nail someone to the wall

verb

to punish or discipline extremely harshly.

Similar
have someone's headgive someone what forteach someone a lessonamercecastigatechastenchastisecome down on
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verbnail someone to the wall (third-person singular simple present nails someone to the wall, present participle nailing someone to the wall, simple past and past participle nailed someone to the wall)

present singular third person nails someone to the wall · participle present nailing someone to the wall · participle past nailed someone to the wall · past nailed someone to the wall

  1. to punish or discipline extremely harshly.

    They would find him with the file he never sent in, nail him to the wall. There would be no time for explanations. His unmarked body would be found floating down the Charles

    2000, Alvin L. Ureles, The Mizar Project, page 209

    Synonyms: have someone's head, give someone what for, teach someone a lesson, amerce, castigate, chasten, chastise, come down on

Synonyms & antonyms

verbto punish or discipline extremely harshly.

Similar
have someone's headgive someone what forteach someone a lessonamercecastigatechastenchastisecome down oncorrectfix someone's wagonhave someone's guts for gartershave someone's headhave someone's hidegive it to someonegive someone what forgive what forgruelmalavoguepenalize
Also see
amercechastenchastisecorrectfix someone's wagongive it to someonegive what forgruelhave someone's guts for gartershave someone's headhave someone's hidepenalizepenancepunishtan someone's hidetar outteach someone a lesson
Cite this entry
APA

nail someone to the wall. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nail%20someone%20to%20the%20wall

MLA

“nail someone to the wall.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nail%20someone%20to%20the%20wall. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nail someone to the wall,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nail%20someone%20to%20the%20wall.

Source: nail someone to the wall on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.