The word “nicker” appears with remarkable versatility in literary usage. Most frequently it denotes a soft, gentle sound, often attributed to horses that greet or communicate—think of the welcoming, quiet nicker of a horse in moments of reunion or quiet protest ([1], [2], [3]). Yet its application isn’t limited solely to equine sounds; at times it metaphorically captures the nuance of a subtle smile or a quizzical expression, hinting at an emotional undercurrent in a character’s demeanor ([4], [5]). In other contexts, “nicker” is employed in more specialized or playful ways—even extending to technical descriptions or as a component of colloquial terms—demonstrating the word’s chameleon-like ability to enrich both sound and symbolism in prose ([6], [7]).