nifty
adjective
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L24715 on Wikidata ↗Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈnɪfti/
adj
Etymology: From *nift + -y. First element is of unknown origin. Possibly theatrical slang, as a shortened, altered form of Magnificat. Alternatively, perhaps a special use of US regional niffed (“put off, peeved”).
- Good, smart; useful or beneficial, often in an impressively clever way.
“a nifty trick for reducing your household energy bill”
“The ‘bot makes this easier; scraping the NFL livescores page with some nifty Javascript,^([sic]) it tracks each game live for potential first-time scores; the most recent as of writing being the Chiefs beating the Texans 51-31. Not only that, but the ‘bot estimates the most likely possible scorigami scores of games in progress, keeping fans on tenterhooks until the final whistle is blown. Or is it a siren in NFL? Inquiring minds need to know.”
- Stylish.
“nifty gear”
“You look nifty in that jacket.”
noun
Etymology: From *nift + -y. First element is of unknown origin. Possibly theatrical slang, as a shortened, altered form of Magnificat. Alternatively, perhaps a special use of US regional niffed (“put off, peeved”).
- A possibly risqué comic story or anecdote.
“New subscribers are the life of our party (any advertiser will tell you that) just as the regular reader of CLIPPINGS becomes the life of any party (and why not with such a supply of “nifties” and bon mots).”
“Because some of the stories that the Sultana told are nifties, the plays are sometimes edited. This facilitates production and eliminates a lot of questions from the kids when they get home.”
- A trick.
“[…] Winfield Sheehan had pulled a nifty on the wise guys of Hollywood and the film colony in Southern California when he disappeared for a week with a print of Sunrise, the Murnau picture recently completed.”