in the nick of time

日本では台風被害が多くなる秋口ですが、アメリカではハリケーンが猛威を振るう季節です。

（先週ですが）ハリケーン・イアンに関するニュースから引用です。

A former cop rescued his disabled mother from her Florida home right in the nick of time after she decided not to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Ian.

(Elizabeth Pritchett. Former Chicago cop Johnny Lauder saves disabled mom from Hurricane Ian. Fox News. October 5, 2022.)

"in the nick of time"というのは、際どいタイミングで、とか、土壇場で、という意味の慣用句です。

"nick"は刻み目のことを指し、「タイミング」の意味合いは昔、時間の経過を木に刻んで記録していたことに因むそうです。

もうひとつ用例を。

A Chicago woman was rescued Sunday morning just in the nick of time when a stranger allegedly approached as she embarked on a routine stroll and tried to drag her inside a van.

(Billy Hallowell. ‘Her Screams Were Deafening’: Good Samaritans Help Save Frantic Woman From Kidnapping Just in the Nick of Time. CBN News. September 28, 2022.)