nail
10 ENTRIES FOUND:
plural
nails
plural
nails
Britannica Dictionary definition of NAIL
[count]
2
:
the hard covering at the end of a finger or toe
:
a fingernail or toenail
—
see also hangnail
-
I get my nails done at the beauty salon every other week.
-
a pair of nail clippers
a nail in the/someone's coffin
:
something that makes it more likely that someone or something will fail, be destroyed, etc.
-
Every mistake is one more nail in the coffin of his professional baseball career.
-
The lawyers put another nail in her coffin today.
(as) hard/tough as nails
of a person
:
very tough
-
When she's negotiating a contract, she can be as tough as nails.
hit the nail on the head
tooth and nail
2
nail
/ˈneɪl/
verb
nails;
nailed;
nailing
2
nail
/ˈneɪl/
verb
nails;
nailed;
nailing
Britannica Dictionary definition of NAIL
[+ object]
1
always followed by an adverb, adjective, or preposition
:
to attach (something) with a nail
-
Nail the picture to the wall.
-
nailing [=hammering] the boards together
-
All the doors were nailed shut.
-
The desks and chairs had been nailed (down) to the floor.
2
informal
a
:
to catch (someone) doing something illegal or wrong
-
He got nailed by his parents while trying to sneak out of the house.
b
:
to arrest or punish (someone) for doing something that is illegal or wrong
-
He got nailed for not paying his taxes.
-
The FBI has nailed the hackers.
3
informal
:
to hit (someone or something) forcefully
-
Someone nailed [=whacked] him on the head with a rock.
4
US, informal
:
to make or do (something) in a perfect or impressive way
-
She nailed a three-point shot in the final seconds of the game.
-
You really nailed that song. It sounded great!
nail down
[phrasal verb]
1
nail (something) down
or
nail down (something)
:
to make (something, such as a victory) certain to happen
-
They need to score another touchdown to nail down the victory.
2
:
to find out or identify (something) exactly
-
Her doctors haven't yet been able to nail down a diagnosis.
-
They're trying to nail down the cause of our network problems.
3
:
to make (something) definite or final
-
nail down a decision
