999 /na I n na I n na I n/ NUM 999 is the number that you call in Britain in order to contact the emergency services. □ …a fire engine answering a 999 call. □ She dialled 999 on her mobile.
nine|pins /na I np I nz/ PHRASE If you say that people or things are going down like ninepins , you mean that large numbers of them are suddenly becoming ill, collapsing, or doing very badly. [mainly BRIT ] □ There was a time when Liverpool players never seemed to get injured, but now they are going down like ninepins.
nine|teen ◆◆◆ /na I ntiː n/ (nineteens ) NUM Nineteen is the number 19. □ They have nineteen days to make up their minds.
nine|teenth ◆◆◇ /na I ntiː nθ/
1 ORD The nineteenth item in a series is the one that you count as number nineteen. □ …my nineteenth birthday. □ …the nineteenth century.
2 FRACTION A nineteenth is one of nineteen equal parts of something.
nine|ti|eth ◆◆◇ /na I ntiəθ/ ORD The ninetieth item in a series is the one that you count as number ninety. □ He celebrates his ninetieth birthday on Friday.
nine|ty ◆◆◆ /na I nti/ (nineties )
1 NUM Ninety is the number 90. □ It was decided she had to stay another ninety days.
2 N‑PLURAL When you talk about the nineties , you are referring to numbers between 90 and 99. For example, if you are in your nineties , you are aged between 90 and 99. If the temperature is in the nineties , the temperature is between 90 and 99 degrees. □ By this time she was in her nineties and needed help more and more frequently.
3 N‑PLURAL The nineties is the decade between 1990 and 1999. □ These trends only got worse as we moved into the nineties.
nin|ny /n I ni/ (ninnies ) N‑COUNT If you refer to someone as a ninny , you think that they are foolish or silly. [INFORMAL , OLD-FASHIONED , DISAPPROVAL ]
ninth ◆◆◇ /na I nθ/ (ninths )
1 ORD The ninth item in a series is the one that you count as number nine. □ …January the ninth. □ …students in the ninth grade. □ …ninth century illustrated manuscripts.
2 FRACTION A ninth is one of nine equal parts of something. □ I would be happy to do that job for a ninth of her salary.
nip /n I p/ (nips , nipping , nipped )
1 VERB [no passive] If you nip somewhere, usually somewhere nearby, you go there quickly or for a short time. [BRIT , INFORMAL ] □ [V adv/prep] Should I nip out and get some groceries?
2 VERB If an animal or person nips you, they bite you lightly or squeeze a piece of your skin between their finger and thumb. □ [V n] I have known cases where dogs have nipped babies. [Also V at n, V ] ● N‑COUNT Nip is also a noun. □ Some ants can give you a nasty nip.
3 N‑COUNT A nip is a small amount of a strong alcoholic drink. □ [+ from ] She had a habit of taking an occasional nip from a flask of cognac.
4 to nip something in the bud → see bud
nip|per /n I pə r / (nippers ) N‑COUNT A nipper is a child. [BRIT , INFORMAL ] □ I'm not ever going to forget what you've done for the nippers.
nip|ple /n I p ə l/ (nipples )
1 N‑COUNT The nipples on someone's body are the two small pieces of slightly hard flesh on their chest. Babies suck milk from their mothers' breasts through their mothers' nipples. □ Sore nipples can inhibit the milk supply.
2 N‑COUNT A nipple is a piece of rubber or plastic which is fitted to the top of a baby's bottle. □ …a white plastic bottle with a rubber nipple.
nip|py /n I pi/
1 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If the weather is nippy , it is rather cold. [INFORMAL ] □ It could get suddenly nippy in the evenings.
2 ADJ If you describe something or someone as nippy , you mean that they can move very quickly over short distances. [BRIT , INFORMAL ] □ This nippy new car has fold down rear seats.
niqab /n I kɑː b/ (niqabs ) N‑COUNT A niqab is a piece of cloth that some Muslim women wear covering their face apart from their eyes.
nir|va|na /n I ə r vɑː nə, nɜː r -/
1 N‑UNCOUNT In the Hindu and Buddhist religions, Nirvana is the highest spiritual state that can possibly be achieved. □ Entering the realm of Nirvana is only possible for those who have become pure.
2 N‑UNCOUNT People sometimes refer to a state of complete happiness and peace as nirvana . □ Many businessmen think that a world where relative prices never varied would be nirvana.
Nissen hut /n I s ə n hʌt/ (Nissen huts ) N‑COUNT A Nissen hut is a military hut made of metal. The walls and roof form the shape of a semi-circle. [BRIT ] in AM, use Quonset hut
nit /n I t/ (nits )
1 N‑PLURAL Nits are the eggs of insects called lice which live in people's hair.
2 N‑COUNT If you refer to someone as a nit , you think they are stupid or silly. [BRIT , INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ I'd rather leave the business than work with such a nit.
nit|pick /n I tp I k/ (nitpicks , nitpicking , nitpicked ) VERB If someone nitpicks , they criticize small and unimportant details. [INFORMAL ] □ I looked hard for items to nitpick about, and couldn't find any. Altogether a great car.
nit|pick|ing /n I tp I k I ŋ/ also nit-picking N‑UNCOUNT If you refer to someone's opinion as nitpicking , you disapprove of the fact that it concentrates on small and unimportant details, especially to try and find fault with something. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ A lot of nit-picking was going on about irrelevant things. □ I can get down to nitpicking detail, I am pretty fussy about certain things.