| 词汇 | a nip and tuck |
| 释义 | Idiom a nip and tucka nip and (a) tuck 1. a medical operation to improve the appearance of your face. I don't think you could look like that at her age without a little nip and tuck. 2. small changes or reductions made in order to improve something. A nip and a tuck in their household budget would give them the extra money they need. nip and tuck1. noun A cosmetic surgery procedure, often (but not always) one performed on the face. Many women consider getting a nip and tuck as they age, but I think my wrinkles make me look distinguished. 2. noun A minor change to improve something, often the appearance of something. The house just needs a little nip and tuck before it is ready to go up for sale. 3. adjective Of a contest or competition, having a very close margin between the competitors. This race has been nip and tuck, and we won't know who has won until the final vote is counted. 4. adverb Very closely competing; head-to-head. The two teams went nip and tuck down to the final seconds of the game. nip and tuckFig. almost even; almost tied. The horses ran nip and tuck for the first half of the race. Then my horse pulled ahead. In the football game last Saturday, both teams were nip and tuck throughout the game. nip and tuckVery close so that the advantage or lead of competitors keeps shifting, as in It was nip and tuck whether they would deal with the bill before Congress adjourned. The precise allusion in this term has been lost. [Early 1800s] Also see neck and neck. nip and tuckINFORMALIn a competition or contest, if it is nip and tuck, it is impossible to say who will win because both sides are performing equally well. It was nip and tuck throughout as the players struck the ball with equal passion. It was nip-and-tuck from start to finish. Note: One explanation for this expression is that it comes from sword-fighting, where a `nip' is a light touch and a `tuck' a heavier blow. Another is that it comes from horse racing, where it means the same as `neck and neck'. nip and tuckvery closely contested; neck and neck.The phrase, which emerged in the US in the 19th century, probably came from the field of sewing or tailoring. 2002 Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society The rough and tumble Senate race is generally regarded as nip and tuck, likely to be decided by a close margin nip and tuck mod. so close as to be almost the same; neck and neck. They ran nip and tuck all the way to the finish line, but Tom won the race. nip and tuckA very close contest. The ultimate source of this phrase has been lost, but it appears to have originated in nineteenth-century America. An early example is, “It will be like the old bitch and the rabbit, nip and tack [sic] every jump” (Quarter Race in Kentucky, 1836). It is used in the same way as neck and neck. |
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