on the nod
Preserved but no longer current.
On credit. To get a thing on the nod is to get it without paying for it at the time— and often without any definite intention of paying for it at all. The phrase is from the auction-room; one buys articles by a mere nod of the head to the clerk, and the formalities are attended to later.
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 “on the nod” mean?
On credit. To get a thing on the nod is to get it without paying for it at the time— and often without any definite intention of paying for it at all. The phrase is from the auction-room; one buys articles by a mere nod of the head to the clerk, and the formalities are attended to later.
Is “on the nod” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.