0                  That’s a nice way to speak to your mother!

► SMALL DETAILS i'j 5 {formal) involving a very small detail or difference it 07        HE] subtle: a

nice point of law (= one that is difficult to decide)

► niceness noun [U]: In some professions, niceness does not get you very far.    AS H 7 7 A

^ o ITSTB1 as nice as 'pie (informal) very kind and friendly, especially when you are not expecting it 7 # Mitt#}, fll# S.W (        ) have a nice'day!

{informal, especially NAmE) a friendly way of saying goodbye, especially to customers (   )

'nice one! {BrE, informal) used to show you are pleased when sth good has happened or sb has said sth amusing A#? 7; if MT: You got the job? Nice one! # ? A£?7o nice 'work! (informal, espe­cially BrE) used to show you are pleased when sb has done sth well 71# if: You did a good job today. Nice work, James/#7X7#7Ih0 £F#07 nice

work if you can 'get it {informal) used when you wish that you had sb’s success or good luck and think they have achieved it with little effort (       i[it

m ) m&wmmjimtfj — more at Mr .nice-'looking adj. attractive #f ft ; A'®?! A W : What a nice-looking young man! ^])it! nice ly 0“w /'naisli/ adv.

1                  in an attractive or acceptable way; well A Bg. 3 IA ;

4’AiSife; 7 AltXi;        The room was nicely

furnished, jft jA |b] 7 2 i# fll 0 it 0    0 The plants are

coming along nicely (= growing well).     [§. £7

2                  in a kind, friendly or polite way fn # ife;     A

itfjfa; A$L£fti&: If you ask her nicely she might say yes.

life III Ml±L#7|n];t07 3 {formal) carefully; exactly       His novels nicely describe life

in Britain between the wars, #0VM#ifflS:iftj:$;i£7 W& EISI do nicely 1 to be making good progress 1ft It Of: Her new business is doing very nicely.        2 to be accept­

able 7A$il£: Tomorrow at ten will do nicely (= will be a good time). BJX±77/?;J7aifL ni-cety /'naisati/ noun {pi. -ies) {formal) 1 [C, usually pi.] the small details or points of difference, especially concerning the correct way of behaving or of doing things fj ; ^HitWIt#1] 2 [U] {formal) the quality of being very detailed or careful about sth #8; Tgfit;

3?;    the nicety of his argument

^ cm PRECISION

niche /ni:J; nitj; NAmE ratj; ni:J7 noun 1 a comfortable or suitable role, job, way of life, etc. §fiIl&#A0ijX# (     7      ^ ) : He eventually found his niche in sports

journalism, ift Js # £ W W fr ft R & I'J 7 S $ 0<J X # c 2 (business jSf) an opportunity to sell a particular product to a particular group of people ( A' qq 0ft > (§J til;     They spotted a niche in the market, with

no serious competition. ftMll A f'J X ^ X — 7      7 7 $(

iMtilo 0 a niche market X7M®0ftXi// 0 the develop­ment of niche marketing (= aiming products at particular groups) ft/^$¥#^Aqq#$SXA 3 a small hollow place, especially in a wall to contain a statue, etc., or in the side of a hill H#;        ( ill# ) Pflift 0*JifeA

HE1 nook 4 {biology X) the conditions of its environ­ment within which a particular type of living thing can live successfully        ( —774^ X 7^01) fll77{v )

nick /mk/ noun, verb

■                  noun 1 the nick [sing.] {BrE, slang) a prison or a police

station      : He’ll end up in the nick. #7$*

llllf o 2 a small cut in the edge or surface of sth ^ P ; A'JiS fT»T771 in good, etc. 'nick {BrE, informal) in good, etc. condition or health     ( % ) ;

( % ) in the ,nick of 'time (informal) at the very last moment; just in time before sth bad happens

M;     ttftfcHSS

■                  verb 1 [VN] to make a small cut in sth A • • • X M M ill; #

A ftk P ; # A®#7 He nicked himself while shaving. #, S!)     7 fJ 7 7 P 7 o 2 [VN] ~ sth (from sb/sth) {BrE,

informal) to steal sth ift ^ ; §i ^ HE! pinch : Who nicked my pen? #.fiu:773£0^ft*l'l;? 3 [VN] ~ sb (for sth) {BrE, informal) to arrest sb for committing a crime ii

| 1349

M; You’re nicked! #ft£ffl7! 4 [V +adv./prep.] {AustralE, NZE, informal) to go somewhere quickly 7MA (  )

nickel /’mkl/ noun 1 [U] {symb Ni) a chemical element. Nickel is a hard silver-white metal used in making some types of steel and other alloys. 2 [C] a coin of the US and Canada worth 5 cents (HSXljJP#A^J) 5

Km

nickel-and- dime adj. {NAmE, informal) involving only a small amount of money; not important HI?M^07

■«7&atW

nicker /’nika(r)/ noun {pi. nicker) {BrE, slang) a pound (in money) ( — )

nick-name /‘mkneim/ noun, verb • noun an informal, often humorous, name for a person that is connected with their real name, their person­ality or appearance, or with sth they have done

*H§-

3                  verb [VN-N] [often passive] to give a nickname to sb/sth

tq       She was nicknamed ‘The Ice Queen’. Mlh

fa\\ “#±7f§” o

nico tine /'mkatirn/ noun [U] a poisonous substance in tobacco that people become addicted to, so that it is difficult to stop smoking jg AT; nico tin ic acid /.mkatinik ‘aesid/ noun [u] = niacin niece o-w /nils/ noun

the daughter of your brother or sister; the daughter of your husband’s or wife’s brother or sister # ic ; % ic — compare nephew

nifty /'nrfti/ adj. {informal) 1 skilful and accurate AS*5 W W: There’s some nifty guitar work on his latest CD.

2 practical; working well ^; JUffL (!tfj H771 handy : a nifty little gadget for slicing cucumbers A X 715

X*

niggard ly /'mgadli; NAmE -gard-/ adj. (formal, disap­proving) 1 unwilling to be generous with money, time, etc.  /JvHftJ; 7A®6^ HE] mean 2 (of a gift

or an amount of money A qq SsJt ^ %£) not worth much and given unwillingly 7 H ^  ® H JL ; 7^6^

H771 MISERY

nig-ger /'mga(r)/ noun {taboo, slang) a very offensive word for a black person ( nig gle /'mgl/ noun, verb

m noun 1 {BrE) a small criticism or complaint $£ l$ ftfc if;   2 a slight feeling, such as worry, doubt, etc.

that does not go away —) : a niggle of doubt — M W 7 A 1$ ft 3 a slight pain it #  : He gets the occasional niggle in his right

shoulder.

4                  verb 1 ~ (at sb) to irritate or annoy sb slightly; to make

sb slightly worried  HE! bother: [V]

A doubt niggled at her.       o[VN that]

{BrE) It niggled him that she had not phoned back.

0 [VN] {BrE) Something was niggling her. M A M, M A ^ JL» 2 [V] ~ (about/ over sth) | ~ (at sb) (for sth) (BrE) to argue about sth unimportant; to criticize sb for sth that is not important »J HE] quibble

nig-gling /'mglirj/ (also less frequent nig-gly /-li/) adj. 1 used to describe a slight feeling of worry or pain that does not go away ( 7fEfiiP7'‘®r ) MAPI), 07 She had niggling doubts about their relationship,

A it If 107A 1^7   M iM o o a series of niggling injuries

2 not important 716^07 ^[7>£il 0^1: niggling details Alt 57 frxJ A7 HE1 petty nigh /nai/ adv. 1 - on (old-fashioned) almost; nearly JL 7; It 7 ^: They’ve lived in that house for nigh on 30 years. M]£3P0fJfc7Mft7HE7£ 30 ^70 — see also well-nigh 2 (old use or literary) near HX; ift: Winter was drawing nigh. 7 Aft I'J 7 0 night On /nait/ noun [U, C]

1 the time between one day and the next when it is dark, when people usually sleep     : These

animals only come out at night.

o They sleep by day and hunt by night. (Ml     ,

® lit 0 O The accident happened on Friday night.