nub

noun

1. (obsolete)The innermost section of a chrysalis in a silk cocoon.
2. A small knob or lump.
3. The essence or core of an issue, argument etc.

   “What do you think is the nub of the problem?”

   “Very often, of course, the rambling and disjointed humorous story finishes with a nub, point, snapper, or whatever you like to call it.”

   “But surely the males are no problem? Aha...no we're approaching the nub.”

4. (euphemistic, slang, vulgar)The clitoris.

   ““ — and then rub her nub with the bridge of your nose, right where the nerve will drive her straight to the ceiling!””

   “When he used his fingers to rub her nub, he didn't have to wait anymore. She exploded for the second time that morning,...”

   “He stroked her, using her movements to increase the pressure on her nub, catching her between his fingers.”

5. (colloquial)A pointing stick.
6. A passage of Shakespearean blank verse.

   “A nub is a passage of blank verse that Shakespearean actors have sometimes relied upon when they forget their lines. It doesn't have to make any sense, but it must sound plausible. To alert the other actors on stage that the speaker is in difficulty, the word nub is used in the first line.”

   “To an audience a clever nub can pass for Shakespeare himself.”

7. (informal)The genital tubercle.

   “nub theory”

8. (Internet, alt-of, alternative)Alternative spelling of noob.

   “He can’t even make himself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? What a nub.”

verb

1. To hit the ball weakly.
2. To push; to nudge.
3. To beckon.
4. To extemporize a passage of Shakespearean blank verse

   “In Shall we Shog?, Globe artistic director Mark Rylance hilariously found himself having to nub the Quarto version of Hamlet's speech to the players.”