[nervous prostration]{n.} An illness of the mind that makes you feel very tired, worried, and bored, and that often causes headaches, upset stomach, and other sickness. •/Aunt Jane said that taking care of us children all day was enough to give any woman nervous prostration./
[nest] See: FEATHER ONE’S NEST, STIR UP A HORNET’S NEST.
[nest egg]{n.} Savings set aside to be used in the future. •/Herb says he doesn’t have to worry about his old age because he has a nest egg in the bank./
[never] See: BETTER LATE THAN NEVER, IT NEVER RAINS BUT IT POURS, LIGHTNING NEVER STRIKES TWICE IN THE SAME PLACE.
[never mind]{v. phr.} Don’t trouble about it; don’t worry about it; forget it; skip it. — Usually used in speaking or when writing dialogue. •/Never mind preparing a picnic lunch; we’ll find a lunchstand when we get to the beach./ •/"What did you say?" "Oh, never mind."/ •/"What about money?" "Never mind that. I’ll take care of it."/
[never say die]{v. phr.} Don’t quit; don’t be discouraged. •/"Never say die!" John said, as he got on his feet and tried to ice skate again./
[new] See: TURN OVER A NEW LEAF.
[new blood]{n.} Something or someone that gives new life or vigor, fresh energy or power. •/New blood was brought into the company through appointment of younger men to important positions./
[new broom sweeps clean] A new person makes many changes. — A proverb. •/The new superintendent has changed many of the school rules. A new broom sweeps clean./
[Newcastle] See: CARRY COALS TO NEWCASTLE.
[new deal]{n.}, {informal} 1. A complete change; a fresh start. •/People had been on the job too long; a new deal was needed to get things out of the old bad habits./ 2. Another chance. •/The boy asked for a new deal after he had been punished for fighting in school./
[newfangled]{adj.} Newly invented or contrived; excessively complex. •/Dorothy felt that many newfangled gadgets in Kate’s all-electric kitchen weren’t really necessary./
[new leaf] See: TURN OVER A NEW LEAF.
[new lease on life]{n. phr.} A new chance to live; an improved manner of living. •/After his illness and his retirement, living in Hawaii was a new lease on life./
[new man]{n.} A person who has become very much better. •/Diet and exercise made a new man of him./
[new money]{n. phr.} People who have become rich recently. •/Since Bobby’s father invented a new computer component, Bobby and his family are new money./ Contrast: OLD MONEY.
[newshawk]{n.} A newspaper reporter. •/There are always a lot of newshawks following the president./
[next door]{adv.} or {adj.} 1. In or to the next house or apartment. •/He lived next door to me./ •/She telephoned next door to ask about John./ •/The house next door caught fire./ 2. Very close. — Used with "to". •/The sick man was next door to death./ •/Printing secrets about our country’s missiles is next door to treason./
[next to(1)]{adv.} Almost; nearly. •/It was next to impossible to believe that in a month the grass would be green and flowers would be blooming./ •/It was next to unthinkable that the boy would steal./
[next to(2)]{prep.} Just after; second to. •/Next to his family, baseball was his greatest love./ •/Next to pizza, Bob liked hamburger best./
[next to nothing]{n. phr.} Very little; almost nothing. •/They gave me next to nothing for my old car when I traded it in for a new one./ •/When he first started to work, Mr. Black earned next to nothing./
[nice Nelly(1)] or [nice Nellie] {n.}, {informal} Someone who acts too good to be true; a prude; a prig. •/We took him for a nice Nelly when he wouldn’t fight./
[nice Nelly(2)] or [nice Nellie] {adj.}, {informal} Too careful not to say or do anything wrong or improper; too proper; prudish. •/Her nice Nelly behavior made her unpopular at school./
[Nick] See: FULL OF THE OLD NICK.
[nick] See: IN THE NICK OF TIME.
[nigger in the woodpile]{n. phr.}, {slang} Something unexpected that changes a situation; a hidden factor or trick. — Racist and offensive, but commonly used in the past. •/I knew there had to be a nigger in the woodpile, because the man was being much too generous./ •/When the salesman gave him an extra tire for his bike, the boy suspected a nigger in the woodpile./
[night] See: FLY-BY-NIGHT, MAKE A NIGHT OF IT.
[night and day] See: DAY AND NIGHT.
[nightcap]{n.} A good-night drink; a drink taken just before bedtime. •/Let’s have a nightcap and then go to sleep./ •/Would you like to come up to my place for a nightcap?/
[night letter]{n.} A telegram sent at night at a cheaper rate and delivered in the morning. •/I waited until after six o’clock in the evening before sending the telegram home because I can say more for the same price in a night letter./
[night life]{n. phr.} Entertainment at night. •/People in the city are able to find more night life than those who live in the country./
[night owl]{n. phr.} One who sleeps during the day and stays up or works during the night. •/Tom hardly ever sleeps at night; he prefers to work by lamp light and has become a regular night owl./ Compare: GRAVEYARD SHIFT.
[nine] See: CAT HAS NINE LIVES, ON CLOUD NINE.
[nine-to-five job]{n. phr.} A typical office job that starts at 9 A.M. and ends at 5 P.M. with a one-hour lunch break at 12 noon or 1 P.M. •/We professors are not too well paid but I could never get used to a nine-to-five job./
[ninety] See: GAY NINETIES.
[nip and tuck]{adj. or adv.}, {informal} Evenly matched; hard fought to the finish. •/The game was nip and tuck until the last minute./ •/A was a nip and tuck race right to the finish line./ •/The two salesmen fought nip and tuck for the contract all the way./ Compare: NECK AND NECK.
[nip in the bud]{v. phr.} To check at the outset; prevent at the start; block or destroy in the beginning. •/The police nipped the plot in the bud./ •/The teacher nipped the disorder in the bud./
[no account(1)]{adj.} Of no importance. •/The lowly clerk’s opinion is of no account in this matter./
[no account(2)]{n. phr.} A person of low social station. •/Fred was first considered a no account but he soon proved himself to be a person of great ability./
[nobody] See: IT’S AN ILL WIND THAT BLOWS NOBODY GOOD.
[nobody home]{slang} 1. Your attention is somewhere else, not on what is being said or done here; you are absent-minded. •/The teacher asked him a question three times but he still looked out the window. She gave up, saying, "Nobody home."/ 2. You are feeble-minded or insane. •/He pointed to the woman, tapped his head, and said, "Nobody home."/
[nobody’s fool]{n. phr.} A smart person; a person who knows what he is doing; a person who can take care of himself. •/In the classroom and on the football field, Henry was nobody’s fool./ Contrast: BORN YESTERDAY.
[nod] See: LAND OF NOD.
[nodding acquaintance]{n.} Less than casual acquaintance. •/I have never spoken to the chancellor; we have only a nodding acquaintance./
[no deal] or [no dice] or [no go] or [no sale] or [no soap] {slang} Not agreed to; refused or useless; without success or result; no; certainly not. — Used in the predicate or to refuse something. •/Billy wanted to let Bob join the team, but I said that it was no deal because Bob was too young./ •/"Let me have a dollar." "No dice!" answered Joe./ •/I tried to get Mary on the telephone but it was no go./ •/"Let’s go to the beach tomorrow." "No sale, I have my music lesson tomorrow."/ •/I asked Dad for a new bicycle but it was no soap./ Compare: NOTHING DOING, NO USE.
[no doubt]{adv.} 1. Without doubt; doubtless; surely; certainly. •/No doubt Susan was the smartest girl in her class./ 2. Probably. •/John will no doubt telephone us if he comes to town./
[no end]{adv.}, {informal} 1. Very much; exceedingly. •/Jim was no end upset because he couldn’t go swimming./ 2. Almost without stopping; continually. •/The baby cried no end./
[no end to] or {informal} [no end of] So many, or so much of, as to seem almost endless; very many or very much. •/There was no end to the letters pouring into the post office./ •/Bob and Dick became close friends and had no end of fun together./
[no frills]{n. phr.} A firm or product that offers no extras; a generic product that carries no expensive label. •/We went on a no frills trip to Europe with few luxuries./
[noggin] See: USE ONE’S HEAD or USE ONE’S NOGGIN.
[no go] See: NO DEAL.
[no good]{adj. phr.} Not satisfactory; not adequate; not approved. •/"That’s no good," I told him when he began to cry./ •/He was no good at arithmetic./ •/He tried appealing to the man’s pride, but it did no good./
[no great shakes]{adj.}, {informal} Mediocre; unimportant. •/Joe Wilson is no great shakes./
[no hard feelings]{n. phr.} A lack of resentment or anger; a state of peace and forgiveness. •/"No hard feelings," he said. "You should feel free to make constructive criticism any time."/
[no kidding]{n. phr.} Without jokes or teasing; honestly spoken. •/"You actually won the lottery?" Dick asked. "No kidding," Joe replied. "I really did."/
[no longer]{adv.} Not any more; not at the present time. •/He could no longer be trusted and they had to let him go./ •/The shore was no longer in sight./
[no love lost]{n. phr.} Bad feeling; ill will. •/Bob and Dick both wanted to be elected captain of the team, and there was no love lost between them./ •/There was no love lost between the sales and the accounting departments./
[no matter] 1. Not anything important. •/I wanted to see him before he left but it’s no matter./ 2. It makes no difference; regardless of. •/She was going to be a singer no matter what difficulties she met./ •/He had to get the car fixed no matter how much it cost./ •/No matter what you try to do, it is important to be able to speak well./ •/You can’t go in no matter who you are./ •/Mary wanted to get to school on time, no matter if she went without breakfast./
[no matter what]{adv. phr.} Under any circumstances. •/We will go to Europe this summer, no matter what./ •/Charles had decided to go to the football game and he felt he must go no matter what./ Compare: COME HELL OR HIGH WATER.
[nonce] See: FOR THE TIME BEING also FOR THE NONCE.
[none] See: HALF A LOAF IS BETTER THAN NONE, HAVE NONE OF.
[none too]{adv.} Not very; not at all. •/The doctor arrived none too soon as Lucy’s fever was alarmingly high./
[nonsense] See: STUFF AND NONSENSE.
[nonstarter]{n.} An idea, plan, or project that doesn’t work or is obviously no good. •/His plan to start a new private school is a nonstarter because he is unable to organize anything./
[noodle] See: USE ONE’S HEAD or USE ONE’S NOODLE.
[no picnic]{n. phr.} Something arduous; something that requires great effort to accomplish. •/It is no picnic to climb Mount Everest./ Contrast: A PIECE OF CAKE, A CINCH, EASY AS APPLE PIE.
[nor] See: NEITHER FISH NOR FOWL, NEITHER HERE NOR THERE, NEITHER HIDE NOR HAIR.
[no sale] See: NO DEAL.
