NA
* na (nä/na) (colloq.): no >Neal? Na, don’t ask him.
NAB
— nab (nab) (vt) (colloq.): apprehend, arrest, capture >The cops nabbed him just before he was going to cross into Illinois.
NADA
— nada (nä´dä/nä´dә) (sl.): nothing >Ya know what I got outta that crummy deal? Nada, that’s what.
NADS
— nads (nadz) (sl., freq. vulg.): testicles >When he tried to grab her she kicked him right in the nads.
NAG
— nag (colloq.): racehorse (esp. seen as contemptible) >I can’t believe you bet fifty bucks on that nag.
NAIL
* nail1 (vt) (colloq.): arrest, catch, expose (esp. with proof of culpability) >The police have been trying to nail that drug dealer for years. >With what we know about Green’s dirty dealings, we can nail him whenever we want.
* nail2 (vt) (colloq.): strike, hit (esp. with quickness or accuracy) >She nailed him with a left jab. >He nailed the deer at two hundred yards.
— nail3 (vt) (sl.): complete perfectly, get exactly right >The gymnast nailed her landing. >He asked me a couple of tough questions in the interview, but I nailed ‘em.
— nail4 (vt) (vulg.): have sex with, sexually conquer >I’d like to nail that foxy chick!
— hit the nail on the head (see HIT)
— nail [s/one] to the wall (sl.): punish [s/one] severely, make [s/one] pay dearly (for a mistake or betrayal) >They’ll nail Stubby to the wall if they find out he’s been stealin’ from ‘em.
NAIL-BITER
— nail-biter (colloq.): very close contest (whose uncertain outcome causes nervousness), anxiety-causing situation >It was a real nail-biter, but our team finally won by one point.
NAKED
— (as) naked as a jaybird (colloq.): completely naked >He came to the door naked as a jaybird and about scared her to death.
NAM
* Nam (näm/nam) (colloq.): Vietnam (esp. in the context of the Vietnam War) >In 1966 he was drafted and sent to Nam.
NAME
— have [s/one’s] name on it/them (sl.): be destined for or especially appropriate for [s/one], be especially appealing to [s/one] >Watch out for that hoodlum—he’s got a bullet with your name on it. >Those boots have my name on ‘em—they’d look great on me.
— [for s/one’s] name [to] be mud (colloq.): [for s/one to] be despised or held in contempt, [for] people [to] be very angry with [s/one], [for s/one to] be in trouble >My name will be mud around here if I screw this up.
— name names (colloq.): identify (the guilty) by name, accuse specific persons >Are you just making vague accusations, or are you going to name names?
* the name of the game (colloq.): the essence, the important thing, the basic purpose, the hard reality >The name of the game in politics is keeping the important people happy.
* ... you name it (colloq.): ... and every other similar thing you can think of, ... et cetera >I can rent you a pick-up, a van, a sedan, you name it.
— what’s his/her name (see WHAT’S)
NARC
* narc (närk) (sl.): police officer or agent who enforces drug laws, narcotics detective >The narcs shut down a crack cocaine lab up in the mountains.
NARK
— nark (see “NARC”)
NATCH
— natch (sl.): naturally, of course >You’ll get your commission on the sale, natch.
NATIVE
— go native (colloq.): adopt the behavior of a place (one) has moved to or is visiting and identify with it (esp. a less economically developed place) >I hear Pratt went native over in Samoa and is going to marry a local girl.
NAW
* naw (nä) (colloq.): no, of course not >Naw, I wouldn’t do that.
NEANDERTHAL
— Neanderthal (nē an´dәr thôl´) (colloq.): unenlightened or reactionary person (also adj.) >You’ll never get those Neanderthals to go along with any new idea. >What’s that Neanderthal political group those ultraconservatives belong to?
NEAR
— damn near (see DAMN)
— dang near (see DANG)
— darn near (see DARN)
NEAT
* neat (sl.): wonderful, excellent >That was a neat idea—it saved us a lot of work. >What a neat skateboard!
NEATO
— neato (nē´tō) (sl.): wonderful, excellent (also interj.) >She got a real neato video game for her birthday. >Neato! We get outta school early today.
NECK
* neck (vi) (sl.): kiss and caress >Jimmy necked with his girlfriend behind the house.
— break [one’s] neck (see BREAK)
— breathing down [s/one’s] neck (see BREATHING)
— neck of the woods (colloq.): area, vicinity >I’ve never been in that neck of the woods.
— pain in the neck (see PAIN)
— risk [one’s] neck (see RISK)
— save [one’s, s/one’s] neck (see SAVE)
— stick [one’s] neck out (see STICK)
* up to [one’s] neck in (colloq.): having an abundance or excess of, very occupied with >Don’t give me any more paperwork because I’m up to my neck in it already. >How does Mort do it? He’s up to his neck in beautiful women!
NEED
— all [s/one] needs (see ALL)
— need [s/thing] like ([one] needs) a hole in the head (see HOLE)
— ought/need to have [one’s] head examined (see HEAD)
NEEDLE
* needle (vt) (colloq.): persistently nag, continually goad or tease >She finally needled him into fixing the window. >Will you stop needling me about my fat stomach?
— get the needle (sl.): be put to death by lethal injection >If they find him guilty he’ll get the needle.
NEIGHBORHOOD
* in the neighborhood of (colloq.): approximately, about (an amount) >That car would run you in the neighborhood of $40,000. >Its population is in the neighborhood of six million.
NERD
** nerd (nûrd) (sl.): socially contemptible or unattractive person, weird and dislikable person (esp. an intelligent person of unconventional behavior) >Can ya believe that nerd wants to join our fraternity?
— … nerd (sl): … devotee, dedicated and knowledgeable participant in … >He’s a commercial law nerd that knows the ins and outs of trade tariffs.
NERDY
* nerdy (nûr´dē) (sl.): socially contemptible or unattractive, weird and dislikable >You can come to the party, but don’t bring that nerdy friend of yours.
NERVE
** nerve (colloq.): audacity, impertinence, brashness >He’s got a lot of nerve asking Paula out after insulting her like that.
* hit/strike a (raw) nerve (with) (colloq.): say or do (s/thing) of uncomfortable sensitivity (for) >Jerome changed the subject when you brought up alcoholism—you must have hit a nerve with him. >She struck a raw nerve when she mentioned Terry’s ex-wife.
NERVY
— nervy (nûr´vē) (colloq.): audacious, impertinent, brash >That was a pretty nervy thing to say to the judge.
NETWORK
* network (vi) (colloq.): cultivate associations with people who may be helpful professionally >A lot of people went to the conference just to network.
NEVER
— [neg.] make no never mind (colloq.): does not matter, makes no difference >For this job, it don’t make no never mind if you got a college degree or not.
NEW
— a new one (on) (colloq.): a novelty (for), something unheard of or amazing (for) >A car with three-wheel drive? That’s a new one on me.
— (brand) spanking new (see SPANKING)
* new kid on the block (colloq.): person who is new to an organization or situation >You’re the new kid on the block, so take it easy till you learn your way around.
— rip/tear [s/one] a new asshole (see RIP)
— rip/tear [s/one] a new one (see RIP)
— (so) what else is new? (see WHAT)
NEWBIE
— newbie (nū´bē) (sl.): newcomer (to an activity or organization), rookie >It takes a while for the newbies to get the hang of things in our department.
NICE
* nice (sl.): sexually attractive (esp. a woman) >Oh, is she ever nice!
— make nice (colloq.): behave courteously (esp. when reluctantly) >Now you two stop arguing and make nice, will you?
** nice and (colloq.): quite, very (esp. regarding s/thing positive) >I like my steak nice and juicy. >The ice on the rink’s nice and hard.
— no more Mr. Nice Guy! (see MR.)
NICKEL
— on [one’s] (own) nickel (sl.): at [one’s] own expense >She can go on the trip if she really wants to, but not on my nickel. >He refurbished his office on his own nickel.
NICKEL-AND-DIME
* nickel-and-dime1 (colloq.): of little importance or value, insignificant >He started out with some nickel-and-dime T-shirt business, and now he owns six department stores.
* nickel-and-dime2 (vt) (colloq.): drain with continual small expenses, wear down with persistent trivialities or petty criticisms >We’re being nickeled-and-dimed out of business by all these extra expenses. >They’re nickeling-and-diming him with everything they can to try to get him to retire.
NIFTY
— nifty (nif´tē) (colloq.): stylish, attractive, good, clever >He drives a nifty car. >That was a nifty idea you had.
NIGGER
— nigger (nig´әr) (colloq., pej.): black person (also adj.) >The racist jerk still calls blacks niggers and says that he hates nigger music.
NIGHT
— call it a day/night (see CALL)
NIGHTCAP
— nightcap (colloq.): alcoholic drink taken late at night (as a last drink) >How about a nightcap before we hit the hay?
NIGHTIE
* nightie (nī´tē) (colloq.): nightgown >I bought her a pretty pink nightie for her birthday.
NIGHT OWL
* night owl (colloq.): person who habitually stays active late at night >June’s a real night owl—she never goes to bed before three in the morning.
NIGHTY
— nighty (see “NIGHTIE”)
NIGHTY-NIGHT
— nighty-night! (nī´tē nīt´) (colloq.): good night! >It’s my bedtime. Nighty-night, all!
NINE
* the whole nine yards (colloq.): all the way, to as complete an extent as possible or appropriate (esp. regarding a commitment) >Tim’s a real pal. He’ll go the whole nine yards for you.
NINE-TO-FIVE
** nine-to-five (colloq.): of regular workday hours, of a routine office job (esp. a dull one) >I’m getting sick of this nine-to-five stuff. >Gail wants more than just a nine-to-five job.
NIT-PICK
* nit-pick (nit´pik´) (vi, vt) (colloq.): focus on insignificant details (concerning), criticize or argue about trivial things (concerning) >Stop nit-picking and just give me your general impression of the essay. >I shouldn’t have asked him to look the proposal over because he nit-picked it to death.
NITTY-GRITTY
* the nitty-gritty (... nit´ē grit´ē) (sl.): the essence, the important details, the basics (also adj.) >Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty and talk about what’s really botherin’ ya. >This last part gives ya the nitty-gritty details of the whole proposal.
NITWIT
— nitwit (nit´wit´) (colloq.): foolish or stupid person >Don’t count on that nitwit doing it right.
NIX
— nix1 (niks) (sl.): no, that’s not acceptable >Borrow my car? Nix! >I asked her out to a movie, but she said nix.
— nix2 (vt) (sl.): veto, prohibit >I asked the boss to let me make the presentation, but he nixed it.
NO
— (be) no ... (see entry under ... noun)
— in less than no time (see LESS)
— in no time (flat) (see TIME)
— it’s no good ... (see GOOD)
— no can do (sl.): it cannot be done, I cannot allow it, it is impossible or prohibited >I know ya want it fixed by Thursday, but no can do. >Smoke by the gas pump? No can do!
— no sirree! (... sә rē´) (colloq.): in no way! absolutely not! >I ain’t going back to that lousy place again! No sirree!
NO-ACCOUNT
— no-account (colloq.): good-for-nothing person, undependable or irresponsible person (also adj.) >She married some no-account who left her after two months. >I don’t want any of your no-account friends around here.
NOBODY
* nobody (colloq.): unknown or insignificant person, person not given worth or dignity (cf. “SOMEBODY”) >I can’t believe they sent that nobody to deal with us. >Forget that clown! He’s a nobody.
NOBODY’S
— like nobody’s business (sl.): wholeheartedly, to the utmost degree, intensely >Our team was runnin’ the ball like nobody’s business!
* nobody’s home (sl.): (s/one) is crazy or mentally unbalanced >That guy’s just too weird. If ya ask me, nobody’s home there.
NO-BRAINER
— no-brainer (nō´brān´әr) (sl.): question with a very easy answer, problem with a very obvious solution >The capital of France? That’s a no-brainer. >If he stole from the company, he gets fired. It’s a no-brainer.
NOD
— the nod (colloq.): approval, indication of being selected >When the supervisor gives us the nod, we’ll get going on this. >Four people were being considered, but Jake finally got the nod.
NOGGIN
— noggin (nog´әn) (colloq.): (person’s) head >The ball hit him right on the noggin.
NO-GO
* be (a) no-go (sl.): be canceled, not be approved >The trip is a no-go because the airport is fogged in. >We just heard the project is no-go—they say it costs too much.
NO-GOOD
* no-good (colloq.): worthless, contemptible >That no-good brother of yours has been arrested again.
NOHOW
— [neg.] nohow (... nō´hou´) (sl.): under no circumstances, [neg.] anyway >I can’t get this stupid toaster to work nohow. >Why buy it? Ya ain’t gonna use it nohow.
NOISE
— noise (sl.): empty talk, meaningless complaining, bluster >Don’t give me none of your noise, ‘cause I ain’t gonna change my mind.
NO-NO
** no-no (colloq.): prohibited thing, ill-advised or forbidden action >Firearms are a no-no on airplanes. >Swimming right after eating is a no-no.
NOODLE
— noodle (sl.): (person’s) head, mind >You can figure it out if you’ll just use the old noodle.
NOOKIE
— nookie (see “NOOKY”)
NOOKY
— nooky1 (nŭk´ē) (vulg.): sexual intercourse (with a woman) (freq. used with some or any) >He says he hasn’t gotten any nooky for over a month.
— nooky2 (vulg., pej.): woman or women (seen as sex object[s]) >He says a lot of nice nooky showed up at the party.
NOPE
** nope (nōp) (sl.): no >Nope, I didn’t see a thing.
NORTH
— north of (colloq.): more than (a number or amount) (cf. “SOUTH of”) >A nice car like that’ll run you north of sixty grand.
NOSE
— be no skin off [s/one’s] nose (see SKIN)
— have [one’s] nose (all) out of joint (colloq.): be irritated or envious, feel offended or slighted >Don’t get your nose all out of joint—it’s nothing personal.
* keep [one’s] nose clean (colloq.): behave [oneself], stay out of trouble >He’d better keep his nose clean or he’ll end up back in prison.
— look down [one’s] nose at (see LOOK)
* nose around (vi) (colloq.): pry, investigate (without invitation) >Some private detective has been nosing around our warehouse.
— nose out (vt) (colloq.): defeat or prevail over by a narrow margin >He was pretty well qualified, but with her experience she nosed him out for the job.
* on the nose (colloq.): precisely, exactly >He guessed the number of books on the nose. >We got there at four on the nose.
— pay through the nose (see PAY)
— powder [one’s] nose (see POWDER)
— put [s/one’s] nose (all) out of joint (colloq.): irritate [s/one], make [s/one] envious or jealous, offend or slight [s/one] >It really put Charlie’s nose out of joint when they chose a new employee over him.
* (right) under [s/one’s] (very) nose (colloq.): in plain view of [s/one], where [s/one] should easily notice >The info he needs is right there under his nose. >I can’t believe Sanders flirted with the boss’s wife under his very nose.
— rub [s/one’s] nose in [s/thing] (see RUB)
— stick/poke [one’s] nose in(to) (see STICK)
— win/lose by a nose (colloq.): win/lose by a narrow margin >We lost the game by a nose, twenty to nineteen. >He just won by a nose, but at least he won.
NOSE JOB
* nose job (colloq.): plastic surgery to improve the appearance of the nose, rhinoplasty >Heather got a nose job last summer and looks a lot better.
NOSES
— count noses (see COUNT)
NOSEY
— nosey (see “NOSY”)
NO-SHOW
* no-show (colloq.): person who does not appear for an appointment or reservation (and who has not canceled it) >There are a few no-shows, so we’ll have some empty seats.
NOSY
** nosy (nō´zē) (colloq.): prying, intrusive, overly curious >What’s it to you? Don’t be so nosy!
NOT
— ... not! (stressed, after pause) (sl., sarc.): (emphatic negation of a statement in order to tease or express contempt) >Sure, I’ll take your sister to the dance ... not! >Yeah, he sings as good as Elvis ... not!
— not on your life! (see LIFE)
NOTCH
— a notch above/below (colloq.): a degree or level better/worse than, a grade superior/inferior to >This movie is a notch above the last one we saw.
NOTES
— swap notes (see SWAP)
‘NOTHER
— a whole ‘nother (see WHOLE)
NOTHING
— nothing (colloq.): worthless, insignificant, unpromising >I don’t want to stay in this nothing town all my life.
— here goes nothing! (see HERE)
* in nothing flat (colloq.): in a very short time, very quickly >I could eat that whole pie in nothing flat.
* nothing doing! (colloq.): absolutely not! (it) will not be permitted! >Me, get on that roller coaster? Nothing doing! >You want me to let you in without a ticket? Nothing doing!
— nothing to sneeze at (see SNEEZE)
* nothing to write home about (colloq.): something of little significance, nothing of special importance >I’ve been dating this guy, but he’s nothing to write home about.
NOTHINGS
— sweet nothings (see SWEET)
NOW
— now (colloq.): up-to-date, in style >These clothes are the now look.
* now you’re talking! (colloq.): finally you’re saying or doing s/thing preferable! that’s better! >Steak instead of wieners? Now you’re talking!
NOWHERE
— nowhere (sl.): futile, boring, inferior, useless >They transferred him to some nowhere town in South Dakota. >Why do ya hang around with those nowhere bums?
* get nowhere fast (sl.): make no progress at all >I gotta get a new tutor—I’m getting nowhere fast with this one.
— the middle of nowhere (see MIDDLE)
NO-WIN
* no-win (colloq.): incapable of rendering benefit or success, hopeless >Just get out of there—it’s a no-win situation for you.
NTH
— to the nth degree (… enth …) (colloq.): to the utmost degree, extremely >Dr. Owens is cautious to the nth degree when he’s dealing with psychotic patients.
NUCLEAR
— go nuclear (sl.): become violently furious, lose emotional control due to anger >The boss went nuclear when he found out I screwed up the contract.
NUDIE
— nudie (nū´dē/nyū´dē) (colloq.): featuring nudes >He sure buys a lot of nudie magazines.
NUKE
* nuke1 (nūk/nyūk) (colloq.): nuclear weapon >They don’t want nukes stored near their town.
— nuke2 (colloq.): nuclear reactor or power plant >What if one of those nukes has a meltdown?
* nuke3 (vt) (colloq.): destroy with nuclear weapons >Some idiot was yelling, “Nuke the bastards!”
— nuke4 (vt) (sl.): cook (in a microwave oven) >Just take it outta the freezer, nuke it ten minutes, and presto! Instant dinner.
NUMBER
— number1 (colloq.): attractive or sexy woman >Who was that cute number I saw you with last night?
— number2 (sl.): calculated act or story (to achieve a goal, esp. using deceit) >He gave me some number about his mother bein’ sick, but I didn’t believe it.
— A-number-one (see “A-NUMBER-ONE”)
* do a number on (sl.): deceive, mistreat, hurt >They really did a number on that old woman when they sold her that worthless land. >I did a number on my ankle playin’ football yesterday.
* have [s/one’s] number (colloq.): know [s/one’s] real intentions, know the hard truth about [s/one] >Tony thinks he’s fooling me, but I’ve got his number.
— ... number (colloq.): ... article, ... product, ... thing >How much is that red number in the window? >They’ve come out with a real snazzy number this year.
— [for s/one’s] number [to] be up (sl.): [for it to] be time [for s/one] to die or suffer ruin >When my number’s up, I wanna go fast.
NUMBER CRUNCHER
— number cruncher (colloq.): person or thing that does numerical calculations or processes numerical data (esp. in large quantities) (cf. “CRUNCH numbers”) >The new computer program he developed is a powerful number cruncher.
NUMBER ONE
* number one (colloq.): (one)self, (one’s) own interest or advantage >I always look out for number one, because who’s going to look out for me if I don’t?
* do/go number one (colloq.): urinate (used esp. with children) (cf. “do/go NUMBER TWO”) >Mom, Billy did number one in his pants!
NUMBERS
— (go) by the numbers (colloq.): (proceed) according to standard procedure, (act) following the rules or established steps >He’s in trouble because he wouldn’t go by the numbers. >We’re going to investigate this case by the numbers.
* the numbers (colloq.): the actual figures (esp. of money) >Give me the numbers for travel expenses last month.
NUMBER TWO
* do/go number two (colloq.): defecate (used esp. with children) (cf. “do/go NUMBER ONE”) >Daddy, find a toilet! I got to go number two real bad!
NUMERO UNO
* numero uno (nū´mә rō´ ū´nō) (sl.): (one)self, (one’s) own interest or advantage >Call me selfish, but I always take care of numero uno first.
NUMB-NUTS
— numb-nuts (num´nuts´) (vulg.): foolish or contemptible person (also voc.) >Who’s the numb-nuts that just spilled mustard all over his shirt? >Watch where you’re wavin’ that cigar, numb-nuts!
NUMBSKULL
— numbskull (colloq.): idiot, stupid person >What numbskull filed “Phillips” under “F”?
NURD
— nurd (see “NERD”)
NUT
** nut1 (sl.): silly or eccentric person, crazy person >The guy must be a nut to paint his house hot pink.
* nut2 (sl.): enthusiast, fanatic >He’s a nut about boat racin’. >My girl’s a movie nut—she sees everything that comes out.
— off [one’s] nut (sl.): crazy or very eccentric >He’s off his nut if he thinks that dumb idea will work.
— hard/tough nut to crack (colloq.): hard problem to solve, tough endeavor >Finding a way to get all this equipment up there by Friday is a tough nut to crack.
* tough nut (colloq.): stubborn person, person hard to deal with >I couldn’t get anywhere with old Wilkens—he’s a tough nut, all right.
— would give [one’s] left/right nut (see GIVE)
NUT CASE
— nut case (sl.): crazy person >Watch out for that weirdo. He’s a real nut case.
NUT HOUSE
* nut house (sl.): mental institution, psychiatric hospital >She went off the deep end and landed in the nut house.
NUT JOB
— nut job (sl.): crazy person >Some nut job’s out in the lobby screamin’ his head off.
NUTS
* nuts1 (vulg.): testicles >This cup protects your nuts durin’ a game.
** nuts2 (colloq.): crazy, eccentric >Caldwell’s nuts if he thinks I’ll go along with that weird scheme of his.
— freeze [one’s] balls/nuts off (see FREEZE)
— have [s/one] by the balls/nuts (see BALLS)
— nuts! (sl.): (interj. to express irritation, defiance, or disappointment) >Nuts! I lost again. >If they want me to pay more, I’ll tell ‘em “nuts”!
* nuts about/over (colloq.): liking very much, enthusiastic about, in love with >I’m nuts about jazz. >What a cute couple—they’re nuts over each other.
NUTS AND BOLTS
* nuts and bolts (colloq.): basic elements, practical aspects, fundamentals >The manager’s got to know the nuts and bolts of the entire operation.
NUTSO
— nutso (nut´sō) (sl.): crazy or eccentric person (also adj.) >Who’d believe anything that nutso says? >His nutso neighbor is out front screamin’ at the delivery man.
NUTTIER
— nuttier than a fruitcake (colloq.): very crazy, very eccentric >They ought to commit O’Brian—he’s nuttier than a fruitcake.
NUTTY
* nutty (sl.): crazy, eccentric, silly >Talbert’s kinda nutty, but he’s basically a good guy.
— (as) nutty as a fruitcake (colloq.): very crazy, very eccentric >The old gal’s as nutty as a fruitcake, but she’s harmless.
N-WORD
— the N-word (colloq.): “nigger” (a euphemism) >They took the N-word out of their edition of Huckleberry Finn.
NYMPHO
* nympho (nim´fō) (sl.): nymphomaniac >They say that woman with all the guys around her is a nympho.