Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
1,517,205,566 visitors served.
forum mailing list For webmasters
?
New: Language forums
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

nail down

   Also found in: Medical, Legal, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.10 sec.
nail  (nl)
n.
1. A slim, pointed piece of metal hammered into material as a fastener.
2.
a. 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).
tr.v. 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.

[Middle English, from Old English nægl, fingernail, toenail; see nogh- in Indo-European roots.]

nailer n.
click for a larger image
nail
left to right: common, finishing, ring, and roofing nails

nail down
Verb
1. to secure or fasten down with nails or as if with nails
2. to force an agreement from
3. to settle in a definite way: a compromise was agreed in principle but has not yet been nailed down
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Verb1.nail downnail down - succeed in obtaining a position; "He nailed down a spot at Harvard"
bring home the bacon, deliver the goods, succeed, win, come through - attain success or reach a desired goal; "The enterprise succeeded"; "We succeeded in getting tickets to the show"; "she struggled to overcome her handicap and won"
2.nail down - define clearly; "I cannot narrow down the rules for this game"
determine - fix in scope; fix the boundaries of; "the tree determines the border of the property"
concretize - make something concrete
3.nail down - make final; put the last touches on; put into final form; "let's finalize the proposal"
terminate, end - bring to an end or halt; "She ended their friendship when she found out that he had once been convicted of a crime"; "The attack on Poland terminated the relatively peaceful period after WW I"


How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Email
Feedback
Add definition
? Mentioned in
 
Dictionary/thesaurus browser? ? Full browser
 
 
Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Translations
?

Disclaimer | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2009 Farlex, Inc.
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Terms of Use.