Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. himself (or herself), thus her nibbess.

1837		A. Greene Glance at N.Y. I v: Mike, do you know his knibbs?
1846		Swell’s Night Guide 57: She flokessed his nibs, and hooked it off to his crib. [Ibid.] 71: Her nibs was rank sweet on the shallow cove.
1854		Democrat & Sentinel (Ebensburg, PA) 25 Oct. 1/4: ‘You reply, “nibs,” don’t forget “nibs” — tag his nibs cully!’’.
1866		Border Watch (Mt Gambier, SA) 31 Oct. 3/2: THE LATEST SLANG CREATION IN NEW YORK [...] A man is ‘nibs,’ a woman a ‘hen’.
1887		Wichita Eagle (KS) 24 Dec. 7/1: Even the fair sex [...] speak about his ‘royal nibs‘.
1889		Music Hall & Theatre Rev 16 Feb. 3/1: ALBANY STREET BARRACKS would appear to be, a very popular resort with His Royal Nibs and Her Royal Nibbess.
1892		Albert Chevalier ‘Our Little Nipper’ 🎵 She didn’t raise no objection so in we goes, followed by ’is nibs – I’d forgotten all about ’im.
1897		W.A. Sun. Times (Perth) 26 Dec. 3/1: We have all got used to the extraordinary utterances of His Nibs of Deutchsland.
1900		‘Doss Chiderdoss’ ‘Founded on Fact’ Sporting Times 5 May 1/4: That fair one, / Perceiving how fagged was his nibs, / Said ‘At that sort of thing she’s a rare one. / Leave off, Alice, telling such fibs!’.
1904		St Paul Globe (MN) 7 Aug. 27/2: I say dey’s goin’ to be trouble. Dis yere merry ha-ha is de straight bluff. It won’t go wid his nibs, nit.
1905		H. Green Actors’ Boarding House (1906) 32: They put the guy on the bum while her nibs makes a gitaway.
1910		H. Hapgood Types From City Streets 42: ‘Her Nibs’ has recently died.
1911		E. Dyson ‘On a Bender’ in Benno and Some of the Push 82: This trip his niblets was a great musician – in ’is mind. [...] Ez a matter o’ fact, his niblets don’t know th’ game iv lacrosse from tiggie-tiggie-touchwood.
1917		‘A-No. 1’ From Coast to Coast with Jack London 102: He swung upon the lowest of the steps leading up to the platform occupied by his nibs.
1919		Wodehouse ‘Rallying Round Old George’ in My Man Jeeves [ebook] ‘You didn’t do a thing to His Serene Nibs, did you?’.
1921		Wodehouse Indiscretions of Archie Ch. vii: But with Her Nibs I’m handicapped. Shackled, so to speak. You might almost say my genius is stifled.
1922		Joyce Ulysses 361: Hanging on to a plank or astride of a beam for grim life, lifebelt round him, gulping salt water, and that’s the last of his nibs till the sharks catch hold of him.
1930		G. Milburn ‘The Popular Wobbly’ in Hobo’s Hornbook 113: Then the squire, he went wild over me, / And I plainly saw we never could agree, / So I let His Nibs obey / What his conscience had to say.
1937		D.L. Sayers Busman’s Honeymoon (1974) 276: What does that stand his nibs in for?
1950		Record (Hackensack, NJ) 24 Apr. 32/7: he boys will have to be seated where His Nibs can see them.
1953		I. Hamilton Till Human Voices Wake Us 97: In comes his nibs on his morning rounds.
1966		P. Boyle At Night All Cats Are Grey 256: We’d better be startin’ in if we’re to have his nibs dumped before mornin’.
1989		H. Leonard Out After Dark 7: As for her nibs, Sharon Drexel, they had never heard of her.
1999		Guardian Rev. 4 Sept. 4: But the production [...] at the Barbican, is, you feel, very much as his nibs would have wished it.

2. an employer, a superior.

1887		Daily Trib. (Bismarck, ND) 23 Oct. 4/1: A star or manager is known among his company by some irreverent title as [...] ‘his nibs.’.
1894		Coburg Leader (Vic.) 8 Dec. 2/5: There were two devils at the bicycle sports at the M.C.G. last week. His royal nibs, Blackskin [...] taking the cake.
1898		Binstead & Wells Pink ’Un and Pelican 177: Ben ’imself [...] would ha’ preferred Walworth or Islin’ton, but ’er Nibbs was officiatin’ jst then, an’ Ben was the lamb for the sacrifice.
1912		Bulletin (Sydney) 8 Aug. 13/2: In fact it came from Kaiser Bill / Of Germany. ’Twas at / An ostrich farm. His nibs said, ‘Will / You send this bird and that / Up to the place where I abide?’.
1919		Wodehouse Damsel in Distress (1961) 56: In his hours of privacy when off duty, this apparently ideal servitor was so far from being a respecter of persons that he was accustomed to speak of Lord Belpher as ‘Percy’, and even as ‘His Nibs’.
1930		‘Dean Stiff’ Milk and Honey Route 207: His Nibs – The Police magistrate.
1931		(con. 1900s) C.W. Willemse Behind The Green Lights 101: Well, his nibs [the sergeant] didn’t go to headquarters to-day.
1937		R.B. Nye ‘A Musician’s Word List’ in AS XII:1 46: his nibs. The leader of the band.
1937		R. Westerby Wide Boys Never Work (1938) 16: His Nibs is here.
c.1940–5		‘Myles na gCopaleen’ Best of Myles (1968) 59: You should see the face of her nibs the landlady, her good black market tay at fifteen bob a knock!
1944		S. Horler Lady with the Limp 143: Perhaps the Bentley will impress His Nibs even if I don’t.
1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn) 18: his nibs A judge; a Chief of Police.
1950		J. Weidman Price Is Right 123: ‘Shall I announce that you’ve brought your head for the axe?’ ‘If his nibs is receiving.’.
1960		(con. c.1920) D. Holman-Hunt My Grandmothers and I (1987) 89: ‘Is that lady your Gran?’ asked the guard. ‘It’s His Nibs the station-master with her.’.
1985		T. Murphy Conversations on a Homecoming (1986) 31: I’m going to have a gin and tonic in honour of yourself if his Nibs will allow me.
2001		(con. 1975–6) E. Little Steel Toes 123: ‘What’s the bill?’ [...] ‘Not a farthing, mate. All taken care of by her nibs.’.

3. an important, impressive person.

1878		Burlington (IA) Hawk Eye 3 Apr. 6/1: We know her royal nibs will forgive the slang.
1885		Ledger (Noblesville, IN) 14 Aug. 6/2: ‘Who is his nibs over there [...] that one with the blue “skin”’’.
1900		Flynt & Walton Powers That Prey 15: The sucker that was touched is a friend o’ his Nibs—you know who I mean—an’ his Nibs is hostile.
1908		Sporting Times 15 Feb. 2/5: Blimy, that does take it! I don’t ’ave ter pay to see ’is real royal nibs, but I’m ter fork out ter see these ’ere sham ones.
1917		Wodehouse ‘The Mixer’ in Man with Two Left Feet ) 72: They’ll be thinking His Nibs has been kidnapped.
1936		Queenslander (Brisbane) 2 July 4/4: Into the courtroom through a heavy gate / I went. And on the Bench old Bleareyes sate. / A ‘Jack’ steps up and says his piece, / And then His Nibs [i.e. the judge] beefs out my fate.
1950		Aberdeen Jrnl 22 June 2/3: [advt] His Nibs Chariots. The Ideal Push Chair for baby.
1955		B. Schulberg On the Waterfront (1964) 195: You like her nibs Georgia Gibbs?
1976		N. Thornburg Cutter and Bone (2001) 136: Well, by Jove if it ain’t his nibs right ’ere in the flsh [...] Yessir, Richard Bone Esquire, that’s who.
1985		B. Humphries Traveller’s Tool 30: His Nibs asked me a stack of intelligent and searching questions.

4. a self-important person; cite 1893 ref. to a magistrate.

1882		G.W. Peck Peck’s Sunshine 131: A couple of sirens met them and one said to the other, ‘Look at his nibs’.
1885		Bulletin (Sydney) 1 Aug. 6/2: Some good stories are told of German newspaper men who [...] find themselves under the necessity of being watchful lest, in mentioning the name of some Royal personage who reigns over a suburban allotment, they omit one of His Nibs’ string of titles.
1887		Bulletin (Sydney) 5 Nov. 9/2: The shining lights of the head had frequently besought his royal nibs to forsake the paths of vice and bush spirits, join the Methodists fold, and book himself for a pair of wings, a little harp, and a stand in glory.
1892		‘Doss Chiderdoss’ ‘The Rhyme of the Rusher’ in Sporting Times 29 Oct. n.p.: And I smiled as I closed my two mince pies / In my insect promenade; / For out of his nibs I had taken a rise, / And his stay on the spot was barred.
1893		H. Castling ‘Rickety Rackety Crew’ 🎵 Before her nibs next morning we were sent. / They fined us fifty bob apiece.
1899		T.W.H. Crosland ‘Chocolate’ in Absent-Minded Mule and Verses 19: ‘Ho,’ says the Queen, says she. / ‘This’ll please his nibs, you bet: / Half a pound of chocolate / For Mister Thomas A’.
1900		Bulletin (Sydney) 10 Feb. 12/3: ‘The uniform ties my hands, and you know it,’ burst forth his Nibs, ‘but, by Heaven! if you say another word I’ll smash your skull in.’.
1905		‘Doss Chiderdoss’ ‘A Polyglot Policeman’ Sporting Times 1 Apr. 1/4: Although his nibs has tried with all his might / To get round her, he can’t tell the tale to her.
1906		C. M’Govern Sarjint Larry an’ Frinds 30: Finally Oi axes his ould Nibship point blank wan day [...] where his gold mines was?
c.1910		[perf. Vesta Tilley] I Know My Business 🎵 [T]he lawyer and myself stood face to face / ‘You saw the defendant kiss her,’ sez his nibs, I sez, ‘That’s true’.
1910		‘Doss Chiderdoss’ ‘Money In It’ Sporting Times 5 Feb. 1/3: When on his card she saw the name ‘Goldwin Fitz-Boodle Dibbs,’ / She in mentally reviewing matters thus appraised his nibs: / ‘There is money in a name like that!’.
1911		E. Dyson ‘The Picnic’ in Benno and Some of the Push 8: Say, what brought yeh to this corrob – me or his nibs?
1912		A. Berkman Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist (1926) 217: He has induced ‘his Nibs’ to grant me an audience.
1926		Wood & Goddard Dict. Amer. Sl.
1929		B. Duffy Rocky Road 121: If you went to bed before his nibs comes in [...] he does be as cross as a bag of weasels.
1936		D. Stivens Tramp and Other Stories 48: ‘When do you knock off?’ ‘Six. You don’t catch me serving after hours. His nibs can do that.’.
1945		D. Bolster Roll On My Twelve 56: His Nibs made another signal.
1951		Cusack & James Come in Spinner (1960) 387: Well, what are you wasting your time on his nibs for, anyway?
1960		N. Hilliard Maori Girl 165: At least you’ll be out of it when his nibs comes prowling around.
1972		(con. 1930s–40s) N. Conway Bloods 69: The company O.C. and his nibs struck up a very understanding friendship.
1981		Beano 14 Feb. 8: What now, his nibs?
1986		R.G. Barrett Godson 234: ‘It was his nibs’ fault again. He bloody caused it’.
1987		(con. 1930s) L. Redmond Emerald Square 334: I had to cover her mouth once with my hand, in case her moaning woke up his nibs next door.
1996		(con. 1970) G. Moxley Danti-Dan in McGuinness Dazzling Dark (1996) I iii: Here’s her nibs. Look at the walk of her. Septic. She thinks she’s it.
1997		R. Rendell Road Rage (1998) 182: What about his nibs, then?

1. oneself.

1852		Kendal Mercury 17 Apr. 6/1: There was [...] a black boy (sweep) dosing with my nibs (myself) in that there ken von darkey.
1855		Broadway Belle (N.Y.) 29 Oct. 1/3–4: My knibbs has been faked by the napping cullys for being budgey, and, in default of tipping ten slums, I have been sherried in this quisby cap for ten days.
1864		Western Dly Press 24 Oct. 4/3: Such expressions as these—‘fake the cly,’ ‘rumbo cully,’ ‘nante denali,’ ‘varda my nibs,’ &c, have some means got out of their proper channel, and have been appropriated by third-rate actors.
1895		E. Townsend Chimmie Fadden Explains 101: De Duchess and me nibs and de whole gang would chase ourselves t’ see what t’ell.
1914		E. Dyson Spats’ Fact’ry (1922) 25: She offered me nibs a ’am sanwidge.

2. a term of address to another person.

1861		Melbourne Punch ‘City Police Court’ 3 Oct. 234/1: Prisoner.– Your worship, if I were, I hope I may be – The Mayor.– Come, none of your patter flash, my nibs Nantee palaver.
1887		‘’Arry at the Sea-Side’ in Punch 10 Sept. 111/1: That nicked ’er, my nibs. It’s the patter as does it.

yourself; also as a term of address.

1821		D. Haggart Autobiog. 48: I will punsh outsides with your nibs, but not with that gloach.
1852		Kendal Mercury 17 Apr. 5/1: Here’s the balsam, my rum un, and your nibs must stole for the lush.
1859		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc.
1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.
1873		Sl. Dict.
1880		Bulletin (Sydney) 6 Nov. 13/4: The landlord, a German, didn’t exactly know how his distin guished visitor should be addressed, and appealed [...] to a young English guest, who [...] suggested ‘Your Nibs,’ as a suitable title.
1887		‘My Sally’ in Baumann (1902) cxix: There ain’t no nunce in your nibs.
1910		‘O. Henry’ ‘A Bird of Bagdad’ in Strictly Business (1915) 192: Well, good night, Your Nibs.