- the thin hard layer covering the outer tip of the fingers or toes
- Stop biting your nails!
- nail clippers
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.
Oxford Collocations DictionaryadjectiveTopics Bodyb1- long
- short
- sharp
- …
- bite
- chew
- do
- …
- grow
- break
- split
- …
- care
- brush
- clippers
- …
- under your nail
- 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 improvementDecorating and home improvementHousescompare screw, tack- 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
- 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
- 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
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- long
- small
- six-inch
- …
- drive
- hammer
- knock
- …
- stick out
- stick up
- head
- hole
- bomb
- …
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
See nail in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionaryfight 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.
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 idiomsSimiles 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
Check pronunciation:
nail