Nail
[neɪl] or [nel]
Definition
(noun.) a thin pointed piece of metal that is hammered into materials as a fastener.
(noun.) horny plate covering and protecting part of the dorsal surface of the digits.
(noun.) a former unit of length for cloth equal to 1/16 of a yard.
(verb.) attach something somewhere by means of nails; 'nail the board onto the wall'.
Inputed by Bertha--From WordNet
Definition
(n.) the horny scale of plate of epidermis at the end of the fingers and toes of man and many apes.
(n.) The basal thickened portion of the anterior wings of certain hemiptera.
(n.) The terminal horny plate on the beak of ducks, and other allied birds.
(n.) A slender, pointed piece of metal, usually with a head, used for fastening pieces of wood or other material together, by being driven into or through them.
(a.) A measure of length, being two inches and a quarter, or the sixteenth of a yard.
(n.) To fasten with a nail or nails; to close up or secure by means of nails; as, to nail boards to the beams.
(n.) To stud or boss with nails, or as with nails.
(n.) To fasten, as with a nail; to bind or hold, as to a bargain or to acquiescence in an argument or assertion; hence, to catch; to trap.
(n.) To spike, as a cannon.
Typed by Hiram
Synonyms and Synonymous
n. Claw, talon.
Inputed by Enoch
Definition
n. one of the flattened elastic horny plates placed as protective coverings on the dorsal surface of the terminal phalanges of the fingers and toes: the claw of a bird or other animal: a thin pointed piece of metal for fastening wood: a measure of length (2?inches):—v.t. to fasten with nails: to make certain: to confirm pin down hold fast: to catch or secure through promptitude; to trip up or expose.—ns. Nail′-brush a small brush for cleaning the nails; Nail′er one whose trade is to make nails; Nail′ery a place where nails are made.—adj. Nail′-head′ed having a head like that of a nail: formed like nail-heads said of ornamental marks on cloth and on certain kinds of mouldings (dog-tooth).—n. Nail′-rod a strip cut from an iron plate to be made into nails: a trade name for a strong kind of manufactured tobacco.—Nail to the counter to expose publicly as false from the habit of nailing a counterfeit coin to a shop counter.—Drive a nail in one's coffin (see Coffin); Hit the nail on the head to touch the exact point; On the nail on the spot: immediately: without delay.
Editor: Ned
Unserious Contents or Definition
To dream of soiled finger-nails, forbodes disgrace in your family by the wild escapades of the young. To see well-kept nails, indicates scholarly tastes and some literary attainments; also, thrift.
To see nails in your dreams, indicates much toil and small recompense. To deal in nails, shows that you will engage in honorable work, even if it be lowly. To see rusty or broken nails, indicates sickness and failure in business.
Checked by Klaus
Examples
- At it they went, tooth and nail. Charles Dickens. The Pickwick Papers.
- In the early form of the revolver the empty cartridge cases had to be ejected from the cylinder singly by an ejector rod or handy nail. Various. The Wonder Book of Knowledge.
- He is taller by almost the breadth of my nail, than any of his court; which alone is enough to strike an awe into the beholders. Jonathan Swift. Gulliver's Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World.
- Mr. Chadband, leaning forward over the table, pierces what he has got to follow directly into Mr. Snagsby with the thumb-nail already mentioned. Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- If a soft iron nail (Fig. 212) or its equivalent is slipped within the coil, the lifting and attractive power of the coil is increased, and comparatively heavy weights can be lifted. Bertha M. Clark. General Science.
- He then called my attention to a little looking-glass hanging from a nail on one side of the chimney-piece. Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- When a man steals cattle, they cut off his right hand and left leg and nail them up in the marketplace as a warning to everybody. Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
- Sometimes I would meet him in the neighbourhood lounging about and biting his nails. Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- He made experiments, and at last succeeded in rendering the copper negatively electrical by the use of small pieces of tin, zinc, or iron nails. Rupert S. Holland. Historic Inventions.
- Such a workman at the rate of a thousand nails a-day, and three hundred working days in the year, will make three hundred thousand nails in the year. Adam Smith. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.
- If Miss Mowcher cuts the Prince's nails, she must be all right. Charles Dickens. David Copperfield.
- Their bodies were smaller and lighter in color, and their fingers and toes bore the rudiments of nails, which were entirely lacking among the males. Edgar Rice Burroughs. A Princess of Mars.
- As nails,' added Charley Bates. Charles Dickens. Oliver Twist.
- Then, when you don't want to bite your nails, bite them, make yourself bite them. D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- Somebody has nailed this wooden seat in. D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- The boy gathers up his change and has pulled the door open by a leather strap nailed to it for the purpose, when Venus cries out: 'Stop him! Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- There is a layer of felt nailed to the sides, ceiling, and floor of the room, and on this is nailed the sheet iron. William K. David. Secrets of Wise Men, Chemists and Great Physicians.
- The carpet seemed continuous and firmly nailed, so I dismissed the idea of a trap-door. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Return of Sherlock Holmes.
- But for that outfit, we should have discovered a new nightgown or petticoat among Rosanna's things, and have nailed her in that way. Wilkie Collins. The Moonstone.
- He was for any description of policy, in the compass of a week; and nailed all sorts of colours to every denomination of mast. Charles Dickens. David Copperfield.
- And my hands seem nailed through to the sculls. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- It is made by setting rough posts into the ground with the inner sides straight or faced with the ax, and then nailing common rough boards on them (like a tight fence) to a sufficient height. William K. David. Secrets of Wise Men, Chemists and Great Physicians.
Checked by Clifton