1855. Harper's Mag., May. One of our Western villages passed an ordinance forbidding taverns to sell liquor on the Sabbath to any persons except travellers. The next Sunday every man in town, who wanted a nip, was seen walking around with a valise in one hand and two carpetbags in the other.
1861. James Conway, Forays Among Salmon and Deer, 71. Having discussed a Scotch breakfast . . . preceded by a nip of bitters as a provocative of the appetite.
1868. Collins, Moonstone, 1., 15. Mrs. Yolland . . . gave him his nip.
1873. Black, Princess of Thule, xxiii. Young Eyre took a nip of whiskey.
1888. Runciman, The Chequers, 86. The missus'll fetch me some corrfee, and, hear you, put a nip o' that booze in.
4. (old).—A hit; a taunt.
1556. Heywood, Spider and Flie [Nares]. Wherwith, thought the flie, I have geven him a nyp.
1567. Edwards, Damon & Pithias [Dodsley, Old Plays (1876), iv., 27]. From their nips shall I never be free?
1581. Lyly, Euphues, D 3 b. Euphues, though he perceived her coie nip, seemed not to care for it.
1589. Puttenham, Art of Eng. Poesie, 43. The manner of Poesie by which they vttered their bitter taunts and priuy nips.
Verb. (colloquial).—1. To pinch. See quot. 1696.
[16?]. Little John and the Four Beggars, 49 [Child, Ballads, v. 327]. John nipped the dumb, and made him to rore.
c.1696. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. Nip. To Press between the Fingers and Thumb without the Nails, or with any broad Instrument like a pair of Tongs as to squeeze between Edged Instruments or Pincers.
1859. Tennyson, Merlin and Vivien, 200. May this hard earth cleave to the Nadir hell, Down, down, and close again and nip me flat.
1886. Greely, Arctic Service, 73. The launch . . . was nipped between two floes of last year's growth.
1887. Henley, Villon's Straight Tip to all Cross Coves [Farmer, Musa Pedestris (1896), 177]. It's up the spout and Charley-wag With wipes and tickers and what not. Until the squeezer nips your scrag, Booze and the blowens cop the lot.
2. (old).—To steal: specifically, to cut a purse.
1567. Edwards, Damon & Pithias [Dodsley, Old Plays, 1. (1874), iv., 19]. I go into the city some knaves to nip For talk, with their goods to increase the kings treasure.
1573. Harman, Caveat (1814), p. 66. To nyp a boung, to cut a purse.
1592. Greene, Third Part Conny-catching, in Works, x., 157. Oft this crew of mates met together, and said there was no hope of nipping the boung [purse] because he held open his gowne so wide, and walked in such an open place.
1600. Sir John Oldcastle, v., 2. Be lusty, my lass; come, for Lancashire: we must nip the bung for these crowns.
1608. Dekker, Lanthorne and Candlelight [Grosart, Works (188.), iii, 203]. Or nip a boung that has but a win.
1610. Rowlands, Martin Markall, p. 39 (H. Club's Rept. 1874). To nip a Ian, to cut a purse.
1620. Descr. of Love [Farmer, Musa Pedestris (1896), 15]. Then in a throng, I nip his bung.
c.1636. London Chanticleers, Sc. i. I mean to be as perfect a pick pocket, as good as ever nipped the judge's bung while he was condemning him.
d.1658. Cleveland, Works [Nares]. Take him thus and he is in the inquisition of the purse an authentick gypsie, that nips your bung with a canting ordinance; not a murthered fortune in all the country, but bleeds at the touch of this malefactor.
c.1696. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.
1712. Shirley, Triumph of Wit, 'The Black Procession,' 4. If a cull he does meet, He nips all his cole.
1714. Memoirs of John Hall (4th ed.), p. 13. Nip, to pick.
1736. Ramsay, Scotch Proverbs, 87 [Jamieson]. Yet was set off frae the oon for nipping the pyes.
1740. Poor Robin. Meanwhile the cut-purse in the throng, Hath a fair means to nyp a bung.
