What is the difference between nail and tack?
nail | tack |
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.
A small nail with a flat head.
* 2012 , July 15. Richard Williams in Guardian Unlimited,
A thumbtack.
(sewing) A loose seam used to temporarily fasten pieces of cloth.
(nautical) The lower corner on the leading edge of a sail relative to the direction of the wind.
(nautical) A course or heading that enables a sailing vessel to head upwind. See also reach, gybe.
A direction or course of action, especially a new one.
* 1994 , Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom , Abacus 2010, p. 637:
(nautical) The maneuver by which a sailing vessel turns its bow through the wind so that the wind changes from one side to the other.
(nautical) The distance a sailing vessel runs between these maneuvers when working to windward; a board.
(nautical) A rope used to hold in place the foremost lower corners of the courses when the vessel is close-hauled; also, a rope employed to pull the lower corner of a studding sail to the boom.
Any of the various equipment and accessories worn by horses in the course of their use as domesticated animals. Saddles, stirrups, bridles, halters, reins, bits, harnesses, martingales, and breastplates are all forms of horse tack .
(manufacturing, construction, chemistry) The stickiness of a compound, related to its cohesive and adhesive properties.
Hardtack.
* 1913 , D. H. Lawrence, "Sons and Lovers":
That which is attached; a supplement; an appendix.
* Bishop Burnet
(legal, Scotland) A contract by which the use of a thing is set, or let, for hire; a lease.
(obsolete) Confidence; reliance.
To nail with a tack (small nail with a flat head).
To sew/stich with a tack (loose seam used to temporarily fasten pieces of cloth).
(nautical) To maneuver a sailing vessel so that its bow turns through the wind, i.e. the wind changes from one side of the vessel to the other.
To add something as an extra item.
Often paired with "up", to place the tack on a horse.
Tack is a synonym of nail.
As nouns the difference between nail and tack
is that nail is the thin, horny plate at the ends of fingers and toes on humans and some other animals while tack is a small nail with a flat head.As verbs the difference between nail and tack
is that nail is to fix (an object) to another object using a nail while tack is to nail with a tack (small nail with a flat head).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)
Synonyms
* (to engage in sexual intercourse) bang, fuck, pound, screw, shag (British)See also
* (w) * (w) *Anagrams
* * * * * ----tack
English
Etymology 1
From , probably from a (etyl) source.Noun
(en noun)Tour de France 2012: Carpet tacks cannot force Bradley Wiggins off track
- A tough test for even the strongest climber, it was new to the Tour de France this year, but its debut will be remembered for the wrong reasons after one of those spectators scattered carpet tacks on the road and induced around 30 punctures among the group of riders including Bradley Wiggins, the Tour's overall leader, and his chief rivals.
- I thought that my refusing Barnard would alienate Botha, and decided that such a tack was too risky.
- The laminate adhesive has very aggressive tack and is hard to move once in place.
- "But if a woman's got nothing but her fair fame to feed on, why, it's thin tack , and a donkey would die of it!"
- Some tacks had been made to money bills in King Charles's time.
- (Macaulay)
- (Burrill)
- (Halliwell)
Synonyms
* (nautical maneuver) coming aboutHyponyms
* (nail-like object for affixing thin things) thumbtackDerived terms
* Blu-Tack * hardtack * thumbtackVerb
(en verb)- to tack (something) onto (something)