Nice
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That's a nice way to welcome your aunt, staring at the television! 5 have a nice day especially AmE a phrase used when saying goodbye to someone during the day, especially by people in shops, restaurants etc to their customers. 6 nice ..., pity/shame about the ... infml humor a phrase used when saying that a person or thing has something that is good, but is spoilt by something that is bad: nice face, shame about the body | nice cinema, shame about the film 7 nice and ... infml (used before adjectives and adverbs to give a favourable meaning): The soup is nice and hot. | I didn't like the speech, but at least it was nice and short. —ness n [U]
Nice is very commonly used in speech, but in formal writing it is better to avoid it, and to use amusing, beautiful, interesting etc, according to the meaning.
Nice /ni:s/ a city on the Mediterranean coast of France, famous as a fashionable place for tourists to stay, and also a port and industrial area
Nice-but-Dim, Tim /ˌnaɪs bət ˈdɪm, tɪm/ a humorous character invented by Harry ENFIELD for his British television programme. He is a typical example of an English 'upper-class twit' (=a pleasant but very stupid young man from a high social class).
nice-ly /'naɪsli/ adv 1 well; in a good, pleasant, kind, or skilful way: to smile nicely | The injured man is doing nicely (=his condition is all right) in hospital. 2 exactly; delicately: a nicely calculated distance
ni-ce-ty /'naɪsəti/ n 1 [U] the quality of being NICE; delicateness 2 [C usually pl.] a fine or delicate point or difference; detail: Let's answer the question in general; we haven't time to consider all the niceties. 3 BrE to a nicety exactly: She calculated the amount to a nicety.
niche¹ /nɪtʃ, ni:ʃlɪntʃ/ n 1 a hollow place in a wall, usually made to hold a piece of art such as a BUST or STATUE 2 [(in)] a suitable place, job etc: He's found a niche (for himself) in the book trade.
niche
niche² n (of a product or a company) aimed at a particular group of people: a niche travel operator
Nich-o-las, St /'nɪkələs/ a Christian BISHOP (=high-ranking priest) who lived in western ASIA in the 4th century AD. He became connected with the custom of giving gifts to children either at CHRISTMAS (=in countries such as the UK and the US), or on the night before his SAINT'S DAY (December 6th) (=in other countries such as the Netherlands). The imaginary character SANTA CLAUS is based on stories about him. He is also the PATRON SAINT of Russia.
Nicholas II /ˌnɪkələs ðə sekənd/ (1868–1918) the Tsar (=ruler) of Russia from 1894 to 1917. His opposition to change led to the Revolution of 1905 and eventually to the RUSSIAN REVOLUTION of 1917, in which he was forced to ABDICATE (=give up his position). He and his family were shot in 1918.
→ see also RASPUTIN
Nich-ols, Mike /'nɪkəlz/ (1931–) an American film and theatre DIRECTOR and PRODUCER who was born in Germany. His films include Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Remains of the Day, and Primary Colors. He won an Oscar as Best Director for The Graduate.
Nich-ol-son, Jack /'nɪkəlsən/ (1937–) a US film actor, known especially for appearing as characters who are crazy or dangerous. He won three Oscars, for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), Terms of Endearment (1983), and As Good as it Gets (1997). His other films include Easy Rider, Chinatown, and The Shining.
nick¹ /nɪk/ n 1 [C] a small often accidental cut in a surface or edge 2 [the] BrE infml prison or police station: ten years in the nick 3 in the nick of time just in time; at the necessary moment: I saw the baby was about to fall off and I caught it just in the nick of time.
nick² v [T] 1 to cut a nick in: A bullet nicked his leg. 2 infml, especially BrE to steal: Someone's nicked my bicycle. 3 BrE slang for ARREST: The police nicked him for stealing my bicycle. 4 [(for)] infml, especially AmE to charge too much: They nicked me for $30 just to have my hair cut!
nick³ n [U] BrE slang a stated physical condition; SHAPE: The doctor says my heart is still in good nick. | The house is in excellent nick. (=in very good repair)
nick-el¹ /'nɪkəl/ n 1 [U] a hard silver-white metal that is a simple substance (ELEMENT) and is used in the production of other metals 2 [C] a coin of the US or Canada worth five cents → compare CENT 3 nickel-and-dime (someone or something) AmE to behave in a way that is not generous and that shows you think too much about unimportant things, especially small amounts of money: Every day I have to start out by listening to a bunch of complaints and emotional nickel-and-diming. I'm sick of it!
nick-el² also ,nickel-'plate v -ll- BrE || -l- AmE [T] to put a thin surface of nickel over: nickelled/nickel-plated steel
,nickel-and-'dime adj AmE unimportant; not involving much money: a nickel-and-dime operation/theory
Nick-el-o-de-on /ˌnɪkəˈləʊdiən/ trademark a CABLE television station which shows programmes especially for children, including CARTOONS and SITCOMS
Nick·laus, Jack /'nɪklɔːs/ (1940–) a US GOLFER who has won more important international competitions than any other player, including the BRITISH OPEN (three times), the US OPEN (four times), and the US MASTERS TOURNAMENT (six times). He is also known for designing GOLF COURSES.
nick-nack /'nɪknæk/ n infml a KNICK-KNACK
nick-name /'nɪknem/ n a name used informally instead of a person's own name, usually a short form of the actual name or a name connected with one's character or history. Nicknames are often given at school to annoy or upset other children, and many last into adult life. —nickname v [T+obj+n] They nicknamed him 'Lofty' because he was so tall.
Nic-o-si-a /ˌnɪkəˈsiːə/ the capital city of Cyprus, whose industries include leather goods, POTTERY, and TEXTILES. The city has many old buildings and walls from the time when it was ruled by Venice in the 15th and 16th centuries.
nic-o-tine /'nɪkətiːn/ n [U] a poisonous chemical which provides the taste and effect of tobacco
'nicotine ,patch n a small piece of a material containing nicotine which is stuck onto the skin of a person who wants to give up smoking. The nicotine gradually gets into their blood through their skin, so that they do not need to smoke to get it.
niece /ni:s/ n 1 the daughter of one's brother or sister 2 the daughter of one's wife's or husband's brother or sister → compare NEPHEW
Niel-sen, Les-lie /'ni:lsən, 'lezli/ (1926–) a Canadian actor who has worked in the US for many years. He has performed in many serious parts, but he is especially known for acting in the COMEDY film Airplane and The Naked Gun series of comedy films.
Niel-sen Rat-ings, the /'ni:lsən ˌreɪtɪŋz/ also the Nielsens trademark a system used to show how many people watch a particular US television programme, using information provided by Nielsen Media Research. The Nielsen Ratings are used to decide how much companies will have to pay to advertise their products during a particular programme, and they also help television companies to decide which shows should continue.
Nietz-sche, Fried-rich /'ni:tʃə, 'fri:drik, -ɪx/ (1844–1900) a German PHILOSOPHER whose most famous books are Thus Spake Zarathustra and The Antichrist. He wrote that 'God is dead', meaning that people no longer had to accept the values of the Christian religion. He believed that a new type of person would exist, the 'Übermensch' or SUPERMAN, who would be free to follow his own moral principles. The idea of the superman was later used incorrectly by the NAZIS to support their belief that German people were better than people of other races. —Nietzschean /'ni:tʃiən/ adj
niff /nɪf/ n [S] BrE infml a bad smell →-y adj
nif-ty /'nɪfti/ adj infml very good, attractive, or effective: a nifty little gadget for squeezing oranges
Ni-ger /'naɪdʒə, ni:'ʒeəl'naɪdʒər/ 1 the Niger the third longest river in Africa, flowing through Mali, Niger, and