nippy

See also: Nippy

English

Etymology

From nip +‎ -y.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnɪpi/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪpi

Adjective

nippy (comparative nippier, superlative nippiest)

1. (UK, informal) Fast; speedy.
   • 1999 September 10, Peter Bradshaw, “The Italian Job”, in The Guardian‎:

     The jaunty 1969 crime caper about the cockney casanova of crime who pulls off a bullion heist in Turin during an England versus Italy football match using three nippy Mini Coopers—red, white and blue—speaks of a forgotten age in England […] .

   • c. 2000, Melanie Allen, Customer Relations Management, page 6:

     A Rolls Royce will not do if you need an economical, nippy car that is easy to park.

   • 2011, “Women's football”, in The Guardian‎:

     Small, nippy and ever present in the England set-up, the Fulham winger [Rachel Yankey] is one of the the^[sic] most recognisable faces in the game.

2. (informal, weather) Rather cold.

   Gosh, it's a bit nippy today: I'd better wear my gloves.

   • 2012, David Walliams [pseudonym; David Edward Williams], Ratburger, London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, →ISBN:

     Raj took a deep breath, and reached out to give Armitage the gentlest little stroke. “It’s nippy out. Let’s take him inside.”

   • 2023 February 18, Anoushka, “Young country diary: I found a little criminal”, in The Guardian‎, →ISSN:

     Hertfordshire: On a nippy day in our local wood, we found a field mouse. It was a mouse with a plan[.]

3. Inclined to nip; bitey.
   • 1995, Nancy Baer, Choosing a Dog: A Guide to Picking the Perfect Breed, page 161:

     Spoiling may create a pushy, nippy dog that lacks confidence.

4. (Scotland, informal) Annoying; irritating.
5. (Scotland) Sharp in taste.
6. (Scotland) Spicy tasting.
7. (Scotland) Curt.
8. (Scotland) Parsimonious.

Derived terms

• nippily
• nippiness
• Nippy

Translations

rather cold (of weather)

Bulgarian: остър (bg) (ostǎr), щипещ (bg) (štipešt) Czech: chladný (cs), mrazivý (cs), čerstvý (cs) French: frisquet (fr) German: kühl (de), frisch (de), frostig (de) Korean: 쌀쌀하다 (ko) (ssalssalhada) Russian: моро́зный (ru) m (moróznyj), зябкий (ru) (zjabkij) Swedish: småkylig

Noun

nippy (plural nippies)

1. (UK, historical) Alternative letter-case form of Nippy.
   • [2002 June 29, Fiona Beckett, Joanna Blythman, Richard Ehrlich, Matthew Fort, Malcolm Gluck, “Noshtalgia”, in The Guardian‎, →ISSN:

     Lyon's Corner House¶ A postwar survivor of a prewar original, when the name Lyon's was a guarantee of quality eating. The Pret A Manger, Starbucks and Maison Blanc of its day, complete with black-uniformed, white-pinnied waitresses known as nippies.]

Further reading

• “nippy n.¹ (penis)”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present
• “nippy n.² (waitress)”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present