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Nail vs Jail - What's the difference?

nail | jail |

As nouns the difference between nail and jail

is that nail is the thin, horny plate at the ends of fingers and toes on humans and some other animals while jail is a place for the confinement of persons held in lawful custody or detention, especially for minor offenses or with reference to some future judicial proceeding.

As verbs the difference between nail and jail

is that nail is to fix (an object) to another object using a nail while jail is to imprison.

nail

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) nail, nayl, (etyl) ).

Noun

(en noun)
  • 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.
  • *
    • 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.
  • 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).
    • 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 nail

    See also

    * claw * talon

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl)

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To fix (an object) to another object using a nail.
    • He nailed the placard to the post.
  • To drive a nail.
    • He used the ax head for nailing .
  • To stud or boss with nails, or as if with nails.
  • * Dryden
    • The rivets of your arms were nailed with gold.
  • (slang) To catch.
  • * 2005 , (Plato), Sophist . Translation by Lesley Brown. .
    • we'll nail the sophist to it, if we can get him on that charge;
  • (slang) To expose as a sham.
  • (slang) To accomplish (a task) completely and successfully.
    • I really nailed that test.
  • (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 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.}}
  • (slang) Of a male, to engage in sexual intercourse with.
    • 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
  • To spike, as a cannon.
    • (Crabb)
    Synonyms
    * (to engage in sexual intercourse) bang, fuck, pound, screw, shag (British)

    See also

    * (w) * (w) *

    Anagrams

    * * * * * ----

    jail

    English

    Alternative forms

    * gaol

    Noun

  • A place for the confinement of persons held in lawful custody or detention, especially for minor offenses or with reference to some future judicial proceeding.
  • * {{quote-book
    • , year = 1966 , title = , author= , page = 218 , edition = first , chapter = Part II, section 11 , passage = Taking a shower at the high school, Tommy (the Kitten) Cavanaugh kids Ugly Palmers. "Ugly, if you think the world is coming to an end," he says, "what are you wasting your time here at this jail for? You gonna need American history up there?" }}
  • (uncountable) Confinement in a jail.
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2011 , date=December 14 , author=Steven Morris , title=Devon woman jailed for 168 days for killing kitten in microwave , work=Guardian citation , page= , passage=He said Robins had not been in trouble with the law before and had no previous convictions. Jail would have an adverse effect on her and her three children as she was the main carer.}}
  • (horse racing) The condition created by the requirement that a horse claimed in a claiming race not be run at another track for some period of time (usually 30 days).
  • In dodgeball and related games, the area where players who have been struck by the ball are confined.

    • Usage notes

    * (prison) Like many nouns denoting places where people spend time, (term) requires no article after certain prepositions: hence , and so on. The forms (term), (term), and so on do exist, but tend to imply mere presence in the jail, rather than detention there. * Until Monopoly popularised the spelling jail' in the UK and Australia, ' gaol was the standard spelling in these countries.

    Synonyms

    * slammer

    Coordinate terms

    * (place of confinement) big house, hoosegow, prison

    Derived terms

    * jailbait * jailbird * jailbreak * jailer * jail fever * jailhouse * jail sentence

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To imprison.
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2013-08-10, volume=408, issue=8848, magazine=(The Economist)
    • , title= Can China clean up fast enough? , passage=It has jailed environmental activists and is planning to limit the power of judicial oversight by handing a state-approved body a monopoly over bringing environmental lawsuits.}}

    Synonyms

    * imprison