Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. the mouth.

1521		Skelton Speke Parott line 424: The nebbis of a lyon they make to trete and trembyll.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Neb, or nib, the bill of a bird, and the slit of a pen. Figuratively, the face and mouth of a woman; she holds up her neb: she holds up her mouth to be kissed.
1786		Young Coalman’s Courtship 5: You may [...] dab nebs wi’ her now an’ than, but be sure ye keep a clos mouth when ye kiss her.
1828		Bell’s Life in London 18 May 3/2: Read [...] went in and hit heavily on the neb of his opponent.
1834		‘Jack Downing’ Andrew Jackson 70: Hit him in the pudding bag, make a pen of his neb.
1859		Matsell Vocabulum 58: nib The mouth.

2. a woman’s face.

c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: She holds up her Neb, She turns up her Snout to be Kist.
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1785, 1788, 1796		see sense 1.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum [as cit. 1785].
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue [as cit. 1785].
1859		Matsell Vocabulum 58: neb The face.
1966		P. Boyle At Night All Cats Are Grey 108: Mooching around from Billy to Jack with a neb on her like a wet week.

3. (Ulster) the nose.

1803		R. Anderson ‘The Village Gang’ Cumberland Ballads (1805) 74: The teyney, greasy wobster; / He’s got a gob frae lug to lug, / And neb like onie lobster.
1818		J. Hogg Brownie of Bodsbeck I 143: The gudewife hauds his neb right sair to the grindstane about it.
1823		Proceedings of Jockey and Maggy 12: He having a great lang nose like a trumpet, she recklessly came o’er his lobster neb a drive wi’ the laddle, until the blood sprang out.
1838		W. Holloway Dict. of Provincialisms 116/1: Neb, Nose.
1901		W.S. Walker In the Blood 209: The thumb o’ the near ’and restin’ on the bishop’s neb.
1930		M. Allingham Mystery Mile (1982) 222: You’ll keep your little turned-up neb out of it.
1944		J. Cary Horse’s Mouth (1948) 57: To punch a lady on the neb. A flap on the tap.
1962		K. Waterhouse There is a Happy Land (1964) 69: Whenever something went wrong, she has to poke her blinking neb in.
1997		Share Slanguage.
2012		(con. 1980s) I. Welsh Skagboys 7: It’s minging in here [...] The old boy waves his hand in front ay his neb.

4. a look, an observation, ‘a sniff’.

2018

I. Welsh Dead Man’s Trousers [27]: — The boys. Come tae have a wee neb at how much money auld Franco’s makin oot ay this art game!