nip and tuck

A competition that's so close it's nearly a tie is nip and tuck. You could describe a race by explaining that it was nip and tuck until the last twenty yards, when one runner pulled ahead.

Another way to say nip and tuck is "neck and neck." Two racehorses moving right next to each other, noses even, are nip and tuck. A newer, less formal, but even more common meaning of nip and tuck is a very little bit of plastic or cosmetic surgery. You might hear someone say, "I just need a little nip and tuck so my neck isn't quite so saggy."

Definitions of nip and tuck

1. adverb

   even or close in a race or competition or comparison
   “he won nip and tuck”

   synonyms: head-to-head, neck and neck
2. adjective

   inconclusive as to outcome; close or just even in a race or comparison or competition
   “the election was a nip and tuck affair”

   synonyms: head-to-head, neck and neck

   inconclusive

   not conclusive; not putting an end to doubt or question
3. noun

   plastic surgery to remove wrinkles and other signs of aging from your face; an incision is made near the hair line and skin is pulled back and excess tissue is excised
   synonyms: cosmetic surgery, face lift, face lifting, facelift, lift, rhytidectomy, rhytidoplasty

   types:

   nose job, rhinoplasty

   cosmetic surgery to improve the appearance of your nose

   type of:

   anaplasty, plastic surgery, reconstructive surgery

   surgery concerned with therapeutic or cosmetic reformation of tissue