ni ce-loo king ADJ Someone who is nice-looking is physically attractive. □ I saw this nice-looking man in a gray suit. □ We got on very well and she was very nice-looking.
nice|ly /na I sli/
1 ADV [ADV with v] If something is happening or working nicely , it is happening or working in a satisfactory way or in the way that you want it to. □ She has a bit of private money, so they manage quite nicely. □ The crowds had been soaked and were now nicely drying out.
2 → see also nice
3 PHRASE [usu cont] If someone or something is doing nicely , they are being successful. □ …another hotel owner who is doing very nicely.
4 PHRASE If you say that something will do nicely , you mean that it is good enough for the situation. □ A shirt and jersey and an ordinary pair of trousers will do nicely, thank you.
ni|cety /na I s I ti/ (niceties ) N‑COUNT [usu pl, adj N ] The niceties of a situation are its details, especially with regard to good manners or the appropriate behaviour for that situation. □ [+ of ] By the end of term, girls will have learnt the niceties of dinner party conversation. □ He wasted no time with social niceties.
niche /niː ʃ, [AM ] n I tʃ/ (niches )
1 N‑COUNT A niche in the market is a specific area of marketing which has its own particular requirements, customers, and products. [BUSINESS ] □ [+ in ] I think we have found a niche in the toy market.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] Niche marketing is the practice of dividing the market into specialized areas for which particular products are made. A niche market is one of these specialized areas. [BUSINESS ] □ Many media experts see news channels as part of a general move towards niche marketing. □ The Japanese are able to supply niche markets because of their flexible production methods.
3 N‑COUNT A niche is a hollow area in a wall which has been made to hold a statue, or a natural hollow part in a hill or cliff. □ [+ on ] Above him, in a niche on the wall, sat a tiny veiled Ganesh, the elephant god. □ [+ in ] There was a niche in the rock where the path ended.
4 N‑COUNT [usu poss N ] Your niche is the job or activity which is exactly suitable for you. □ [+ as ] Simon Lane quickly found his niche as a busy freelance model maker.
nick /n I k/ (nicks , nicking , nicked )
1 VERB If someone nicks something, they steal it. [BRIT , INFORMAL ] □ [V n] He smashed a window to get in and nicked a load of silver cups.
2 VERB If the police nick someone, they arrest them. [BRIT , INFORMAL ] □ [V n] The police nicked me for carrying an offensive weapon. □ [get/be V -ed] Keep quiet or we'll all get nicked.
3 VERB If you nick something or nick yourself, you accidentally make a small cut in the surface of the object or your skin. □ [V n] When I pulled out of the space, I nicked the rear bumper of the car in front of me. □ [V pron-refl] He dropped a bottle in the kitchen and nicked himself on broken glass.
4 N‑COUNT A nick is a small cut made in the surface of something, usually in someone's skin. □ The barbed wire had left only the tiniest nick just below my right eye.
5 VERB If you are nicked by someone, they cheat you, for example by charging you too much money. [AM , INFORMAL ] □ [be V -ed] College students already are being nicked, but probably don't realize it.
6 PHRASE Nick is used in expressions such as ' in good nick ' or ' in bad nick ' to describe the physical condition of someone or something. [BRIT , INFORMAL ] □ His ribs were damaged, but other than that he's in good nick. □ Tom's house is actually in better nick than mine.
7 PHRASE If you say that something happens in the nick of time , you are emphasizing that it happens at the last possible moment. [EMPHASIS ] □ Seems we got here just in the nick of time.
nick|el /n I k ə l/ (nickels )
1 N‑UNCOUNT Nickel is a silver-coloured metal that is used in making steel.
2 N‑COUNT In the United States and Canada, a nickel is a coin worth five cents.
nick|name /n I kne I m/ (nicknames , nicknaming , nicknamed )
1 N‑COUNT A nickname is an informal name for someone or something. □ Red got his nickname for his red hair.
2 VERB If you nickname someone or something, you give them an informal name. □ [V n n] When he got older I nicknamed him Little Alf. □ [be V -ed n] Which newspaper was once nicknamed The Thunderer?
nico|tine /n I k I tiːn/ N‑UNCOUNT Nicotine is the substance in tobacco that people can become addicted to. □ Nicotine marks stained his chin and fingers.
niece /niː s/ (nieces ) N‑COUNT [oft poss N ] Someone's niece is the daughter of their sister or brother. □ …his niece from America, the daughter of his eldest sister.
nif|ty /n I fti/ (niftier , niftiest ) ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you describe something as nifty , you think it is neat and pleasing or cleverly done. [INFORMAL , APPROVAL ] □ Bridgeport was a pretty nifty place. □ It was a nifty arrangement, a perfect partnership.
Ni|gerian /na I dʒ I ə riən/ (Nigerians )
1 ADJ Nigerian means belonging or relating to Nigeria, its people, or its culture.
2 N‑COUNT A Nigerian is a Nigerian citizen, or a person of Nigerian origin.
nig|gard|ly /n I gə r dli/ ADJ If you describe someone as niggardly , you are criticizing them because they do not give or provide much of something. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ It seems a little niggardly not to include any photographs. □ …a niggardly supply of hot water.