General
nip
What does nip mean?
As a verb, to cut a purse or to snatch something quickly; later loosely 'to nip' anything.
"He nipped the bung clean away and was gone into the press of bodies."
Origin
Recorded in 16th-century canting literature including Robert Greene's coney-catching pamphlets (c.1591) and Harman (1566); 'nip' and 'foist' were the two halves of the purse-cutting craft. 'Bung' was the cant word for the purse itself.
Frequently asked questions
What does nip mean in thieves' cant?
A cutpurse — a thief who cut the strings of a belt-worn purse, documented in Greene's coney-catching pamphlets and Harman.
What is the difference between a nip and a foist?
A nip cut the purse away with a blade; a foist picked it by hand. Both worked the same crowds.
Where does nip come from?
From the action of 'nipping' (cutting) the purse-strings, attested in Elizabethan rogue pamphlets of the 1590s.
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