on the nail
American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms:
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on the nail
1.
Immediately, without delay, as in He paid us back on the nail. [c. 1600]
2.
Under discussion or consideration, as in The subject of the budget deficit has been on the nail for some time. [Late 1800s] The precise allusion in these expressions has been lost. Neither has any connection to
hit the nail on the head (see under hit the bull's-eye).
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American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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