Nifty is informal for clever, well designed and handy: a nifty pocket, a nifty way to keep cables apart. It's praise for a small smart solution, not for luxury. In sport it means skilful: some nifty footwork near the goal.
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a nifty + idea / trick / gadget; a nifty little + noun
- This bag has a nifty pocket that folds out into a seat cover.
- She showed me a nifty way to keep cables apart.
- That was some nifty footwork near the goal.
What changed
First versionHe showed me a little nifty gadget that keeps the lid open.
RevisionHe showed me a nifty little gadget that keeps the lid open.
Size feels like the basic fact, so little comes first: a little nifty gadget. But in English an opinion word comes before size: a nifty little gadget. The same goes for a lovely little café.
Useful is neutral. Nifty means useful and cleverly thought out. Fancy means elaborate or decorative, but not necessarily practical.
Your turn
Choose the natural word order: She showed me a ___ for keeping cables apart.
Show the answer
nifty little trick — The opinion word nifty comes before the size word little: a nifty little trick.
Describe a simple, handy gadget and the small problem it solves.
The notebook has a nifty little loop that stops my pen from falling out.
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