Nibs can be generally found capping the tops of pens around the word, delivering ink to paper in a normally reliable style. In the case of the ballpoint pen, the nib is (funnily enough) a small ball, normally made of brass, steel or tungsten carbide. And we can thank   Hungarian journalist Lazlo Biro for that little innovation (he and his brother Georg patented the ballpoint pen in 1943). The word is also used facetiously to describe someone who holds themself in higher regard than is actually warranted (one possible explanation of its origin can be found here). The fact that the word "nob" can be used instead of "nib" here is quite revealing really. DP

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