noun
Almost exclusively used in the negative phrase のっぴきならない (cannot escape, unavoidable, inescapable). The standalone noun is rare and mostly appears in this fixed expression.
See also: 退っ引きならない
のっぴきならない事情で欠席します。
I will be absent due to unavoidable circumstances.
彼はのっぴきならない立場に追い込まれた。
He was driven into an inescapable position.
The common fixed expression meaning 'unavoidable' or 'inescapable'. The standalone noun のっぴき is rarely used outside this phrase.
The derivation is uncertain. It may be related to 退く (のく, to step aside) and 引く (ひく, to pull), but the exact origin is unclear.