I bet the expression you're thinking of is "hit the nail on the head" which has to do with striking a hammer against a nail perfectly on target. So the expression means to say something that really thoroughly answered the question. Maybe "hitting the rail on the head" is just a Mondegreen.
See related question below for information about Mondegreens.
Butthead
For "hit" meaning to deal a blow, other possible verbs are strike, smite, slug, punch, slap, backhand, clout, or cuff.For "hit" meaning to collide with, other possible verbs are bump, run (into), collide (with), and crash (into).
three year old what? girl hit her head and now has a bump and a bruse
Only if you're playing a video game. In real life, you're more likely to get 40 years.
If a ceiling was 2.5 cm high you would not be able to get into the room unless you were an envelope! However if the ceiling was 2.5 meters high then a 2 meter guy would miss the lamp by 459 cm. and thus would not hit it with his head. 2.5 meters = 2500 centimeters 2500 centimeters - 41 centimeters = 2459 centimeters. 2 meters = 2000 centimeters 2459 centimeters = 2000 centimeters = 459 centimeters = 0.459 meter gap between head and light.
important parts
you got it right
To 'hit the bottle' means to drink excessively, to get drunk.
To 'hit the bottle' means to drink excessively, to get drunk.
The meaning of this expression is to say something that perfectly expresses the subject, or provides the most accurate description of a situation. When you are hammering in a nail and you hit is squarely on the head you drive the point of the nail straight home, deep into the wood. If you miss the nail slightly, you may bend the nail, hit your thumb and make a mess of the wood. The expression 'hit the nail on the head' means that you have made the point clearly or described exactly what is causing a situation or problem. The saying, "Hit the nail on the head" is used to mean that you hit your mark, you understood or made the point exactly.
I have never heard this expression before. I suspect you heard something incorrectly. You should ask whoever said it to explain the meaning. There IS an idiom that says "hit the nail on the head" which means that someone conveyed exactly the right information or got something perfectly correct
The idiom "she hammered it in your head" means that someone emphasized or repeated something continuously until it was firmly understood or remembered by you. It implies a forceful or repetitive communication style to ensure a message gets through clearly.
Yes, Shel Silverstein has a poem called "Hit the Nail on the Head" that incorporates the idiom into its title. In this poem, Silverstein uses playful language and clever wordplay typical of his style to explore the meaning of the idiom.
No, "hit the hay" is an idiom that means to go to bed or go to sleep. It is not a metaphor, as it is a commonly used phrase with a specific meaning that is understood by native English speakers.
"Hit the ceiling" means to lose your temper and really get angry. The image is of a person getting so angry that when they jump up and down, their head hits the ceiling. You would use this idiom in a case where something really bad has happened, and you anticipate that someone will become furious as soon as they find out. When Dad finds out that I wrecked his car, he is going to hit the ceiling!
Lucky if you hit it. Commonly means lucky if you get it also. The odds are against you.
This is an idiom meaning to narrow your focus down. It can also mean to narrow your aim and focus on one thing to hit. Picture the zero as a target and you get the idea of the idiom.