anyone familiar with the phrase "his nibs"? is it always pejorative, implying self-importance? m-w suggests it's an alteration of the british "nob" ~ is 'nob' in common use? and is 'nob' a somewhat catachretic (or at least equivocal) metonymic referral to 'head'?

ps: i'd've thought 'hobnob' would be rooted in 'nob' as a superior, but m-w says hob nob means 'have not'. it seems sorta contronymic, that nob would come to mean something opposite of 'have not'.

Whether it is now I couldn't say. It was not always. Her Nibs, Miss Georgia Gibbs would not have considered it perjorative.

http://www.seniorwomen.com/articlesDavidTransit.html

When I was in my early teens, I played many games of cribbage with my favorite uncle. His Nibs referred to a Jack, of a particular suit, how determined I forget, but he was worth extra points. I have the impression that most other uses of the phrase are adaptations from this.

When we play cribbage "one for his nibs" is the extra point you get for having a jack in your hand which is the same suit as the card turned up at the start of play. "Two for his nob" (or sometimes "two for his nibs") is the two points you get for being the one to turn up a jack.
It also refers to anyone who who is getting or demanding special treatment - whether they deserve it or not.

His nibs. Mildly disrespectful term for the boss. I don't think I've ever used nob.

Bingley

Many American cities (e.g. San Francisco, Portland, Seattle) have neighbourhoods called "Nob Hill." One source says that such areas are so named from the British "nob" used as a term of derision for ostentatious wealthy people. Another says the name derives from "nabob" meaning a person of wealth or importance.

In the ancient world, temples were built atop hills. In the modern world, people who can afford the view property live on such heights. No wonder this term connecting locale with wealth is popular.

In the modern world, people who can afford the view property live on such heights.

Been to Rio lately?

Your point is well taken. The paper-shack poverty which surrounds the flashy city of Rio de Janiero is an exception to the point I made. I think it remains true, however, that view property costs more, is more desireable and is the roosting place for many wealthy people ... in most cities.

Like many expressions I think it's the intonation and mayhap© the circumstances that indicate whichever fine shade of meaning is meant.
His Nibs re the Boss could be perjorative but His Nibs about Dad wanting a cup of tea would be meant with affection. Perhaps?

Compliment or insult - whatever you say it is all in the tone of voice and the twinkle or dagger of the eye.

I speak entirely from memory here, so I may well be mistaken. [/disclaimer]

I have a feeling that "his nibs" was used, in C18/C19 England, at least, to mean "the Devil" (a name that should not be spoken lightly, of course, in case you summon him from the deeps. Therefore the large numbers of pseudonims under which that dark gentleman shelters.) So, if you refered to any one in a pposition of authority over you as "his nibs," you were being rather more than disrepectful.

So far as cribbage is concerned (and I think TED might support me over this) the term for a the point gained for having a Knave (or Jack) of the same suit as the turn-up is either "One for his Nob" or "One for his head", whereas the term for turning the Knave up is "Two for his heels."
Certainly, these are the terms used in England, over most, if not all, of the country.

Very interesting theory, Rhu – if you can validate it you can score a hit by spreading the word more widely, as it seems to be a point of less than certainty amongst the normal sources:

http://www.quinion.com/words/qa/qa-nib1.htm

http://phrases.shu.ac.uk/bulletin_board/5/messages/1109.html

Murky Hurtage suggests it comes from nob, which it describes as “chiefly British usage” (a statement it then somewhat undercuts by quoting an Irish author!)

Collins notes (as some other sources) that nib can be traced to a meaning of beak, but also draws a veil over the phrase in 19th c. obscurity:
[ETYMOLOGY: C16 (in the sense: beak): origin obscure; compare Northern German nibbe tip. See NEB, NIBBLE]…. his nibs (slang)
a mock title used of someone in authority
[ETYMOLOGY: 19th Century: of unknown origin]
http://www.wordreference.com/english/definition.asp?en=nibs

Dave Wilton and other ‘phrase origins’ sites seem to have very little to offer. Word Detective is only slightly more specific:

Another hour or two among my trusty and dusty reference books produced not just the origin of "his nibs," but interesting connections to several other words as well. "His nibs" was a common slang phrase among English college students in the 19th century, usually a sarcastic reference to someone seen as aloof or stuck-up. Along with an earlier form "nabs," "nibs" was based on "nob," an alternate spelling of "knob" and an 18th century slang term for "head." The "head" in question was both literally the human head and "head man," or an important person.

Some of the uncertainty about "nibs" and its relatives is due to their being filtered through 17th century thieves' cant, where meanings were often deliberately obscured to confuse the polic.

http://www.word-detective.com/back-h2.html


I tried the Macquarie Dictionary to see if there was an Antipodean carry-over from this cant, but that comes up blank, too, so please dig more if you have any further information, won’t you?

I've always assumed that it just "grew" into use. It rolls trippingly off the tongue, so whoever first coined the expression - from whatever initial source - probably provided people with an expression which was needed and fit the bill very well.