nick

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
nick1

▶noun

• 1 a small cut or notch.

• 2 (the nick) Brit. informal prison.

  ■ a police station.

• 3 the junction between the floor and side walls in a squash court.

▶verb

• 1 make a nick or nicks in.

• 2 Brit. informal steal (something).

  ■ (nick someone for) N. Amer. informal cheat someone of.

• 3 Brit. informal arrest (someone).

– phrases
in —— nick Brit. informal in a specified condition.
in the nick of time only just in time.

– origin ME: of unknown origin.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
nick2

▶verb Austral./NZ informal go quickly or surreptitiously.

■ (nick off) depart; go away.

– origin C19: prob. a figurative use of nick1 in the sense ‘to steal’.