nail. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

nail


PRONUNCIATION:	nl
NOUN:	1. A slim, pointed piece of metal hammered into material as a fastener. 2a. A fingernail or toenail. b. A claw or talon. 3. Something resembling a nail in shape, sharpness, or use. 4. A measure of length formerly used for cloth, equal to ¹/₁₆ yard (5.7 centimeters).
TRANSITIVE VERB:	Inflected forms: nailed, nail·ing, nails 1. To fasten, join, or attach with or as if with a nail. 2. To cover, enclose, or shut by fastening with nails: nail up a window. 3. To keep fixed, motionless, or intent: Fear nailed me to my seat. 4. Slang a. To stop and seize; catch: Police nailed the suspect. b. To detect and expose: nailed the senator in a lie; nail corruption before it gets out of control. 5. Slang a. To strike or bring down: nail a bird in flight; nail a running back. b. To perform successfully or have noteworthy success in: nailed the dive; nailed the exam. 6. Baseball To put out (a base runner).
PHRASAL VERB:	nail down 1. To discover or establish conclusively: nailed down the story by checking all the facts. 2. To win: nailed down another victory in the golf tournament. 3. To specify or fix: We were finally able to nail down a meeting time.
ETYMOLOGY:	Middle English, from Old English nægl, fingernail, toenail. See nogh- in Appendix I.
OTHER FORMS:	nailer —NOUN


The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.