police action in the international sense of "military intervention short of war, ostensibly to correct lawlessness" is from 1933. Police officer is attested from 1794, … In British English (mostly slang level), word nick may also refer to a prison or a police station, but at the same time it may also mean to steal. One theory, according to the dictionary, is that the name “Nick” comes from Machiavelli’s first name, Niccolò. The OED says there’s no convincing explanation of how “Nick” came to be associated with deviltry. A police station or prison. There are the British slang terms for theft (“my car’s been nicked!”) or for a police station (“the nick”), or the act of being arrested (“you’re nicked!”). Nick refers both to a prison cell and to the process of a police officer arresting someone. ... c. Orig. Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Though both the "steal" and arrest" senses of "nick" are primarily heard in Britain, American English has an interesting parallel in the word "cop," common slang today for a police officer. The OED considers Sven's earliest quote from Fletcher's Mad Lover to be an example of this sense, not anything about theft. From there, it was used by the early 17th century in reference to a rapid strike, catching someone unaware (sense III.16.a). In any case, nick in the sense of "steal" seems not at all far-fetched as a derivation from nick in the senses of "rob," "cheat," and "arrest." I cannot speculate as to the etymological origins of these two uses, only to attest that in my experience (as a native speaker of British English) that they are quite commonly employed. THESAURUS. Stack Exchange network consists of 176 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. NonDe: Non descript, used when referring to an unmarked police vehicle taken out on obbo's. It seems like a sense of successful and skillful theft, hitting at precisely the right moment, should have arisen pretty naturally from all those other senses, but the OED gives the first clear citation of 'nick' meaning 'to rob' (III.16.b) as David Anderson's 1826 Scottish poems: Some there ha'e gotten their pouches picket,Their siller an' their watches nickit. 'Nick of time' is also attested from c. 1610 in, Meanings of word “nick” in British English. That’s because at one side, police is a sign of security for the people but due to their stupidities and habits of doubting everyone and not the criminals, people love calling them with such nicknames. Und[erworld]. The term refers only to the London Metropolitan Police - not every police force - for which Cockney rhyming slang would be appropriate. Nick: to arrest someone. Esp. The first reference in the OED is from a 1576 work by the English dramatist George Whetstone: “I neuer nickt the poorest of his pay, / But if hee lackt, hee had before his day.”, And the verb has been used since the 17th century to mean to catch unawares or apprehend. Why do many occupations show a gender bias? How do I make geometrical symbols in LATEX? 2. There are a number of other expressions involving nick, as in yet another name for the devil (this time from the personal name Nicholas). That's the sense that eventually became the British slang for 'arrest'. nick something from somebody/something You nicked those pens from my desk. What's a “right old roarer” in British English? Origin of the word “jack” to mean theft or to steal. 1 a : a small notch, groove, or chip For one thing, formal chairs, beds and tables require greater vigilance on the part of the owners to protect against nicks and spills. Grammar, etymology, usage, and more, brought to you by Patricia T. O’Conner and Stewart Kellerman, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window). Chief Constable, Nick Dean . n. 1. "critical moment" is older (1570s, Hanmer, who adds "as commonly we According to J.E. Usually called nights. Can a Lan Adapter cause a whole home network to crash? NP Alerts is a free messaging service brought to you by Northumbria Police for our communities. While I can make a guess that a prison cell is a small hollow place (of sort) and hence further a police station may be called a nick, I'm puzzled as to the meaning to steal. Thanks so much. nick n.... 2 (orig [inally] Aus [tralian]) with ref [erence] to imprisonment, capture {milit [ary] use nick, the guard-room}. How could it have come about? The Oxford English Dictionary says the use of the noun “nick” in the sense of a prison, especially one at a police station, is of Australian origin. It is built of good quality brick, and stands solidly on one of the nicer streets, just off the centre of this busy market town. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is 6.4 miles (10.3 km) northwest of Birmingham.West Bromwich is part of the area known as the Black Country, in terms of geography, culture, and dialect. How doth he nick the debter now by hault exacting wayes. Online etymolgy suggests nick may come from French niche and that: Nick of time is first attested 1640s (nick of opportunity is 1610s), In British English (mostly slang level), word nick may also refer to a prison or a police station, but at the same time it may also mean to steal. Etymology of “nick” in, in the nick of time? Buy Pat’s books at a local store or Amazon.com. What crime is hiring someone to kill you and then killing the hitman? From the first police station interview to fighting your case through the courts, Freeman & Co. provide seamless representation and dedicated client care that is … Nicked – To be arrested. to place under arrest; apprehend. Nick Rose at the former police station in Selsey Ahead of the planned visit, he asked residents to contact him with their concerns, and said he had ‘dozens’ of responses. Inspector Nick Gjorven (7694) Washington Police Station. Is Numbers 11:17-25 evidence that the Holy Spirit is a distributable, fragmentable substance? He first joined Norfolk Constabulary in September 1992, where he gained experience first in uniformed roles such as patrol and custody, before periods in the control room, corporate support and local policing. This was used in reference to gulling marks but also catching the conmen at their own game. A shallow notch, cut, or indentation on an edge or a surface: nicks in the table; razor nicks on his chin. The Neighbourhood Watch Network supports individuals and groups to create safer, stronger and active communities. The earliest citation for this usage is from The Prophetess, a play from around 1640 by John Fletcher and Philip Massinger: “We must be sometimes wittie, to nick a knave.”, Since the early 19th century, the verb “nick” has also meant to steal or pilfer. Word nick seems to be used to describe many things. The Old Nick Police Museum in Gainsborough has relaunched after major refurbishment. Its further etymology is unknown; a connection with nock (“notch in a bow to hold the bowstring; notch at the rear of an arrow that fits the bowstring; cleft in the buttocks”)has not been clearly established. A: Oops, it’s “nick,” not “knick.” That’s why you’re having so much trouble. Also Police Station eg. Endless frustration – unable to find where “knick,” the English slang term for prison, originated. Around the world, Police department and its officers are some of the most discussed things in the memes, jokes, and funny nicknames. While I can make a guess that a prison cell is a small hollow place (of sort) and hence further a police station may be called a nick, I'm puzzled as to the meaning to steal. The first published reference is from The Sydney Slang Dictionary (1882), which defines “the nick” as a “gaol.”, But that’s just the beginning of the story. Etymology of "nick" in, in the nick of time? a small notch, groove, chip, or the like, cut into or existing in something. In the phrase "Nick off", both an interjection telling someone to go away in a mildly pejorative fashion, and a verb. How could it have come about? Chiefly British Slang A prison or police station. There are also two additional distinct uses of nick in British and Australian English that I can think of, namely: Meaning "condition", as in "It's in good nick". What software will allow me to combine two images? 1727–28 J. It only takes a minute to sign up. Etymology of the “nick” used in “nickname”? While I can make a guess that a prison cell is a small hollow place (of sort) and hence further a police station may be called a nick, I'm puzzled as to the meaning to steal. What happens when an aboleth enslaves another aboleth who's enslaved a werewolf? ... b. to cheat; defraud. [First two cited occurrences:] 1622 Fletcher & Messinger, in OED: We must be sometimes witty, To knick a knave. Esp. To be "out on the nick" to be out thieving. Lewisham had a population of 60,573 in 2011. The first published reference is from The Sydney Slang Dictionary (1882), which defines “the nick” as a “gaol.” But that’s just the beginning of the story. The court convicted Nick and he was ordered to pay a fine. nick (Verb) To steal. We believe in a caring society that is focused on trust and respect, in which people are safe from crime and enjoy a good quality of life Someone's nicked my bike! 3. Personally, though, I'll maintain the head canon that some literate degenerates derived it via "Nick, n.2" and "Old Nick, n." from "Old Iniquity", apparently a set figure in early modern morality plays. nick nick 2 verb [transitive] 1 British English informal SCC STEAL to steal something SYN pinch, steal Someone’s nicked my wallet. The Galleries, Washington, NE38 7RY **Temporarily closed** View on Google Maps. possibly from an old custom of recording time as it passed by making Jump to navigation Jump to search. To nick something is to steal it by putting it in your pocket or slipping it down the front of your pants. Define nick. Here he visits the Police Station in Ashfordly: Ashfordly Police Station is a beautiful building. Restaurants near The Old Nick Police Museum: (0.03 km) Costa Coffee (0.05 km) Pulp Kitchen X (0.07 km) Prezzo - Gainsborough (0.16 km) Elach (0.11 km) Sufian; View all restaurants near The Old Nick Police Museum on Tripadvisor $ Norwich is a vibrant city and the main business and entertainment centre for the county of Norfolk. Is it illegal to ask someone to commit a misdemeanor? I nicked myself while I was shaving. [First two cited occurrences:] 1869 in Partridge D[ictionary of] S[lang and] U[nconventional] E[nglish] I bolted in and nicked a nice silver teapot. see thesaurus at steal 2 CUT to make a small cut in the surface or edge of something, usually by accident He nicked his hand on some broken glass. Last but not least, “Old Nick” (later “Nick”) has been a name for the Devil since the mid-17th century. nick (Verb) This is the bodycam footage from Officer Nick Parker on February 15th, 2021. BTP – British Transport Police – police organization responsible for policing the railways.