nipping
part of speech
verb form (present participle of nip: nip, nips, nipped, nipping)
meaning for a pupil
1) Giving a quick, small bite or pinch. tree →
2) (of cold) Biting or stinging, as in "a nipping wind". tree →
3) (UK, Ireland, Australia, NZ, informal) Going somewhere quickly for a short time, as in "nipping out to the shop". tree →
4) (with "in the bud") Stopping something before it grows bigger. tree →
sense in the lessons
Everyday: a puppy nipping fingers, a crab nipping toes; in British talk, "I'm just nipping to the loo". In stories, a nipping wind or frost tells the reader it is very cold. Phrases: "nip out", "nip in the bud", "nip and tuck" (very close, in a race).
examples
- The puppy keeps nipping at my socks. tree →
- I'm just nipping out to the corner shop. (UK) tree →
- A crab was nipping at his toe. tree →
- The nipping wind made our ears red. tree →
- Mum is nipping to the post office, back in five minutes. tree →
- Stop the teasing now and nip it in the bud. tree →
- The frost was nipping the young plants. tree →
note
Spelling: double p before -ing and -ed (nip, nipping, nipped). Related adjective "nippy" (UK: cold, chilly; also quick). Not the same as "napping" (sleeping briefly).
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «nipping» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.