nip and tuck
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A neck-and-neck race; a close fight. Among sailors the purser is nicknamed "Nip- cheese." (Dutch, nypen.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “nip and tuck” mean?
A neck-and-neck race; a close fight. Among sailors the purser is nicknamed "Nip- cheese." (Dutch, nypen.
Is “nip and tuck” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.