# nip and tuck

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/nip-and-tuck
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

So evenly matched that the advantage shifts from one to the other, and the outcome is uncertain.

## 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

Of unknown origin. First use appears c. 1845, in the publication American Whig Review. (unknown)

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.