nip tuck

Meanings

1. 1noununcountableinformal

   Small cosmetic surgical procedures, such as tightening skin, done to make someone look younger or more attractive.

   Grammar: Often used with 'a bit of' or 'some': she had some nip tuck.

   Patterns

   • have some nip tuck
   • a bit of nip tuck

   She admitted to having a little nip tuck around her eyes.

   The magazine joked about which stars had visited the nip tuck clinic.

   He said a nip tuck would not fix how he really felt about himself.

2. 2adjectivebefore a nouninformalAmerican

   Very close, with neither side clearly ahead, especially in a race or contest.

   Grammar: Usually written 'nip and tuck' and used after be: the race was nip and tuck.

   Patterns

   • be nip tuck

   The election was nip tuck until the last few votes were counted.

   It was nip tuck between the two runners all the way to the line.

Common combinations

a nip tuck job

Everyone suspected she'd had a nip tuck job.

nip tuck surgery

Nip tuck surgery is more common than many people admit.

nip tuck procedure

The nip tuck procedure took under an hour.

nip and tuck race

It was a nip and tuck race to the finish.

nip and tuck contest

The nip and tuck contest kept fans on their feet.

Synonyms and how they differ

cosmetic surgery

Cosmetic surgery is the neutral, standard term, while nip tuck is casual and often a bit teasing.

facelift

A facelift is one specific procedure for the face, whereas nip tuck covers many small procedures.

neck and neck

Neck and neck is the most common phrase for a close contest, while nip and tuck is slightly more old-fashioned.

Opposites

Word family

nip verb

to pinch or cut off a small amount

tuck verb

to fold or push something into a tidy position

tummy tuck noun

surgery to remove loose skin from the stomach

Commonly confused: nip tuck or neck and neck?

Practice

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