Sayings and Expressions that begin with the letter "N" from "Nature abhors a vacuum" to "Nutty as a fruit cake"

A little neglect may breed great mischief: ...for want ot a nail the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the horse was lost; and for want of a horse the rider was lost.
Benjamin Franklin 1758

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NATURE ABHORS A VACUUM---No space stays vacant for long.---Thomas Cranmer (1551.) Answer to Gardiner.

NEAT AS A PIN---very neat---"She keeps her house as neat as a pin"---First used in the 18th century, the original was "as neat as a new pin", meaning something trim and bright.---John Wolcott (1796). "How neat was Ellen in her dress! As neat as a new pin!"

NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION--- Better ideas sometimes come to you when you are pressed for a solution to a problem.---Jonathan Swift (1726). Gullivers Travels. "I sold [soled] my shoes with wood, which I cut from a tree, no man could more verify the truth that necessity is the mother of invention."

NECK OF THE WOODS---Area or region.---"How are things in your neck of the woods."---Originally neck meant a narrow stretch of land, a defined area.

NEEDLE IN A HAY STACK---Something almost impossible to find.---"Finding an honest politician is like finding a needle in a haystack."---16th century saying: "A pin's head in a cart load of hay."

NEEDLESS TO SAY---You know this but I am going to tell you anyway.---"My wife came to the bar looking for me, needless to say I left."---(1826). Kaleidoscope (journal). "The Squire was hard hit by this nonchalance, and it is needless to add, acted upon Sheridan's suggestion."

NEITHER HERE NOR THERE---Irrelevant; of no significance.---"Whether it rains is neither here nor there, the job has got to be finished."---Aldus Manutius (1581). Linguae Latinus. "It is neither here nor there, or I passe not what you thinke of me."

NEVER A BORROWER OR A LENDER BE---Borrowing or lending can ruin a friendship.---Shakespeare (1604). Hamlet. "For loan oft loses both itself and friend."

NEVER BEAT A BEAR WITH A SWITCH---Always have the resources to get the job done; never bite off more than you can chew.---Ray (1678). "He must have iron nails that scratcheth with a bear."

NEVER BITE OFF MORE THAN YOU CAN CHEW---Don't get in a situation you can't handle.

NEVER GIVE A SUCKER AN EVEN BREAK---Be ruthless, especially in business; put you own interests first.---W. C. Fields. (1923.) Poppy.

NEVER MIX BUSINESS WITH PLEASURE---Keep your work separate from more frivolous activities or your work will suffer.---(Early 20th century.)

NEVER PUT OFF UNTIL TOMORROW WHAT YOU CAN DO TODAY---Delays are sometimes dangerous; you know not what tomorrow brings.---Bailey (1725). "Why not today rather than tomorrow, if delays are dangerous."

NEVER SAY DIE---Keep fighting; don't give up hope.---Charles Dickens (1837.) The Pickwick Papers.

NEVER SAY NEVER---Think positively; even things that seem impossible may indeed happen.---Charles Dickens (1837.) The Pickwick Papers.

NEVER STAND BETWEEN A DOG AND A TREE

NICE GUYS FINISH LAST---If you really want to win, fight tooth and nail to the very end; people will take advantage of one's kindness and good nature.---Leo Durocher (1905 - 91.)

NICK OF TIME---At the very last moment; at a crucial moment.---"You got here just in the nick of time."---Old meaning of nick was: At the crucial moment. Meredith Hanmer (1577). Ancient Ecclesiastical Histories. "The Romane navie....arrived at the very pinch, or as we commonly say, in the nicke."

NINE EVER, EIGHT NEVER---Firehouse Bridge term. When you hold the top two honors, you should play trump out and try to get the Queen to fall if you have a total of nine trump cards in the dummy hand and your hand.

NINE MILES OF BAD ROAD---Looking very bad.---"Jerry looked like nine miles of bad road this morning."

NIP AND TUCK---Dead even; head to head.---"It was nip and tuck there for a while."---Old meanings of "nip" and "tuck" not found.---John Bartlett (1859). Dictionary of Americanisms. "Don't play that new game they've got where the jack takes the ace, 'taint natural. I tried 'em at poker, and old sledge, and loo, but they couldn't get me down, it was nip and tuck between us; but by and by they fetched in that new game, and then I hollered."

NIP IN THE BUD---Stop something at its beginning.---"You had better nip it in the bud now or it is going to cause trouble later."---A late frost will kill the flower in it's budding stage.---Jerome Osorius (1565). Pearl for a Prince. "Princes doe unwisely which doo not nyp wickedness in the hed, so sone as it doth begin."

NITTY GRITTY

NO DEFENSE LIKE A GOOD OFFENSE---Attack rather than wait.---"The best defense is a good offence."---Originally a military saying, now widely used in sports.---Brackenridge (1790). Gazette. "I say the best defense is offence."

NO DICE---Nothing doing; absolutely not; definitely not.---"He asked if I would work for him, I told him no dice"---Alludes to a failure to throw a winning number with the dice.---(Early 20th century.)

NO FOOL LIKE AN OLD FOOL---An older person should, through experience know better than to engage in certain behavior.---"He is running around with that young woman, there is no fool like an old fool."---White - Kennett (1683). Praise of Folly. "The more ancient they grow, the more fools they are."

NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED---Life is so unfair that one is more likely to get into some sort of trouble than be rewarded if one attempts to do a good deed; many times one spends time and resources to help someone only to be totally ignored with not so much as a thank you.---John P. Grier (Origin unclear)

NO HORSE GOES AS FAST AS THE MONEY THAT IS BET ON HIM

NO IF'S ANDS OR BUTS---Do exactly as I say, with no questions and no objections.---Tennessee Williams (1947.) A Streetcar Named Desire. Stanley: "I don't want no ifs, ands or buts!"

NO LOVE LOST---Mutual dislike for one another.---"There is no love lost between him and I."---(1620). Don Quixote. "There's no love lost,'quoth Sancho, 'for she speaks ill of mee too when she list.'"

NO MAN CAN SERVE TWO MASTERS---Bible: Matthew 6:24 "No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will hold to one and love the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." --- Caxton (1477). Jason. "For no man may wel serve two maistres for that one corumpeth that other."

NO MAN IS AN ISLAND---No one is entirely independent of others.---John Donne (1624.) Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions. "No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main."

NO MORE THAN THE MAN IN THE MOON---Unknowing.---"He doesn't know what he is doing anymore than the man in the moon."---Scott (1805) Lockhart's Life. "So on I wrote, knowing no more than the man in the moon how I was to end."

NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS---If one is expecting bad news and no news comes, maybe the bad thing hasn't happened."---(1616). King James I, writing to Sir George More: ".....I desire not that ye should trouble me with an answer, if it is no end; and no news is better than evil news."

NO PAIN NO GAIN---Nothing worthwhile is gained without exerting effort.---J. Grange (1577). Aphrodites. "Who will the fruyte that yeildes, must take the payne."

NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS---Gives no special favors to anyone because of their status.---"He is no respecter of persons."---Bible: Acts 10:34. "Then Peter opened his mouth, and said. Of truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons."

NO REST FOR THE WICKED---Never getting a break.---"There is no rest for the wicked."---Bible: Isaiah 48:22. "There is no peace, saith the Lord," unto the wicked." It is usually used as an expression of lack of rest, one is always struggling.

NO RHYME OR REASON---Not sensible---"There's no rhyme or reason for this."---Possible meaning: The story goes, that Sir Thomas Moore was asked for advice on an authors book and he told him to turn it into rhyme. The author did so and brought it back. Sir Thomas said, "Tis rhyme now, but before it was neither rhyme nor reason."

NO SKIN OFF MY NOSE---No concern of mine; I will mind my own business.---"I don't care what he does, It's no skin off my nose."---Someone who sticks their nose in someone's business is liable to get it skinned up.

NO SWEAT---Easy.---"This is no sweat, we'll be done in a minute."---Shakespeare (1610). The Tempest. "All things in common nature should produce without sweat or endeavour...."

NO USE BEATING A DEAD HORSE---Do something futile; belabor an issue that is no longer of interest.---"Let it go, no use in beating a dead horse."---John Morley (1887). "In parliament he again pressed the necessity of reducing expenditure. Friends warned him that he was flogging a dead horse."

NO USE IN CLOSING THE BARN DOOR AFTER THE HORSE IS OUT

NO WIN SITUATION---No matter what you do you are going to lose.---"This is a no win situation we are in."---(1976). New York Times Magazine. "The principal's main concern was that it was a non win situation."

NOBODY PLANS TO FAIL, THEY JUST FAIL TO PLAN

NON COMPOS---Out of it; of unsound mind.---"I think that John is non compos."---Latin phrase non compos mentis, which for several centuries has served as a legal term meaning "not of sound mind."---(1692). The Jacobite Conventicle. "These men are sure non compos mentis, and Bedlam [hospital in London] must sure be enlarged."

NONE THE WORSE FOR THE WEAR---Something or someone has been through an ordeal or use and don't look ok.---"You don't look any the worse for the wear."---Skelton (1529). Magnyfycence. "All thynge is worse whan it is worne."

NOSE OUT OF JOINT---The look of displeasure; disgruntled.---"She sure has her nose out of joint today."---Maybe the look on someone's face when they are angry or upset.---Barnaby Rich (1581). His Farewell to the Militarie Profession "It could bee no other than his owne name, that had thrust his nose so far out of joynte."

NOSE TO THE GRINDSTONE---Hard at work; held to a task.---"He has his nose to the grindstone."---A picture of someone hard at a task.---Erasmus (1557). A Merry Dialogue. "I would have holden his nose to the grindstone."

NOSTALGIA ISN'T WHAT IT USED TO BE

NOT ON YOUR LIFE---No way; on no account.---"I would never get married again, not on your life."---The suggestion is that you could wager your life on the truth or reliability of what is being said.---(1905). New York Evening Post. "The congressman was asked if there had been any gambling on the trip. 'Not on your life,' he said."

NOT WHAT IT'S CRACKED UP TO BE---Disappointing; less than expected.---"That show certainly wasn't what it was cracked up to be."---Old meaning of the word "crack" was to boast.---(1884). American (mag). "Mexico is not all it has been cracked up to be."

NOT WORTH A PLUGGED NICKEL---Worthless; of no value.---"Why, he's not worth a plugged nickel."---To plug a coin was to remove part of it and replace it with material of little or no value. Carl Sandburg (1936). People, Yes. "he seems to think he's the frog's tonsils but he looks like a plugged nickel."

NOT WORTH THE POWDER TO BLOW IT UP---Of little value.---"He isn't worth the powder it would take to blow him up."---(1823). The Austin Papers. "All the government in the world would not make them worth the powder that it would take to blow them to Hell."

NOTHING BRINGS ON AN EMERGENCY QUICKER THAN SETTING MONEY ASIDE FOR ONE

NOTHING IS CERTAIN BUT DEATH AND TAXES---Death and taxes are two unavoidable evils while nothing else in life can be guaranteed.---Daniel Defoe (1726.) Political History of the Devil.

NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN---Everything has happened some time before.---Bible: Ecclesiastes 1:9. "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done, is that which shall be done; and there is no new thing under the sun."

NOTHING SUCCEEDS LIKE SUCCESS---Northcote (1882). Notes & Queries.

NOTHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT---It's ordinary; mediocre; average.---"He was a pretty good ballplayer, but he wasn't anything to write home about."---G. D. H. Cole (1928.) The Man From The River. "He was...bleeding a bit, but nothing to write home about."

NOTHING VENTURED NOTHING GAINED---If nothing is ventured one cannot expect any gain.---Chaucer (1378). Troylus. "And seyde, he which that nothing undertaketh, nothing he acheveth, be him looth or dere."

NOW OR NEVER---Last chance to do something.---"I am not getting any younger, it's now or never."---John Daus (1560). Sleidanes Commentaries. "Therefore thought they now, or els never, yt [that] God was on theyr side."

NOW YOU ARE COOKING WITH GAS---You are doing it right; on the cutting edge.---When natural gas cooking became available it was a great improvement, some say it is still the best.

NUTTY AS A FRUIT CAKE---Eccentric; odd; mentally unbalanced.---"That boy is nutty as a fruit cake."---How "nut" came to be used is unclear.---Graeme and Sarah Lorimer (1935). Heart Specialist. "'Listen , Alix, you're as nutty as a fruitcake,' I said."

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edited by Linda Clark