—nail /neɪl/
noun [C] (BODY PART)
► B2 a thin, hard area that covers the upper side of the end of each finger and each toe: » Stop biting your nails!» nail clippers» a nail fileSee picture: nail 
→ SEE ALSO FINGERNAIL(Cf. ↑fingernail), TOENAIL(Cf. ↑toenail)Thesaurus+: ↑The handThesaurus+: ↑The foot
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Extra Examples:» You're not to bite your nails like that.» She painted her nails a bright red.» She filed her nails as she watched TV.» She sat in the dentist's waiting room, nervously chewing at her nails.» I wish my nail polish wouldn't keep chipping.noun [C] (METAL)
► B2 a small, thin piece of metal with one pointed end and one flat end that you hit into something with a hammer, especially in order to fasten or join it to something else: » a three-inch nail» I stepped on a nail sticking out of the floorboards.» Hammer a nail into the wall and we'll hang the mirror from it.See picture: nail 
Thesaurus+: ↑Nuts, bolts and screws
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Extra Examples:» I got a flat tyre after driving over a nail.» Can you hold this nail in position while I hammer it into the door?» I ripped my shirt on a nail.» I've got a run in my tights from the nail on my chair.» She scrounged around in the tool box for a tack or nail to hang the notice up with.verb [T + adv/prep] (FASTEN) ↑Verb Endings for nail
► F0 to fasten something with nails: » She had nailed a small shelf to the door.» A notice had been nailed up on the wall.» The lid of the box had been nailed down.Thesaurus+: ↑Fastening and tyingverb [T] SLANG (CATCH) ↑Verb Endings for nail
► F0 to catch someone, especially when they are doing something wrong, or to make it clear that they are guilty: » The police had been trying to nail those guys for months.Thesaurus+: ↑Arresting and chargingThesaurus+: ↑Blaming and accusing