nip 
caught by jamming. 10. In the wool-comb- 
ing machine, a mechanism the action of which 
is closely analogous to that of the human hand 
in grasping. Its function is to draw the wool in bunches 
from the falters and present it to the comb. Nip and 
tuck, a close approach to equality in racing or any com- 
petition ; neck and neck. [U. S.) 
nip 2 (nip), v. i. [= D. nippen = MLG. LG. nip- 
pen (>G. nippen, nippeln, nipfeln = Dan. nippe), 
sip, nip.] To take a dram or nip. See nip' 2 , n. 
In the homes alike of rich and poor the women have 
learned the fatal habit of nipping, and slowly but surely 
become confirmed dipsomaniacs. Lancet, No. 3452, p. SOS. 
nip 2 (nip), . [< y> 2 , v.] A sip or small 
draught, especially of some strong spirituous 
beverage: as, a nip of brandy. [Slang.] 
He ... asked for a last little drop of comfort out of the 
Dutch bottle. Mrs. Yolland sat down opposite to him, and 
gave him his nip. 
W. Collins, The Moonstone, i. 15. (Dames.) 
nip 3 (nip), n. [Origin obscure; perhaps a var., 
through *nep, of knap 2 .] 1. A short steep as- 
cent. 2. A hill or mountain. 
nip* (nip), n. [Var. of weep 2 , ep 2 .] A turnip. 
Halliwell. [Prov. Eng.] 
nip 5 t, [ME. nippe, nype; perhaps < AS. genip, 
mist, cloud, darkness, < genipan (pret. gendp), 
become dark.] Mist; darkness. This appears to 
be the sense in the following passage ; Skeat takes it as 
a particular use of nipi, 'piercing or biting cold,' with a 
secondary choice for the explanation ' a hill or peak.' See 
Ich seo, as me thynketh, 
Out of the nype [var. nippe]ot the north nat ful fer hennes, 
Ryghtwisnesse come rennynge. 
Piers Plowman (C), xxi. 168. 
Nipa (nl'pa), n. [NL. (Wurmb, 1779) ; from a 
native name in the Moluccas.] An aberrant 
genus of low palms of the tribe Phytelephanti- 
nai, characterized by the one-celled carpels and 
roughened pollen-grai ns. The single species, N. fru- 
ticans, the nipa- or nipah-palm, is found at mouths of rivers 
from Ceylon to Australia and the Philippines. Its elon- 
gated horizontal stems produce from the apex a short 
spongy trunk, with terminal pinnately divided leaves 
sometimes 20 feet long. They are much used in thatch- 
ing and in making cigarettes and mats. Its drupes are 
borne in a mass of the size of the human head, and their 
kernels are edible. The spadix yields a toddy. 
nipcheese (nip'chez), . [< nip 1 , t 1 ., + obj. 
cheese 1 .] A person of cheese-paring habits ; a 
skinflint; a niggardly person. [Slang.] 
nipfarthingt (nip'far"THing), n. [< nip 1 , v., + 
obj. farthing.] A niggardly person; a nip- 
cheese. 
niphablepsia (nif-a-blep'si-a), . [NL., < Gr. 
vtQa, snow, + afjte-ijiia, blindness: see ablepsia.] 
Snow-blindness. 
niphotyphlosis (nif'o-tl-flo'sis), n. [NL., < Gr. 
vitya, snow, -t- rvij&uaif, blindness, < rvfl.Af, blind.] 
Snow-blindness. 
nipitatot, See nippitatum. 
nipos, n. [Sc.] A variant of nepus. 
nippe (nip), n. [F.] Among the voyageurs of 
the Northwest, a square piece cut from an old 
blanket and used especially to protect the feet 
when snow-shoes are worn, being wrapped in 
several thicknesses around the foot before the 
moccasin is put on. 
nipper 1 (nip'er), n. [< nip 1 + -er 1 .] 1 . One who 
nips. 2f. A satirist. 
Ready backbiters, sore nippers, and spiteful reporters 
privily of good men. Ascham, The Scholemaster, p. 85. 
3f. A thief; a pickpocket; acutpurse. Dekker. 
4. A boy who waits on a gang of navvies, to 
fetch them water, carry their tools to the smithy, 
etc.; also, a boy who goes about with and assists 
acostermonger. [Eng.] 5. Oneof various tools 
or implements like pincers or tongs: generally 
in the plural, (a) A form of grasping-tool or pincers 
with cutting jaws, 
used by carpen- 
ters, metal-work- 
ers, etc. (6) Me- 
chanical forceps 
of different forms, 
used by dentists 
for cutting out or 
bending plates, 
Cnching rivet- 
les, etc. (c) In 
printing : (1) 
Broad-faced twee- Nippers. 
Zers or bands A, cutting nippers or pliers; R, combined 
of iron, attached 
to platen print- 
ing-presses, which 
clasp a sheet of paper and carry it to the form to be printed. 
(2) Tweezers used by compositors to draw types out of a 
form in the operation of correcting, (d) In wire-drawing, 
a tool used to pull the wire through the plate, (e) In hy- 
draul. engin., two serrated jaws attached to geared sec- 
tors, used to cut off piles under water by a reciprocating 
movement. (/) An instrument for squeezing and twisting 
the nose of a refractory horse or mule, (g) A latch to hold 
lines in fishing. (A) Oyster-tongs with few teeth or only 
3998 
one, used in picking up single oysters. [Chesapeake Bay.) 
(i) An instrument used by flsh-culturists for removing dead 
eggs from hatching-troughs. It is made of wire bent Into 
the shape of the letter U, and flattened at the ends so that 
the extremities may be about an eighth of an inch wide, and 
rounded off at the corners, (j) Handcuffs or leg-shackles ; 
police-nippers. (K) In rope-malang, a machine for pressing 
the tar from the yarn. It consists of two steel plates, with 
a semi-oval hole in each, one sliding over the other so as 
to enlarge or contract the aperture according to the 
amount of tar to be left in the yarn. 
6. An incisor tooth; especially, one of the in- 
cisors or fore teeth of a horse. 7. One of the 
great claws or chela of a crustacean, as a crab 
or lobster. 8. Naut., 
a short piece of rope 
or selvage used to bind 
the cable to the mes- 
senger in heaving up 
an anchor. Iron clamps 
have been used for the same 
purpose with chain cables. 
Nippers are now no longer 
used, the chain cable being 
applied directly to the cap- Nipper, def. a. 
Stan. 
9. A hammock with so little bedding as to be 
unfit for stowing in the nettings. [Eng.] 10. 
The cunner, Ctenolabrus adfpersus: so called 
from the way in which it nips or nibbles the 
hook. Also nibbler. See cut under cunner. 
[New Eng.] 11. The young bluefish, Pomato- 
mus saltatrix: so called by fishermen because 
it bites or nips pieces out of the menhaden, in 
the schools of which it is often found. 
nipper 1 (nip'er), v. t. [< nipper 1 , n.] Naut., 
to fasten two parts of (a rope) together, in or- 
der to prevent it from rendering ; also, to fasten 
nippers to Nlpperlng the cattle, fastening the nip- 
pers to the cable. See nipperl, n., 8. 
nipper 2 (nip'er), n. [< niyft, v., or allied to nip- 
perkin (?).] A dram; nip. [Slang, U. S.] 
Mister Sawin, sir, you're middlin' well now, be ye? 
Step up an' take a nipper, sir : I'm dreffle glad to see ye. 
Lowell, Biglow Papers, 1st ser., ii. 
nipper-crab (nip'er-krab), n. A crab of the 
family Portunidce, Polybius hensloici. 
nipper-gage (nip'er-gaj), n. In a power print- 
ing-press, an adjustable ledge on the tongue of 
the feedboard, for insuring the uniformity of 
the margin. 
nipperkin (nip'er-kin), n. [Appar. < nip" 2 , with 
term, as in kilderkin.'] A small measure or 
quantity of beer or liquor. 
[Beer] was of different qualities, from the "penny Ifip- 
perkin of Molassas Ale" to " a pint of Ale cost me flve- 
pence. " 
J. Ashlon, Social Life in Reign of Queen Anne, I. 197. 
William III., who only snoozed over a nipperkin of 
Schiedam with a few Dutch favourites. 
Nodes Ambrosianie, Sept., 1832. 
nipper-men (nip'er-men), n. pi. Naut., per- 
sons formerly employed to bind the nippers 
about the cable and messenger. 
nipperty-tipperty (nip'er-ti-tip'er-ti), a. [A 
varied redupl. of syllables vaguely descriptive 
of lightness. Cf. niminy-piminy.] Light-head- 
ed; silly; foolish; frivolous. [Scotch.] 
He's crack-brained and cockle-headed about his nip- 
perty-tipperty poetry nonsense. Scott. 
nippingly (nip'ing-li),a<fo. [< nipping, ppr. of 
ntp 2 , + -Iy2.] In a nipping manner; with bit- 
ter sarcasm; sarcastically. Johnson. 
nippitatet (nip'i-tat), a. [Appar. irreg. < nip- 
py, nipl,v., T -it-ate.] Good and strong: ap- 
plied to ale or other liquors. 
'Twill make a cup of wine taste nippitate. 
Chapman, Alphonsus Emperor of Germany, iii. 1. 
Well fares England, where the poor may have a pot of 
ale for a penny, fresh ale, flrm ale, nappy ale, nippitate 
cutting pliers and ordinary flat-bitted pliers, 
the cutting bits being Conned on the sides of 
the flat bits. 
boater and Webster (?), Weakest Goeth to the Wall, i. 2. 
nippitatumt, nipitatot (nip-i-ta'tum, -ta'to), n. 
[Also nipjiitato, nippitati, a quasi L. or Sp. form 
of nippitate.] Nippitate liquor; strong liquor. 
Pomp. My father oft will tell me of a drink 
In England found, and nipitato call'd, 
Which driveth all the sorrow from your hearts. 
Ralph. Lady, 'tis true, you need not lay your lips 
To better nipitato than there is. 
Beau, and Fl., Knight of Burning Pestle, iv. 2. 
nipple (nip'l), n. [Early mod. E. neple, nypil, 
"ncble; origin uncertain; referred by some to 
nib 1 , neb.] 1. A protuberance of the breast 
where, in the female, the galactophorous ducts 
discharge; a pap; a teat. 2. The papilla by 
which any animal secretion is discharged. 
In most other birds [except geese] . . . there is only one 
gland ; in which are divers little cells", ending in two or 
three larger cells, lying under the nipple of the oil-bag. 
Derham, Physico-Theology, VII. i. 2. 
3. Anything that projects like a nipple, as the 
projecting piece in a gun or a cartridge upon 
Nirvana 
which the percussion-cap is placed to be struck 
by the hammer, the mouthpiece of a nursing- 
bottle, a nipple-shield, etc. 
A little cocke, end, or nipple perced, or that hath an hole 
after the maner of a breast, which is put at the end of the 
chanels of a fountaine, wher-through the water runneth 
forth. Baret, 1580. (Halliwell.) 
A nipple for attachment [of the button] to the garment 
is made by a press. Spans' Encyc. Manvj., I. 558. 
4. A reducing-coupling for hose or for joining 
a hose to a pipe. It is often threaded or grooved on 
the outside to facilitate the making of a tight joint by 
means of a wire binding, compressing the hose into the 
indentations. 
5. A hollow piece projecting from and form- 
ing a passage connecting with the interior of a 
metal pipe, used for the attachment of a faucet 
or cock Soldering nipple, a nipple for the attach- 
ment of a faucet, cock, or other appliance to a pipe by 
soldering. 
nipple (nip'l), v. t. ; pret. and pp. nippled, ppr. 
nippling. [< nipple, n.] To furnish with a nip- 
ple or nipples ; cover with nipple-like protuber- 
ances. 
nipple-cactus (nip'l-kak"tus), . A cactus of 
the genus Mamillaria. These cactuses are com- 
mon in hothouses. 
nippleless(nip'l-les),a. [<nipple + -teas.] Hav- 
ing no nipples; amastous: specifically said of 
the monotremes or Amasta. 
nipple-line (nip'1-lin), . A vertical line drawn 
on the surface of the chest through the nipple. 
nipple-piece (nip'1-pes), n. A supporting piece 
into which a nipple is screwed or riveted, or 
upon which (in a single piece) the nipple is 
formed. 
nipple-pin (nip'1-pin), . A pin the outer end 
of which is left projecting, after the pin has 
been inserted, to form a nipple for the attach- 
ment of another part, or for some other pur- 
pose. The nipple is commonly provided with 
a male-screw thread. 
nipple-seat (nip'1-set), n. A perforated protu- 
berance or hump on the barrel of a firearm, 
upon which the nipple is screwed. 
nipple-shield (nip'l-sheld), n. A defense for 
the nipple worn by nursing women. 
nipplewort (nip'1-wert), . [< nipple + wort 1 .] 
A plant, Lapsana communis : so called from its 
remedial use. See Lapsana and cress Dwarf 
nipplewort. Same as surine's-succory (which see, under 
succory). 
nippy (nip'i), a. [< nip 1 + -y 1 .] 1. Biting; 
sharp; acid: as, ginger has a nippy taste. 2. 
Curt in manner ; snappy or snappish. [Colloq. 
in both senses.] 3. Parsimonious ; niggardly. 
[Scotch.] 
Ill get but little penny-fee, for his uncle, auld Nipple 
Milnwood, has as close a grip as the deil himsell. 
Scott, Old Mortality, vii. 
nipter (nip'ter), n. [< Gr. viirrfip, a wash-basin, 
in MGr. the washing of the feet of the disciples, 
the pedilavium, < vmreiv, wash.] Eccles., the 
ceremony of washing the feet, practised in the 
Greek Church and some other churches on 
Thursday of Holy Week. Equivalent to maundy 
or feet-washing. 
nirls, nirles (nerlz), n. [Origin obscure.] A 
variety of skin-disease ; herpes. 
Yes, mem, I've had the sma' pox, the nirls, the blabs, 
the scaw, etc. 
E. B. Ramsay, Scottish Life and Character, p. 115. 
nirtt, . [ME.; origin obscure.] A cut; a 
wound ; a hurt. 
The nirt in the nek he naked hem schewed. 
Sir Qawayne and the Green Knight (E. E. T. S.), 1. 2498. 
Nirvana (nir-va'na), ii. [Skt., blowing out (as 
of a light), extinction, < nis, out, 4- vana, blow- 
ing, < \f va, blow, with abstr. noun-suffix -ana.] 
In Buddhism, the condition of a Buddha ; the 
state to which the Buddhist saint is to aspire 
as the highest aim and highest good, originally, 
doubtless, this was extinction of existence, Buddha's at- 
tempt being to show the way of escape from the miseries 
inseparably attached to life, and especially to life everlast- 
ingly renewed by transmigration, as held in India. But 
in later times this negation has naturally taken on other 
forms, and is explained as extinction of desire, passion, 
unrest, etc. 
What then is Nirvana, which means simply going out, 
extinction ; it being quite clear, from what has gone be- 
fore, that this cannot be the extinction of a soul? It is 
the extinction of that sinful, grasping condition of mind 
and heart which would otherwise, according to the great 
mystery of Karma, be the cause of renewed individual ex- 
istence. That extinction is to be brought about by, and 
runs parallel with, the growth of the opposite condition 
of mind and heart ; and it is complete when that opposite 
condition of mind and heart is reached. Ximana is there- 
fore the same thing ns a sinless, calm state of mind ; and, 
if translated at all, may best, perhaps, be rendered holi- 
nessholiness, that is, in the Buddhist sense, perfect 
peace, goodness, and wisdom. Rhys Davids. 
