nail

[Nail]

A nail is the pointed piece of metal that you pound with a hammer when you're building something. When you go to a nail salon, however, don't bring a pack of nails; bring your toes and fingers instead!

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the horny scale of plate of epidermis at the end of the fingers and toes of man and many apes.

Noun
a thin pointed piece of metal that is hammered into materials as a fastener

Noun
horny plate covering and protecting part of the dorsal surface of the digits

Noun
a former unit of length for cloth equal to 1/16 of a yard

Verb
complete a pass

Verb
take into custody; "the police nabbed the suspected criminals"

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Verb
attach something somewhere by means of nails; "nail the board onto the wall"

Verb
hit hard; "He smashed a 3-run homer"

Verb
locate exactly; "can you pinpoint the position of the enemy?"; "The chemists could not nail the identity of the chromosome"

Verb
succeed at easily; "She sailed through her exams"; "You will pass with flying colors"; "She nailed her astrophysics course"

Verb
succeed in obtaining a position; "He nailed down a spot at Harvard"

n.
the horny scale of plate of epidermis at the end of the fingers and toes of man and many apes.

n.
The basal thickened portion of the anterior wings of certain hemiptera.

n.
The terminal horny plate on the beak of ducks, and other allied birds.

n.
A slender, pointed piece of metal, usually with a head, used for fastening pieces of wood or other material together, by being driven into or through them.

a.
A measure of length, being two inches and a quarter, or the sixteenth of a yard.

n.
To fasten with a nail or nails; to close up or secure by means of nails; as, to nail boards to the beams.

n.
To stud or boss with nails, or as with nails.

n.
To fasten, as with a nail; to bind or hold, as to a bargain or to acquiescence in an argument or assertion; hence, to catch; to trap.

n.
To spike, as a cannon.

Nail

Nail , n. [AS. n'91gel, akin to D. nagel, OS OHG. nagal, G. nagel, Icel. nagl, nail (in sense 1), nagli nail (in sense 3), Sw. nagel nail (in senses 1 and 3), Dan. nagle, Goth. ganagljan to nail, Lith. nagas nail (in sense 1), Russ. nogote, L. unguis, Gr. , Skr. nakha. ] 1. (Anat.) the horny scale of plate of epidermis at the end of the fingers and toes of man and many apes.
His nayles like a briddes claws were.
&hand; The nails are strictly homologous with hoofs and claws. When compressed, curved, and pointed, they are called talons or claws, and the animal bearing them is said to be unguiculate; when they incase the extremities of the digits they are called hoofs, and the animal is ungulate. 2. (Zo'94l.) (a) The basal thickened portion of the anterior wings of certain hemiptera. (b) The terminal horny plate on the beak of ducks, and other allied birds. 3. A slender, pointed piece of metal, usually with a head, used for fastening pieces of wood or other material together, by being driven into or through them. &hand; The different sorts of nails are named either from the use to which they are applied, from their shape, from their size, or from some other characteristic, as shingle, floor, ship-carpenters', and horseshoe nails, roseheads, diamonds, fourpenny, tenpenny (see Penny), chiselpointed, cut, wrought, or wire nails, etc. 4. A measure of length, being two inches and a quarter, or the sixteenth of a yard. Nail ball (Ordnance), a round projectile with an iron bolt protruding to prevent it from turning in the gun. -- Nail plate, iron in plates from which cut nails are made. -- 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. -- To hit the nail on the head, to hit most effectively; to do or say a thing in the right way.

Nail

Nail, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Nailed ; p. pr. & vb. n. Nailing.] [AS. n'91glian. See Nail, n.] 1. To fasten with a nail or nails; to close up or secure by means of nails; as, to nail boards to the beams.
He is now dead, and nailed in his chest.
2. To stud or boss with nails, or as with nails.
The rivets of your arms were nailed with gold.
3. To fasten, as with a nail; to bind or hold, as to a bargain or to acquiescence in an argument or assertion; hence, to catch; to trap.
When they came to talk of places in town, you saw at once how I nailed them.
4. To spike, as a cannon. [Obs.] Crabb. 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.

the horny scale of plate of epidermis at the end of the fingers and toes of man and many apes.

To fasten with a nail or nails; to close up or secure by means of nails; as, to nail boards to the beams.

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Usage Examples

If you do a trick and it doesn't work out, that can stick with you. I like to go back, nail the trick, and, 'OK, I'm cool, it's all good.'

In Hollywood today, it's cool for guys to wear nail polish and earrings in their lips and tongues. I don't get it.

I like the bad-boy types. Generally the guy I'm attracted to is the guy in the club with all the tattoos and nail polish. He's usually the lead singer in a punk band and plays guitar. But my serious boyfriends are relatively clean-cut, nice guys. So it's strange.

It's funny because I'm a sucker for glitz and glitter when it comes to clothes and nail polish, but with my makeup, I'm more comfortable with a natural look. It feels more like me.

The '80s were fabulous. The '90s sucked, and the '70s were just a sad, sad time in human history. Go 1980s! There's something that's just so cute about that time. And not just yellow nail polish and 'I'm a loner.'

Misspelled Form

nail, bnail, hnail, jnail, mnail, nail, bail, hail, jail, mail, ail, nbail, nhail, njail, nmail, n ail, nqail, nwail, nsail, nzail, nqil, nwil, nsil, nzil, naqil, nawil, nasil, nazil, nauil, na8il, na9il, naoil, najil, nakil, naul, na8l, na9l, naol, najl, nakl, naiul, nai8l, nai9l, naiol, naijl, naikl, naikl, naiol, naipl, nai:l, naik, naio, naip, nai:, nailk, nailo, nailp, nail:.

Other Usage Examples

I'm a mom - I'm lucky if I get to shower in the morning. Luckily, nail polish stays on my toes. I've been so bad on the upkeep, though.

I can't let time move on without fighting tooth and nail and hopefully being a part of a revolution that is positive.

I mean, I'm pretty good in real life, but sometimes people seem surprised that I'm like a normal teenager and wear black nail polish and I'm just a little bit more edgy than the person I play on television.

A rusty nail placed near a faithful compass, will sway it from the truth, and wreck the argosy.

If you only have a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.