Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions

(Amelia) #1

nab[nAb] 1. tv. to arrest someone. (See
also nabbed.) They nabbed Tom with
a stolen watch on him. I knew they
would nab him sooner or later. 2. and
nabbern. a police officer; a cop. The
nabs got him, and he had the evidence on
his person. There’s a nabber at the door
who wants to talk to you.


nabbedmod. caught by the police; ar-
rested. He got nabbed last night with a
stolen watch on him. She’s down at the
police station. She’s nabbed.


nabberGo to nab.


nabe[neb] 1. n. a neighborhood; one’s own
neighborhood. I can’t wait to get back
to my own nabe. Hey, man, welcome
back to the old nabe! 2. n. a neighborhood
theater. Do I have to go downtown to
see that movie, or is it playing at the nabes
yet? Why drive all the way out there
when you can see it at the nabe for half the
cost?


nada[“nada] n. nothing; none. (Spanish.)
I asked him, but he didn’t say nada. 
The score was nada to nada.


nadsn. the testicles. (From gonads.) He
got hit in the nads in the football game.


nag 1. tv. to pester someone constantly. 
Stop nagging me! I’ll nag him until he
remembers on his own. 2. n. a worn-out
horse. I bet a week’s pay on that nag.
Look what happened! The cowboy came
riding into town on an old gray nag.


nail 1. tv. to arrest someone. (See also
nailed.) The cops nailed him right in his
own doorway. “I’m gonna nail you,”
said the officer. 2. Go to coffin nail. 3. tv.
to identify someone. They nailed him
from his picture. The officer nailed


Freddy, thanks to the description the vic-
tim provided.
nailed 1. mod. correctly identified. The
thugs sure got nailed fast. The killer was
nailed with the help of the FBI. 2. mod. ar-
rested. (See also nail.) Okay, chum. You
are nailed. Let’s go. Why am I nailed? I
didn’t do anything.
nail-em-and-jail-em and nailern. the
police in general; a police officer. The
nailers caught Freddy last night. Old
nail-em-and-jail-em is going to be knock-
ing at your door any day now.
nailerGo to nail-em-and-jail-em.
nail someone(’s hide) to the wallGo to
nail someone to a cross.
nail someone to a cross and nail some-
one(’s hide) to the walltv. to punish
or scold someone severely. (Literally, to
crucify someone or to nail someone’s
skin to the wall like that of a captured
animal.) That guy was really mad. He
really nailed you to a cross. She must
hate your guts. She sure nailed your hide
to the wall.
nakedmod. undiluted; having to do with
neat liquor, especially gin. (See also raw.)
No ice, please. I want mine naked. 
Give me a naked whisky, if you don’t mind.
naked truthn. the complete, unembell-
ished truth. Sorry to put it to you like
this, but it’s the naked truth. I can take
it. Just tell me the naked truth.
Namn. Vietnam. How long were you in
Nam? Things were pretty bad in Nam.
namby-pamby [“nAmbi”pAmbi] mod.
overly nice; effeminate and weak, when
said of a male. Fred is too namby-
pamby when it comes to making up his

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