sharp as a tack

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Also, sharp as a razor. Mentally acute. For example, She's very witty—she's sharp as a tack. These similes are also used literally to mean “having a keen cutting edge” and have largely replaced the earlier sharp as a needle or thorn. The first dates from about 1900, the variant from the mid-1800s.

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Words nearby sharp as a tack

Sharm al-Sheikh, Sharon, sharon fruit, Sharonville, sharp, sharp as a tack, sharpbender, sharpbill, sharp-cut, Sharpe, sharp-eared

How to use sharp as a tack in a sentence

ROME — What does it take for a Hollywood A-lister to get a private audience with Pope Francis?
Pope Francis Has the Pleasure of Meeting Angelina Jolie for a Few Seconds|Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Pulling oil from the tar sands is costly, even more so when you tack transportation costs on top.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: Jan. 4|PunditFact.com|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Yes, Byrd—dead four-and-a-half years now—was a Kleagle in the Ku Klux Klan.
Steve Scalise and the Right’s Ridiculous Racial Blame Game|Michael Tomasky|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
By the time it concluded with a sing-a-long of “XO,” Beyoncé had done the rare thing.
Bow Down, Bitches: How Beyoncé Turned an Elevator Brawl Into a Perfect Year|Kevin Fallon|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Having graduated Juilliard last spring, Alex Sharp is too young to have given the performance of a lifetime.
Hedwig, Hugh & Michael Cera: 12 Powerhouse Theater Performances of 2014|Janice Kaplan|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Now-a-days it is the bankrupt who flouts, and his too confiding creditors who are jeered and laughed at.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
A sob rose in her throat, and broke from her lips transformed into a trembling, sharp, glad cry.
The Bondboy|George W. (George Washington) Ogden
He felt himself the meanest, vilest thing a-crawl upon this sinful earth, and she—dear God!
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
All that scientific bric-a-brac in the cupboard had far better be thrown away.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
It was one of those long moments that makes a fellow draw his breath sharp when he thinks about it afterward.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair

sharp as a tack

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How to use sharp as a tack in a sentence