Pronunciation Noun
nail (plural nails)
- The thin, horny plate at the ends of fingers and toes on humans and some other animals.
- When I'm nervous I bite my nails.
- The basal thickened portion of the anterior wings of certain hemiptera.
- The terminal horny plate on the beak of ducks, and other allied birds.
- The claw of a bird or other animal.
- A spike-shaped metal fastener used for joining wood or similar materials. The nail is generally driven through two or more layers of material by means of impacts from a hammer or other device. It is then held in place by friction.
- 1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter II, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], OCLC 752825175 ↗:
- Orion hit a rabbit once; but though sore wounded it got to the bury, and, struggling in, the arrow caught the side of the hole and was drawn out. Indeed, a nail filed sharp is not of much avail as an arrowhead; you must have it barbed, and that was a little beyond our skill.
- A round pedestal on which merchants once carried out their business, such as the four nails outside The Exchange, Bristol.
- An archaic English unit of length equivalent to frac 20 of an ell or frac 16 of a yard (frac 2 inches or 5.715 cm).
- French: seize (actually frac 16 of an ell or 2.9 inches)
nail (nails, present participle nailing; past and past participle nailed)
- (transitive) To fix (an object) to another object using a nail.
- Synonyms: pin, rivet, screw, Thesaurus:join
- He nailed the placard to the post.
- (intransitive) To drive a nail.
- Synonyms: hammer
- He used the ax head for nailing.
- (transitive) To stud or boss with nails, or as if with nails.
- The rivets of your arms were nailed with gold.
- (slang) To catch.
- Synonyms: arrest, collar, nick, Thesaurus:capture
- (transitive, slang) To expose as a sham.
- (transitive, slang) To accomplish (a task) completely and successfully.
- Synonyms: ace, fullbring, fulfill
- I really nailed that test.
- (transitive, slang) To hit (a target) effectively with some weapon.
- (transitive, vulgar, slang) Of a male, to engage in sexual intercourse with.
- Synonyms: dick, pound, rail, screw, Thesaurus:copulate with
- To spike, as a cannon.
- (transitive) To nail down: to make certain, or confirm.
- Synonyms: clinch, fix, lock down, pin down
- French: clouer
- German: festnageln, nageln, annageln
- Italian: inchiodare
- Portuguese: pregar
- Russian: прибивать
- Spanish: clavar, clavetear
- French: choper
- German: festnageln, sich krallen
- Italian: inchiodare
- Portuguese: pegar
- French: envoyer
- French: toucher
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