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Hangnail vs Backfriend - What's the difference?

hangnail | backfriend |

As nouns the difference between hangnail and backfriend

is that hangnail is a loose, narrow strip of nail tissue protruding from the side edge and anchored near the base of a fingernail or toenail while backfriend is a false friend; a secret enemy.

hangnail

English

(wikipedia hangnail)

Noun

(en noun)
  • A loose, narrow strip of nail tissue protruding from the side edge and anchored near the base of a fingernail or toenail.
  • A pointed upper corner of the toenail (often created by improperly trimming by rounding the corner) that, as the nail grows, presses into the flesh or protrudes so that it may catch (“hang”) on stockings or shoes.

    • Usage notes

    The modern sense of “sharp corner of nail” appears in promotional podiatry literature.

    Synonyms

    * agnail

    Coordinate terms

    * whitlow

    backfriend

    English

    Alternative forms

    *

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A false friend; a secret enemy.
  • * c. 1702 , Roger L'Estrange:
    • Set the restless importunities of talebearers and backfriends against fair words and professions
  • * South:
    • Far is our church from encroaching upon the civil power; as some who are backfriends to both would maliciously insinuate.
  • * 1822 , Scott, Nigel :
    • Ye have back-friends , my lord, that is, un-friends, or to be plain, enemies.
  • A friend at one's back; a backer; one who does his best for another; a supporter.
  • * 1825 , Mich. Bruce's Lectures:
    • "Yet well's our day for this, we have a good backfriend that will gar our cause stand right again."
  • * 2010 , David Carkeet, Double Negative :
    • I've got a backfriend' to meet.'” “A '' backfriend' ?” “Yes. Evidently he had a late-night appointment with someone at Wabash. That was the way he liked to do it.”
  • A hangnail.