Ail vs Nail - What's the difference?
ail | nail |
(obsolete) Painful; troublesome.
To cause to suffer; to trouble, afflict. (Now chiefly in interrogative or indefinite constructions.)
* Bible, Genesis xxi. 17
* 2011 , "Connubial bliss in America", The Economist :
To be ill; to suffer; to be troubled.
* Richardson
The thin, horny plate at the ends of fingers and toes on humans and some other animals.
The basal thickened portion of the anterior wings of certain hemiptera.
The terminal horny plate on the beak of ducks, and other allied birds.
A spike-shaped metal fastener used for joining wood or similar materials. The nail is generally driven through two or more layers of material by means of impacts from a hammer or other device. It is then held in place by friction.
*
A round pedestal on which merchants once carried out their business, such as the four nails outside .
An archaic English unit of length equivalent to 1/20th of an ell or 1/16th of a yard (2.25 inches or 5.715 cm).
To fix (an object) to another object using a nail.
To drive a nail.
To stud or boss with nails, or as if with nails.
* Dryden
(slang) To catch.
* 2005 , (Plato), Sophist . Translation by Lesley Brown. .
(slang) To expose as a sham.
(slang) To accomplish (a task) completely and successfully.
(slang) To hit (a target) effectively with some weapon.
* {{quote-news
, year=2011
, date=October 1
, author=Tom Fordyce
, title=Rugby World Cup 2011: England 16-12 Scotland
, work=BBC Sport
(slang) Of a male, to engage in sexual intercourse with.
To spike, as a cannon.
In transitive terms the difference between ail and nail
is that ail is to cause to suffer; to trouble, afflict. (Now chiefly in interrogative or indefinite constructions. while nail is to stud or boss with nails, or as if with nails.In intransitive terms the difference between ail and nail
is that ail is to be ill; to suffer; to be troubled while nail is to drive a nail.As an adjective ail
is painful; troublesome.ail
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl) (m), (m), from (etyl) .Adjective
(en-adj)Etymology 2
From (etyl) .Verb
(en verb)- Have some chicken soup. It's good for what ails you.
- What aileth thee, Hagar?
- Not content with having in 1996 put a Defence of Marriage Act (DOMA) on the statue book, Congress has now begun to hold hearings on a Respect for Marriage Act. Defended, respected: what could possibly ail marriage in America?
- When he ails ever so little he is so peevish.
Quotations
* (English Citations of "ail")Etymology 3
From (etyl) .Anagrams
* * ----nail
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl) nail, nayl, (etyl) ).Noun
(en noun)- Orion hit a rabbit once; but though sore wounded it got to the bury, and, struggling in, the arrow caught the side of the hole and was drawn out. Indeed, a nail filed sharp is not of much avail as an arrowhead; you must have it barbed, and that was a little beyond our skill.
Derived terms
* eightpenny nail * fourpenny nail * hangnail * hard as nails * hit the nail on the head * (l) * nail file / nail-file / nailfile * nail polish * (l) * (l) * on the nail * fingernail * rusty nail * sixpenny nail * spit nails * straw nail * tenpenny nail * toenail * twelvepenny nailSee also
* claw * talonEtymology 2
From (etyl)Verb
(en verb)- He nailed the placard to the post.
- He used the ax head for nailing .
- The rivets of your arms were nailed with gold.
- we'll nail the sophist to it, if we can get him on that charge;
- I really nailed that test.
citation, page= , passage=Fly-half Ruaridh Jackson departed early with injury but Chris Paterson nailed a penalty from wide out left to give Scotland an early lead, and Jackson's replacement Dan Parks added three more points with a penalty which skimmed over the crossbar.}}
- There’s a benefit gala at the Boston Pops tonight, and... well, I’m trying to nail the flautist.'' - Brian Griffin in the TV series ''Family Guy
- (Crabb)