Visual Vocabulary - To Hit the Nail on the Head - English Vocabulary - Speak English Fluently

21,714 views ・ 2016-11-27

EnglishAnyone


Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.

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Welcome to Visual Vocabulary, the new animated series from EnglishAnyone.com that helps you
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learn useful English expressions the same way native speakers do so you can master them
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quickly, AND start using them confidently in your conversations today!
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Today’s expression is “to hit the nail on the head.”
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This is a very common idiom meaning to do or say something exactly right.
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A nail consists of three parts, the point at the end, the long shaft, called the shank,
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and the head.
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When hitting the head of a nail with a hammer, you sometimes don’t strike the nail perfectly,
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leading the nail to bend or move in a way that makes it difficult to drive into the
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wood.
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But when you hit the nail on the head perfectly, the nail slides quickly and easily into the
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wood.
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From this physical idea, we get the figurative idea of doing or saying something perfectly
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when we “hit the nail on the head.”
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The “nail” in this case may be an action we perform, or something we say that’s perfect
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for the situation.
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to hit the nail on the head
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to hit the nail on the head
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“To o hit the nail on the head” can be used in both professional and casual situations:
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A: Tom had a really great idea about how to solve the problem with the product.
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B: Yeah!
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He really hit the nail on the head.
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A: Your sister hit the nail on the head when she got a perfect 10 at the gymnastics competition.
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B: I know!
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She’s been practicing for a really long time.
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A: What do you think of the idea?
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B: You didn’t quite hit the nail on the head, but you’re not far off.
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A: I’m a bit worried about my presentation.
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Are you sure it’s OK?
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B: Don’t worry.
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You’re guaranteed to hit the nail on the head!
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Well, that’s the end of this lesson.
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But if you feel like you’re not hitting the nail on the head with your language learning,
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take our free English fluency test by clicking on the link in this video!
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This quick, simple test will show you exactly what to focus on so you can finally become
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a successful, confident English speaker 2, 3 or even 10 times faster!
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Click on the link in this video to take your free test now, and get personalized advice
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that will help you see immediate improvement in your spoken English.
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Have a fantastic day, be sure to click that like button, and we’ll see you in the next
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lesson!
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