coffin nail

American  

noun

Slang.

1. a cigarette.

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coffin nail British  

noun

1. a slang term for cigarette

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Etymology

Origin of coffin nail

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

But the New York Times hammers a coffin nail so hard that Dee Dee and Barry fear their future will be nothing but understudy gigs on the dinner theater circuit.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 3, 2020

Losing customers who would be less likely to pay a congestion fee to drive in would be another coffin nail.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 13, 2018

Third coffin nail was a rusty West Coast labor problem.

From Time Magazine Archive

But that hope was as dead as a coffin nail.

From By Right of Sword by Marchmont, Arthur W. (Arthur Williams)