idiom · informal
in the nick of time
/ɪn ðə nɪk əv taɪm/in·the·NICK·of·time
at the last possible moment before something bad happens or before a deadline
Examples
“I handed in my assignment in the nick of time — my laptop crashed right after I submitted it.”
“We arrived at the venue in the nick of time, just before the doors closed.”
“I managed to finish the report in the nick of time, so I could still catch the meeting.”
Band 8 sentence
“I managed to submit my essay in the nick of time — the internet cut out a minute after I clicked send. — Tôi kịp nộp bài luận ở phút chót; internet mất ngay một phút sau khi tôi nhấn gửi.”
Collocations
- arrive in the nick of time
- finish in the nick of time
- save someone in the nick of time
Word family
Common mistakes
Dịch word-by-word: "vào vết cắn của thời gian" hoặc viết tiếng Anh sai: "on the nick of time"→Dịch đúng: "vừa kịp lúc"; diễn đạt tiếng Anh đúng: "in the nick of time"
Sử dụng quá giống 'on time' (ví dụ: "I arrived on time" khi muốn nói vừa kịp ở phút chót)→Dùng chính xác: "I arrived in the nick of time"
Say it for a higher band
5on time→6just in time→7+in the nick of time
Synonyms
at the eleventh hour
just in time
Easily confused
at the eleventh hour
“I submitted my university application at the eleventh hour after weeks of procrastination.”
just in time
“I finished the report just in time to include the new figures our manager requested.”
Related words
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In Time
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