on the nail
Idioms-
Immediately, without delay, as in He paid us back on the nail . [c. 1600]
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Under discussion or consideration, as in The subject of the budget deficit has been on the nail for some time . [Late 1800s] The precise allusion in these expressions has been lost. Neither has any connection to hit the nail on the head (see under hit the bull's-eye ).
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s well-known that when the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail; the relationship eventually takes its toll on the nail, too.
From Slate
Ohtani had a small crack on the nail of his middle finger heading into his start against the Chicago White Sox on June 27.
From Los Angeles Times
But it felt a little too hammer on the nail.
From New York Times
Is the UV light on the nail drier at the salon a problem?
From Washington Post
But as Reynolds explained, with a smile on his face and a smiley face painted on the nail of his middle finger, the American export of skateboarding — as a sport and a culture — is global.
From New York Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
