nifty
/ˈnɪfti/ adjective, noun
Forms niftier niftiest nifties
- adjective (colloquial, somewhat dated) Good, smart; useful or beneficial, often in an impressively clever way. “a nifty trick for reducing your household energy bill”
- adjective (colloquial, somewhat dated) Stylish. “nifty gear”
- noun (colloquial, dated) A possibly risqué comic story or anecdote.
- noun (colloquial, dated) A trick.
Synonyms
bang-up bully corking cracking dandy great groovy keen neat not bad peachy slap-up swell smashing
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”).
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “nifty”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details