English · Slang Historical

nix!

Preserved but no longer current.

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

The signal word of schoolboys and workpeople to each other that the master, or other person in authority, is approaching.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

tín hiệu cho biết người có thẩm quyền đang tới

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)

Where it’s used: Origin British & Irish English

Sources & notes

Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.

Topics: Historical slang (1800s)

Common questions

What does “nix!” mean?

The signal word of schoolboys and workpeople to each other that the master, or other person in authority, is approaching.

Is “nix!” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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