At Nip-lug, adv. phr. (Scots').—At loggerheads; on the point of collision.
Nippent, adj. (American).—Impudent.
Nipper, subs. (common).—1. A lad.
1851-61. Mayhew, London Lab. and Lond. Poor, i., p. 37. Such lads, however, are the smallest class of costermongering youths; and are sometimes called 'cas'alty boys,' or nippers.
1888. Runciman, Chequers, 54. They calls it a stream, but I dussn't say wot I thinks it is afore the nipper.
1888. Referee, 11 Nov. Other nippers—the little shrimps of boys—were sometimes the best part of an hour at a stretch, from the time they left till they returned to the paddock to weigh in.
1892. Chevalier, Idler, June, p. 549. I've got a little nipper, when 'e talks I'll lay yer forty shiners to a quid You'll take 'im for the father, me the kid.
2. (old thieves').—See quot. 1785.
1659. John Day, Mind Beggar, 1., 3, p. 21. Had. Your nipper, your foyst, your rogue, your cheat, your pander, your any vile thing that may be.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Nypper, a cut purse, so called by one Wotton, who in the year 1585, kept an academy for the education and perfection of pick-pockets and cut purses; his school was near Billinsgate, London. As in the dress of ancient times many people wore their purses at their girdles, cutting them was a branch of the light fingered art, which is now lost, though the name remains . . . there was a school house set up to learn young boys to cut purses: two devices were hung up, one was a pocket, and another was a purse, the pocket had in it certain counters, and was hung about with hawks bells, and over the top did hang a little sacring bell. The purse had silver in it, and he that could take out a counter, without noise of any of the bells, was adjudged a judicial nypper, according to their terms of art; a foyster was a pickpocket; a nypper was a pick purse, or cut purse.
3. (navvys').—The serving lad attached to a gang of navvies, to fetch water and carry tools.
4. in pl. (thieves').—Handcuffs or shackles.—Haggart (1821); Grose (1823); Matsell (1859).
5. in pl. (thieves').—A burglar's instrument used from the outside on a key. Also American tweezers.
6. (Marlborough School).—A boy or 'cad.'
Verb (old).—To arrest; to catch. See Nab, and Nip.
1823. Bee, Dict. Turf. &c., s.v. Nippered. What d'ye think? My eyes, if Bill Soames warnt nippered only for a fogle little better than a wipe; and he was there upon transported.
1824. Egan, Boxiana, iv., 150. The Pope being nippered and brought to face the Beak.
Nipperkin, subs. (old).—A small
measure: see quot. 1696; a stone
jug.
c.1696. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. Nipperkin. Half a pint of Wine, and but half a Quartern of Brandy, strong waters, &c.
1608-1700. Ward, Lond. Spy, ii. (1706), i., 31. By that time we had sip'd off our nipperkin of my Grannums Aqua Mirabilis.
1707. Durfey, Pills to Purge. . . . Quart-pot, pint-pot, nipperkin, &c.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
1832. Noctes Ambrosianæ, Sept. William III., who only snoozed over a nipperkin of Schiedam with a few Dutch favourites.
1882. J. Ashton, Social Life in Reign of Q. Anne, i., 197. [Beer] was of different qualities, from the 'penny Nipperkin of Molassas Ale' to 'a pint of Ale cost me five-pence.'
Nipping, adj. (old).—Sharp; cutting.—B.
E. (c. 1696).
1596. Shakspeare, Hamlet, i. 4. It is a nipping and an eager air.
Nipping Christian, subs. phr.
(old).—A cut-purse: see Nipper,
sense 2.
