nail : Idioms & Phrases

Index

bullen-nail

Bul"len-nail` noun
Etymology
Bull large, having a large head + nail.
Definitions
  1. A nail with a round head and short shank, tinned and lacquered.
Webster 1913

Clout nail

  • noun a short nail with a flat head; used to attach sheet metal to wood
    clout.
WordNet
  • a kind of wrought-iron nail heaving a large flat head; used for fastening clouts to axletrees, plowshares, etc., also for studding timber, and for various purposes.
Webster 1913

coffin nail

  • noun finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking
    cigarette; fag; cigaret; butt.
WordNet

Cut nail

  • a nail cut by machinery from a rolled plate of iron, in distinction from a wrought nail.
Webster 1913

eightpenny nail

  • noun a nail 2.5 inches long
WordNet

Flat nail

  • a small, sharp-pointed, wrought nail, with a flat, thin head, larger than a tack. Knight.
Webster 1913

fourpenny nail

  • noun a nail 1.5 inches long
WordNet

Frost nail

  • a nail with a sharp head driven into a horse's shoe to keen him from slipping.
Webster 1913

Garden nail

  • a cast nail used, for fastening vines to brick walls. Knight.
Webster 1913

Horsehoe nail

  • . See Horsenail.
Webster 1913

Ingrowing nail

  • one whose edges are becoming imbedded in the adjacent flesh.
Webster 1913

Lath nail

  • a slender nail for fastening laths.
Webster 1913

Nail ball

  • (Ordnance), a round projectile with an iron bolt protruding to prevent it from turning in the gun.
Webster 1913

nail down

  • verb succeed in obtaining a position
    nail; peg.
    • He nailed down a spot at Harvard
  • verb define clearly
    pin down; narrow down; narrow; specify; peg down.
    • I cannot narrow down the rules for this game
  • verb make final; put the last touches on; put into final form
    settle; finalise; finalize.
    • let's finalize the proposal
WordNet

nail enamel

  • noun a cosmetic lacquer that dries quickly and that is applied to the nails to color them or make them shiny
    nail enamel; nail polish.
WordNet

nail hole

  • noun a hole left after a nail is removed
WordNet

Nail plate

  • iron in plates from which cut nails are made.
Webster 1913

nail polish

  • noun a cosmetic lacquer that dries quickly and that is applied to the nails to color them or make them shiny
    nail enamel; nail polish.
WordNet

nail pulling

  • noun a form of torture in which the fingernails or toenails are removed
    nail pulling.
WordNet

nail removal

  • noun a form of torture in which the fingernails or toenails are removed
    nail pulling.
WordNet

nail varnish

  • noun a cosmetic lacquer that dries quickly and that is applied to the nails to color them or make them shiny
    nail enamel; nail polish.
WordNet

nail-biting

  • adjective satellite (of a situation) characterized by or causing suspense
    cliff-hanging; suspensive; suspenseful.
WordNet

nail-headed

Nail"-head`ed adjective
Definitions
  1. Having a head like that of a nail; formed so as to resemble the head of a nail.
Webster 1913

nail-tailed kangaroo

  • noun small wallabies with a horny nail on the tip of the tail
    nail-tailed kangaroo.
WordNet

nail-tailed wallaby

  • noun small wallabies with a horny nail on the tip of the tail
    nail-tailed kangaroo.
WordNet

On the nail

  • in hand; on the spot; immediately; without delay or time of credit; as, to pay money on the nail. "You shall have ten thousand pounds on the nail." Beaconsfield.
Webster 1913

Root of a nail

  • (Anat.), the part of a nail which is covered by the skin.
Webster 1913

Rose nail

  • a nail with a convex, faceted head.
Webster 1913

Rother nail

  • a nail with a very full head, used for fastening the rudder irons of ships; so called by shipwrights.
Webster 1913

Scupper nail

  • (Naut.), a nail with a very broad head, for securing the edge of the hose to the scupper.
Webster 1913

sixpenny nail

  • noun a nail 2 inches long
WordNet

Stub nail

  • noun a short thick nail
WordNet
  • an old horseshoe nail; a nail broken off; also, a short, thick nail.
Webster 1913

tenpenny nail

  • noun a nail 3 inches long
WordNet

To hit the nail on the head

  • to hit most effectively; to do or say a thing in the right way.
Webster 1913

To nail a lie ∨ an assertion

  • etc., to detect and expose it, so as to put a stop to its currency; an expression probably derived from the former practice of shopkeepers, who were accustomed to nail bad or counterfeit pieces of money to the counter.
Webster 1913

Tooth and nail

  • adverb with force and ferocity
    • she fought tooth and nail
WordNet
  • as if by biting and scratching; with one's utmost power; by all possible means. L'Estrange. "I shall fight tooth and nail for international copyright." Charles Reade.
Webster 1913

wiggle nail

  • noun a small strip of corrugated steel with sharp points on one side; hammered across wood joints in rough carpentry
    corrugated fastener.
WordNet

Wire nail

  • a nail formed of a piece of wire which is headed and pointed.
Webster 1913