Meanings
present singular third person hits the nail on the head · participle present hitting the nail on the head
- idiomaticTo identify something exactly; to arrive at exactly the right answer.
He hit the nail on the head when he said the problem was the thermostat.
1 more example
"Scotte's discovery of Witchcraft dismasketh sundry egregious impostures, and in certaine principall chapters, and speciall passages, hitteth the nayle on the head with a witnesse."
1593, Gabriel Harvey, Pierce's Supererogation, or A New Praise Of The Old Ass, page 291Synonyms: nail it, nail the hammer on the head
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo identify something exactly; to arrive at exactly the right answer.
Translations
Catalan justa la fusta
- justa la fustaidentify something exactly
Chinese Mandarin 一針見血 /一针见血
- 一針見血 /一针见血 (yīzhēnjiànxiě)identify something exactly
Czech uhodit hřebíček na hlavičku, udeřit hřebíček na hlavičku
- uhodit hřebíček na hlavičkuidentify something exactly
- udeřit hřebíček na hlavičkuidentify something exactly
Danish ramme hovedet på sømmet
- ramme hovedet på sømmetidentify something exactly
Dutch de spijker op de kop slaan
- de spijker op de kop slaanidentify something exactly
Finnish osua naulan kantaan
- osua naulan kantaanidentify something exactly
French faire mouche, taper dans le mille
- faire moucheidentify something exactly
- taper dans le milleidentify something exactly
- mettre dans le milleidentify something exactly
German den Nagel auf den Kopf treffen, ins Schwarze treffen
- den Nagel auf den Kopf treffenidentify something exactly
- ins Schwarze treffenidentify something exactly
Hungarian fején találja a szöget
- fején találja a szögetidentify something exactly
Icelandic hitta naglann á höfuðið, eiga kollgátuna
- hitta naglann á höfuðiðidentify something exactly
- eiga kollgátunaidentify something exactly
- hitta í markidentify something exactly
- koma orðum að kjarna málsidentify something exactly
- tilgreina kjarna málsidentify something exactly
Italian colpire nel segno, fare centro
- colpire nel segnoidentify something exactly
- fare centroidentify something exactly
Latin rem acū tangō, acū tangō
- rem acū tangōidentify something exactly
- acū tangōidentify something exactly
Lithuanian durti kaip pirštu į akį
- durti kaip pirštu į akįidentify something exactly
Polish trafiać w sedno, trafić w sedno
- trafiać w sednoidentify something exactly
- trafić w sednoidentify something exactly
Portuguese acertar em cheio
- acertar em cheioidentify something exactly
Russian попа́сть не в бровь, а в глаз, попа́сть в то́чку
- попа́сть не в бровь, а в глаз (popástʹ ne v brovʹ, a v glaz)identify something exactly
- попа́сть в то́чку (popástʹ v tóčku)identify something exactly
Spanish dar en el blanco, dar en el clavo
- dar en el blancoidentify something exactly
- dar en el clavoidentify something exactly
- clavarla en el ánguloidentify something exactly
- acertaridentify something exactly
- hacerlo bienidentify something exactly
Swedish slå huvudet på spiken
- slå huvudet på spikenidentify something exactly
Turkish tam üstüne basmak, taşı gediğine koymak
- tam üstüne basmakidentify something exactly
- taşı gediğine koymakidentify something exactly
- taşı yerine koymakidentify something exactly
Ukrainian попа́сти в то́чку, приткну́ти як вужа́ ви́лами
- попа́сти в то́чку (popásty v tóčku)identify something exactly
- приткну́ти як вужа́ ви́лами (prytknúty jak vužá výlamy)identify something exactly
- у самі́сіньке о́ко вці́лити (u samísinʹke óko vcílyty)identify something exactly
Cite this entry
hit the nail on the head. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hit%20the%20nail%20on%20the%20head
“hit the nail on the head.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hit%20the%20nail%20on%20the%20head. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hit the nail on the head,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hit%20the%20nail%20on%20the%20head.
Source: hit the nail on the head on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.