to nick, notch up, In the nick of time, go [be] down the drain

The times, they are in the nick of.

Bob Dylan delivers 'extraordinary' Nobel lecture – in the nick of time

Musician had been required to deliver lecture within six months of Nobel…

THEGUARDIAN.COM

Perhaps, in a world where it seems practically everyone holds an MBA, being the lone person without one may make you stand out

MBAs are no longer prized by employers

MBA courses at the top schools cost $100,000. Money down the drain, in many cases

ECON.ST

Royalists and commemorative-china merchants will rejoice as Elizabeth II notches up her 23,226th day on the throne today, overtaking her great-great-grandmother, Victoriahttp://econ.st/1UAU3s7

Marathon ma’am: the queen’s record reign

From Espresso

ECON.ST

Bicycle-sharing has come a long way since the 1960s, when 50 white "free bikes" were scattered around Amsterdam, only to be promptly stolen. A second generation of coin-operated bicycles still got nicked. A third generation solved that problem with electronic docking stations and credit-card payments. Now shared bicycles have become a colourful addition to street life in more than 500 cities in 50 countries http://econ.st/19CCYAo



ANN LYNN of Scottsdale, Arizona, wrote a letter to the New York Times last week that sums up the thinking of many Americans regarding the country's fiscal outlook.


However much we raise taxes and/or try to cut spending, we will constantly be thwarted if Washington does nothing about government waste. I would have no objection to paying taxes (within reason) if only I did not know that so much goes right down the drain!



Brain gain Why America is wrong to fear Asian innovation



December 5, 2011 -- 3:00 p.m. EST

MANAGEMENT Yahoo's Brain Drain




Some of Yahoo's 14,000 employees are considering other opportunities as morale declines at the company, which is bracing for a jump in departures following the holidays.
Greek Debt Hits a New Low

Standard & Poor's cut its rating on Greece three notches, citing its belief of a higher likelihood of one or more defaults over the next 12 months.

Stolen cars which are most costly to insurers
AMERICA'S car thieves show clear preferences in the vehicles they steal. Size, speed and luxury are all important factors when it comes to selecting a target. But the country's car thieves are, at least, patriotic. If America's carmaking giants have struggled in recent years to build vehicles that match the public taste, they are keeping car thieves happy. Only two of the top ten stolen cars in America (measured in terms of cash paid out by insurers) come from a foreign manufacturer. America's car criminals are more suspicious of Japanese or European models and are reluctant to be seen in smaller cars. A reluctance to nick Toyota Priuses shows they have little regard for the environment either.



notch
(nŏch)
n.

1. 1. A V-shaped cut.
   2. Such a cut used for keeping a record.
2. A narrow pass between mountains.
3. Informal. A level or degree: a notch or two higher in quality.

tr.v., notched, notch·ing, notch·es.

1. To cut a notch in.
2. To record by or as if by making notches: notched the score on a stick.
3. Informal. To achieve; score: notched 30 wins in a single season.

[Probably from a notch, alteration of an otch, from French oche, from Old French, from ochier, to notch.]

notch

• [nɑ'tʃ | nɔ'tʃ]

[名]

1 V字形の切れ込み, 刻み目, くぼみ；（得点記録などのため棒などにつけた）刻み目.

2 ((略式))段階, 程度, 階級

be a notch above the pack
鶏群の一鶴(いっかく)である

His second book was a notch better than his first.
彼の2回目に書いた本は最初のものより一段とよいできだった.

3 ((米))峡谷, 山あい.

━━[動](他)

1 〈物に〉（V字形の）切れ込みを入れる；〈棒などに〉（記録として）刻み目をつける；…を刻み目で記録する.

2 ((略式))〈得点を〉（競技などで）あげる, 〈勝利を〉収める((up, down))；［notch A B/notch B for A］〈事が〉〈A（人）にB（栄誉など）を〉収めさせる

His achievements notched him a prominent place in sports history.
達成した記録により彼はスポーツ史上に輝かしい位置を与えられている.

［古フランス語. an otchの異分析によってa notch］

nick
n.

1. A shallow notch, cut, or indentation on an edge or a surface: nicks in the table; razor nicks on his chin.
2. Chiefly British Slang. A prison or police station.
3. Printing. A groove down the side of a piece of type used to ensure that it is correctly placed.

tr.v., nicked, nick·ing, nicks.

1. 1. To cut a nick or notch in.
   2. To cut into and wound slightly: A sliver of glass nicked my hand.
2. To cut short; check: nicked an impulse to flee.
3. Slang. To cheat, especially by overcharging.
4. Chiefly British Slang.
   1. To steal.
   2. To arrest.

At the last moment, as in The police arrived in the nick of time, or He got there just in time for dinner. The first term began life as in the nick and dates from the 1500s, when nick meant "the critical moment" (a meaning now obsolete).

In the nick of time - Idioms by The Free Dictionary

idioms.thefreedictionary.com/in+the+nick+of+time

brain drain
n.
The loss of skilled intellectual and technical labor through the movement of such labor to more favorable geographic, economic, or professional environments.

brain-drain brain'-drain' (brān'drān') v.

go down the drain

informal Be totally wasted:the government must stop public money going down the drain

go [be] down the drain

アクセントgò [be] dówn the dráin 《口語》

(1) 失われる[ている]; むだになる[なっている].

(2) 〈人が〉だめになる[なっている].

 xrain【名詞】

1

a

【可算名詞】 排水渠(_きよ), 放水路，下水管，溝(_みぞ).

b

[複数形で] 下水施設.

2

【不可算名詞】 [また a drain] 排水.

3

【可算名詞】 (貨幣の)絶えない流出，枯渇(のもと), 乱費，物入り 〔on〕.

用例

a drain on national resources 国の資源の枯渇.

4

【可算名詞】 (財宝・人材の)国外流出.

用例

the drain of specie from a country 正貨の国外流出.

名詞としての「drain」のイディオムやフレーズ

gò [be] dówn the dráin 《口語》

láugh líke a dráin