Idiom idiom
nip and tuck
Meaning
So evenly matched that the advantage shifts from one to the other, and the outcome is uncertain.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“The game is nip and tuck right now.”
“The election results are nip and tuck, with neither candidate pulling ahead of the other.”
“Throughout the final set, the match remained nip and tuck, leaving the spectators breathless as the lead changed hands with every point.”
Origin
first recorded 19th c.
first recorded 19th c.
Of unknown origin. First use appears c. 1845, in the publication American Whig Review.
Anchors to
Last updated August 10, 2026