Why do they call the governor his nibs?

Why do they call the governor his nibs? Nib means the narrow tip of a pen, so I think the expression may have originated as a way of calling your boss the equivalent of a “pinhead”. Instead of saying “his lordship”, you would say “his nibship”, which was eventually shortened to “his nibs”. His nibs brought me to The Word Detective. Bravo!

Nib means the narrow tip of a pen, so I think the expression may have originated as a way of calling your boss the equivalent of a “pinhead”. Instead of saying “his lordship”, you would say “his nibship”, which was eventually shortened to “his nibs”. His nibs brought me to The Word Detective. Bravo!