In the nick of time means at the very last moment, a second before it would have been too late. The expression is always about succeeding: catching the train, handing in the work, saving the situation. It's often strengthened with just: just in the nick of time.
When would you say in the nick of time?
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(just) in the nick of time; arrive/escape/finish + in the nick of time
- We reached the platform in the nick of time, seconds before the doors closed.
- The firefighters arrived just in the nick of time and saved the old house.
- I submitted my essay in the nick of time, at 11:59 p.m.
What changed
First versionWe caught the last bus at the nick of time.
RevisionWe caught the last bus in the nick of time.
The idea of the last moment suggests at, as in at the last moment. But this idiom uses in, as in in time, so only the preposition was changed.
At the last minute also means at the very last moment, but it often carries criticism of late packing or decisions: He always packs at the last minute. In the nick of time sounds relieved: you made it, and that's what matters. Compare: She cancelled at the last minute and The help arrived in the nick of time.
Your turn
The doors were already closing, but I jumped onto the train ___.
Show the answer
in the nick of time — The doors were already closing, but the speaker managed to jump on, so in the nick of time. This idiom only takes in; at the nick of time is modelled on at the last moment.
Write about a time when you managed to do something at the last moment. Say what you managed to do and how much time was left.
I paid my phone bill in the nick of time, just ten minutes before the midnight deadline.
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