This phrase may seem a little odd to the beginning learner of English especially when considering that the word “nick” has several possible meanings depending on the culture.
For example, “nick” is the British word for “police station” and can also mean “the devil.” It can also be a shortened version of the name Nicholas. However, the most common meaning of the word “nick” is “small cut” and it is this meaning of the word that is used in the phrase “in the nick of time” which means “at exactly the right time” or “just in time.”
Enquanto você lê
Ler sobre inglês não é falar inglês.
Em 200 horas a gente tira você do “entendo mas não falo”. Descubra em qual módulo você entra.
O que mudou foi ter ordem. Antes eu estudava solto.
A nick is a very small and very precise cut, so to be “in the nick of time” means to be at precisely the right time when there was very little room for error. Experts say that the original phrase which was coined in the 1580s was only “in the nick” and “of time” was later added to provide clarification. It has stayed that way ever since.
The title of this article is an example of how this phrase is used:
http://www.theage.com.au/sport/horseracing/hall-times-run-perfectly-to-get-home-in-nick-of-time-20100220-omt9.html – The article tells of how Nick Hall was able to win races exactly when his team needed him the most.
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