Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He was nailing his lines or editing them to fit his voice: “I don’t want to look like a dummy walking with a bust-down watch,” he said.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 11, 2021
And the lead actor, Rob McClure, who scored a Tony nomination for playing the title role in “Chaplin,” starred in “Honeymoon in Vegas,” and was featured most recently in “Beetlejuice,” was nailing his bifurcated performance.
From New York Times ● May 7, 2020
Of course she was nailing it, so I knew it was going to work.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 12, 2020
How important was nailing those elements to perfecting the overall tone of the show?
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 22, 2015
Up in the loft at the back of the room, Pocock was nailing together the frame for a new shell.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
