For want of a nail the kingdom was lost
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Something of great importance may depend on an apparently trivial detail. The saying comes from a longer proverb about a battle during which the loss of a nail in a horseshoe leads to the loss of a horse, which leads to the loss of the rider, which leads to the loss of the battle, which in turn leads to the loss of a whole kingdom.
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Words nearby For want of a nail the kingdom was lost
forty-third, forty-three, forty-two, forty winks, forum, For want of a nail the kingdom was lost, forward, forward bias, forward delivery, forward echelon, forwarder
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
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