v 1 steal. Something you buy from a dodgy bloke over a pint has quite probably been nicked. In a strange paradox, if a person is described as nicked, it means they’ve been arrested and if a person is in the nick, they’re in prison. 2 condition. Commonly used in the phrase “in good nick,” the word nick refers to the sort of state of repair something is in: Think I’ll buy that car; it seems in pretty nice nick.