nail

noun

/neɪl/

Idioms

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the thin hard layer covering the outer tip of the fingers or toes
- Stop biting your nails!
- nail clippers
see also fingernail, toenail
Extra Examples
- He screamed as she dug her nails into his shoulders.
- I bite my nails when I'm nervous.
- I was trying to grow my nails.
- I wore acrylic nails for two months.
- She painted her nails bright red.
- There was dirt under his nails.
Topics Bodyb1
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- long
- short
- sharp
- …
verb + nail
- bite
- chew
- do
- …
nail + verb
- grow
- break
- split
- …
nail + noun
- care
- brush
- clippers
- …
preposition
- under your nail
See full entry
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a small thin pointed piece of metal with a flat head, used for joining pieces of wood together or hanging things on a wall
- She hammered the nail in.
- He knocked the nail into the wall.
Collocations Decorating and home improvement
Decorating and home improvementHouses
- refurbish/renovate/ (British English) do up a building/a house
- convert a building/house/room into homes/offices/(especially North American English) apartments/(British English) flats
- extend/enlarge a house/building/room/kitchen
- build (British English) an extension (to the back/rear of a house)/(North American English) an addition (on/to something)/(British English) a conservatory
- knock down/demolish a house/home/building/wall
- knock out/through the wall separating two rooms
Decoration
- furnish/paint/ (especially British English) decorate a home/a house/an apartment/a flat/a room
- be decorated in bright colours/in a traditional style/with flowers/with paintings
- paint/plaster the walls/ceiling
- hang/put up/strip off/remove the wallpaper
- install/replace/remove the bathroom fixtures/(British English) fittings
- build/put up shelves
- lay wooden flooring/timber decking/floor tiles/a carpet/a patio
- put up/hang/take down a picture/painting/poster/curtain
DIY/home improvement
- do (British English) DIY/carpentry/the plumbing/the wiring
- make home improvements
- add/install central heating/underfloor heating/insulation
- fit/install double-glazing/a smoke alarm
- insulate your house/your home/the walls/the pipes/the tanks/(especially British English) the loft
- fix/repair a roof/a leak/a pipe/the plumbing/a leaking (especially British English) tap/(North American English usually) faucet
- block/clog (up)/unblock/unclog a pipe/sink
- make/drill/fill a hole
- hammer (in)/pull out/remove a nail
- tighten/untighten/loosen/remove a screw
- saw/cut/treat/stain/varnish/paint wood
compare screw, tack
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- long
- small
- six-inch
- …
verb + nail
- drive
- hammer
- knock
- …
nail + verb
- stick out
- stick up
nail + noun
- head
- hole
- bomb
- …
See full entry

Word OriginOld English nægel (noun), næglan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch nagel and German Nagel, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin unguis and Greek onux.

Idioms

fight tooth and nail

to fight in a very determined way for what you want
- The residents are fighting tooth and nail to stop the new development.
- She fought tooth and nail to keep custody of the children.

(as) hard as nails

showing no fear, sympathy or kind behaviour

hit the nail on the head

to say something that is exactly right

a nail in somebody’s/something’s coffin

something that makes the end or failure of an organization, somebody’s plans, etc. more likely to happen
- This latest defeat is another nail in the government's coffin.
Topics Difficulty and failurec2

on the nail

(British English, informal) (of payment) without delay
- They're good customers who always pay on the nail.

(as) tough as old boots | (as) tough as nails (informal)

very strong and able to deal successfully with difficult conditions or situations
- She's almost 90 but she's still as tough as nails.
More Like This Similes in idioms
Similes in idioms
- (as) bald as a coot
- (as) blind as a bat
- (as) bright as a button
- (as) bold as brass
- as busy as a bee
- as clean as a whistle
- (as) dead as a/the dodo
- (as) deaf as a post
- (as) dull as ditchwater
- (as) fit as a fiddle
- as flat as a pancake
- (as) good as gold
- (as) mad as a hatter/a March hare
- (as) miserable/ugly as sin
- as old as the hills
- (as) pleased/proud as Punch
- as pretty as a picture
- (as) regular as clockwork
- (as) quick as a flash
- (as) safe as houses
- (as) sound as a bell
- (as) steady as a rock
- (as) thick as two short planks
- (as) tough as old boots

nail

verb

/neɪl/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they nail	/neɪl/ /neɪl/
he / she / it nails	/neɪlz/ /neɪlz/
past simple nailed	/neɪld/ /neɪld/
past participle nailed	/neɪld/ /neɪld/
-ing form nailing	/ˈneɪlɪŋ/ /ˈneɪlɪŋ/

Idioms Phrasal Verbs

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nail something (+ adv./prep./adj.) to fasten something to something with a nail or nails
- I nailed the sign to a tree.
- Wooden boards had been nailed across the windows.
- The shutters had been nailed shut.
- There’s no need to nail the wood down.
nail somebody (informal) to catch somebody and prove they are guilty of a crime or of doing something bad
- The police haven't been able to nail the killer.
nail a lie, myth, etc. (informal) to prove that something is not true
- We must nail this lie.
- I'd like to nail the myth that the flu jab itself can give you flu.
nail something (informal) to achieve something or do something right, especially in sport
- He nailed a victory in the semi-finals.
- She nailed it on her second jump.
Topics Successc2

Word OriginOld English nægel (noun), næglan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch nagel and German Nagel, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin unguis and Greek onux.

Idioms

nail your colours to the mast

(especially British English) to say publicly and clearly what you believe or who you support