crook and nanny

Noun

crook and nanny (plural crooks and nannies)

1. (often preceded by every) A very small place.
   • There's a building in St. Louis called the MEPS Building where doctors probe every crook and nanny of your body to see if you're physically fit enough to join the military.2008, Wes Goff, City and the Sea: Memories of being a Young Sailor, page 44
   • Wouldn't grow straight if you put a splint on 'er. She liked the loopholes in things. The chinks, the crooks and nannies... liked to find healthy little plantlets to choke!2003, Kit St. Germain, Thirteenth Fairy, page 246
2. (rare, often preceded by every) Average person or people.
   • For the currency of the lives of most us, the fashion in the business of the state has been to expand farther and farther into every nook and cranny, seeking the welfare of every crook and nanny.1995, Gordon Gibson, Thirty million musketeers: one Canada for all Canadians
   • We can also start a story with the name of someone who has star quality, a person whose name is widely known—in almost every nook and cranny, by almost every crook and nanny.1997, Mervin Block, Writing broadcast news: shorter, sharper, stronger, page 10

   Synonyms:

   average Joe