Meanings
verbnail to the counter (third-person singular simple present nails to the counter, present participle nailing to the counter, simple past and past participle nailed to the counter)
present singular third person nails to the counter · participle present nailing to the counter · participle past nailed to the counter · past nailed to the counter
Origin
From the old practice of nailing a counterfeit coin to a shop counter.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
nail to the counter. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nail%20to%20the%20counter
MLA
“nail to the counter.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nail%20to%20the%20counter. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nail to the counter,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nail%20to%20the%20counter.
Source: nail to the counter on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.