nifty meaning (colloquial): definition, etymology and quotations

nifty

adj

/ˈnɪfti/

Etymology From *nift + -y. First element is of unknown origin. Possibly theatrical slang, as a shortened, altered form of Magnificat. Alternatively, perhaps a special use of US regional niffed (“put off, peeved”).

Colloquial, Dated Good, smart; useful or beneficial, often in an impressively clever way.

a nifty trick for reducing your household energy bill
The ‘bot makes this easier; scraping the NFL livescores page with some nifty Javascript,^([sic]) it tracks each game live for potential first-time scores; the most recent as of writing being the Chiefs beating the Texans 51-31. Not only that, but the ‘bot estimates the most likely possible scorigami scores of games in progress, keeping fans on tenterhooks until the final whistle is blown. Or is it a siren in NFL? Inquiring minds need to know.2020 January 22, Lewin Day, “Scorigami Bot Charts NFL History In The Making”, in Hackaday:

Colloquial, Dated Stylish.

nifty gear
You look nifty in that jacket.

1 more example

The niftiest, snappiest slacks you ever saw!1933, Stella Blum, Everyday Fashion of the Thirties as pictured in Sears Catalogs, published 1986, page 56:

Derived terms: niftily, niftiness

nifty

noun

Colloquial, Dated A possibly risqué comic story or anecdote.

New subscribers are the life of our party (any advertiser will tell you that) just as the regular reader of CLIPPINGS becomes the life of any party (and why not with such a supply of “nifties” and bon mots).1929, Air Wonder Stories:
Because some of the stories that the Sultana told are nifties, the plays are sometimes edited. This facilitates production and eliminates a lot of questions from the kids when they get home.1950 April 8, Billboard, page 146:

1 more example

“Miss Fletcher knows exactly what she is doing, goes about her business with gratifying swiftness and comes up with a finish worthy of one of Roald Dahl's little nifties,” wrote Douglas Watt.2011, Amnon Kabatchnik, Blood on the Stage, 1950-1975, page 580:

Colloquial, Dated A trick.

[…] Winfield Sheehan had pulled a nifty on the wise guys of Hollywood and the film colony in Southern California when he disappeared for a week with a print of Sunrise, the Murnau picture recently completed.2005, Film History, volume 17, page 195: