Green’s Dictionary of Slang

nick v.3

[ety. unknown; ? link to SE nick of time]

to avoid, to slip away, to leave on the spur of the moment; often as nick away, nick down/down to etc.

1818
1850190019502000
2014
[Scot]W. Scott Heart of Mid-Lothian (1883) 219: It’s d---d hard, when three words of your mouth would give the girl the chance to nick Moll Blood, that you make such scrupling about rapping to them.
[Aus]E. Turner Little Larrikin 274: Trying to induce the driver of the motor, for whom he had a friendship, to promise at the end of the journey to ‘nick away and come too’ [OED].
[UK](con. WWI) E. Lynch Somme Mud 86: Nick along and ask the officers to come to me. [Ibid.] 165: I [...] was just about to nick away [...] when the quack returned with a big dish of red-hot stew.
[Aus]X. Herbert Capricornia (1939) 449: The jonns! [...] Quick — nick over to the tank!
[Aus]R.S. Close Love me Sailor 107: Old Joe jabbed his broken stemmed pipe [...] ‘I just nicked in fer a draw . . .’.
[Aus]D. Stivens Jimmy Brockett 135: I nicked away early this night because I remembered that nothing pleased Sadie more than flowers.
[Aus]D. Niland Big Smoke 121: Nick around to 18, Fletcher Street, tomorrow morning.
[Aus]D. Hewett Bobbin Up (1961) 226: Hurry up then luv and I’ll nick over next.
[NZ]B. Crump Hang On a Minute, Mate (1963) 32: We might nick up and see him.
[Aus]R.S. Close With Hooves of Brass 112: Dithering and frigging about instead of nicking into the scrub with her.
[Aus]B. Humphries Barry McKenzie [comic strip] in Complete Barry McKenzie (1988) 14: What say you and me nick in the nearest old English inn and sink a few swift ones?
[Aus]W. Dick Bunch of Ratbags 81: Terry, nick back and lay the bikes on the grass.
[NZ]McGill Dict. of Kiwi Sl. 76/1: nick away to leave, usually surreptitiously or quickly. [...] nick over to visit, usually without warning.
[Scot]I. Welsh Filth 126: Gus decides to nick into Crawford’s while I keep shoatie.
[NZ]McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. [as cit. 1988].
[Aus]L. Redhead Peepshow [ebook] Hopefully he was nicking to the car for some condoms.
[Aus]S. Maloney Sucked In 106: Red had refrained from nicking off with my last half-dozen cans of beer.
[Aus]me-stepmums-too-fuckin-hot-mate at www.fakku.net 🌐 She nicked off or something?

In phrases

do a nick (v.)

(Aus.) to run off.

1959
196019701980
1984
[Aus]Baker Drum.
[UK]Partridge DSUE (8th edn) 790/2: C.20.
keep (the) nick (v.) (also keep nicko, keep nikko) [i.e. be prepared to run off]

(Irish) to keep a lookout.

1956
1960197019801990
1991
[Ire]B. Behan Quare Fellow (1960) Act I: Have a quiet burn there before the screw comes round. We’ll keep nick.
[Ire](con. 1940s) B. Behan Borstal Boy 299: Tell that reception to keep the nick.
[UK]I. & P. Opie Lore and Lang. of Schoolchildren (1977) 399: In Dublin he is either [...] ‘keeping nicko’.
[Ire]B. Quinn Smokey Hollow 101: All they could do was turn up the radio full blast and continue smoking rolled-up brown paper fags, taking turns to keep nikko for their mother.
nick off (v.) (also nick out)

(orig. Aus.) to leave, to depart, to go from one place to another.

1901
19502000
2001
[Aus]‘Miles Franklin’ My Brilliant Career 258: Just when the fun commences you have to nick off home and milk.
[Aus]X. Herbert Capricornia (1939) 372: Get off home — go on, I tell you — nick off — both you!
[Aus]G. Casey It’s Harder for Girls 50: If we’re not going to have him any more what about nicking off before he gets here?
[Aus]D. Niland Big Smoke 76: Nick off quick, you worm, before old Birdie gets you.
[UK]H. Livings Nil Carborundum (1963) Act II: McKendrick knows about me nicking off yes’day.
[Aus]B. Humphries Barry McKenzie [comic strip] in Complete Barry McKenzie (1988) 87: I just got to nick out the gents for a few jiffs.
[Aus]S. Gore Holy Smoke 9: They just sit around the camp [...] wishin’ to hell he’d nick orf out of it.
[Aus]Lette & Carey Puberty Blues 1: Things like have sex, smoke cigarettes, nick off from school, go to the drive-in, take drugs, and go to the beach.
[UK]T. Lewis GBH 3: ‘I’ll nick off down there and take advantage of your kind offer’.
[Aus]B. Humphries Traveller’s Tool 79: Every time a business colleague nicked off in mid T-bone through the swing door for a quick slash or a technicolour yawn.
[UK]Reeves & Mortimer Vic Reeves Big Night Out n.p.: She hath nicked off, son.
[Aus]B. Scott Banshee and Bullocky 30: Ah, nick off, Martha, an’ give ’im a go.
[UK]Guardian Rev. 31 Mar. 12: Was it that he left his second wife and nicked off to Switzerland with a girl half his age?
[Aus](con. 1945–6) P. Doyle Devil’s Jump (2008) 267: I thought it best [...] that Mavis and me and the little bloke nick off for a while.