Visual Vocabulary - To Hit the Nail on the Head - English Vocabulary - Speak English Fluently
21,703 views ・ 2016-11-27
Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.
00:00
Welcome to Visual Vocabulary, the new animated
series from EnglishAnyone.com that helps you
0
789
5521
00:06
learn useful English expressions the same
way native speakers do so you can master them
1
6310
4950
00:11
quickly, AND start using them confidently
in your conversations today!
2
11260
5450
00:16
Today’s expression is “to hit the nail
on the head.”
3
16710
5250
00:21
This is a very common idiom meaning to do
or say something exactly right.
4
21960
5530
00:27
A nail consists of three parts, the point
at the end, the long shaft, called the shank,
5
27490
6800
00:34
and the head.
6
34290
1980
00:36
When hitting the head of a nail with a hammer,
you sometimes don’t strike the nail perfectly,
7
36270
5140
00:41
leading the nail to bend or move in a way
that makes it difficult to drive into the
8
41410
4660
00:46
wood.
9
46070
1680
00:47
But when you hit the nail on the head perfectly,
the nail slides quickly and easily into the
10
47750
5320
00:53
wood.
11
53070
1740
00:54
From this physical idea, we get the figurative
idea of doing or saying something perfectly
12
54810
5179
00:59
when we “hit the nail on the head.”
13
59989
3221
01:03
The “nail” in this case may be an action
we perform, or something we say that’s perfect
14
63210
5100
01:08
for the situation.
15
68310
2510
01:10
to hit the nail on the head
16
70820
2720
01:13
to hit the nail on the head
17
73540
1710
01:15
“To o hit the nail on the head” can be
used in both professional and casual situations:
18
75250
6330
01:21
A: Tom had a really great idea about how to
solve the problem with the product.
19
81580
5170
01:26
B: Yeah!
20
86750
1280
01:28
He really hit the nail on the head.
21
88030
2670
01:30
A: Your sister hit the nail on the head when
she got a perfect 10 at the gymnastics competition.
22
90700
6010
01:36
B: I know!
23
96710
1530
01:38
She’s been practicing for a really long
time.
24
98240
4000
01:42
A: What do you think of the idea?
25
102240
2890
01:45
B: You didn’t quite hit the nail on the
head, but you’re not far off.
26
105130
4640
01:49
A: I’m a bit worried about my presentation.
27
109770
4320
01:54
Are you sure it’s OK?
28
114090
1520
01:55
B: Don’t worry.
29
115610
1470
01:57
You’re guaranteed to hit the nail on the
head!
30
117080
3280
02:00
Well, that’s the end of this lesson.
31
120360
3660
02:04
But if you feel like you’re not hitting
the nail on the head with your language learning,
32
124020
4099
02:08
take our free English fluency test by clicking
on the link in this video!
33
128119
5510
02:13
This quick, simple test will show you exactly
what to focus on so you can finally become
34
133629
4631
02:18
a successful, confident English speaker 2,
3 or even 10 times faster!
35
138260
5990
02:24
Click on the link in this video to take your
free test now, and get personalized advice
36
144250
4560
02:28
that will help you see immediate improvement
in your spoken English.
37
148810
4450
02:33
Have a fantastic day, be sure to click that
like button, and we’ll see you in the next
38
153260
4800
02:38
lesson!
39
158060
279
New videos
Original video on YouTube.com
About this website
This site will introduce you to YouTube videos that are useful for learning English. You will see English lessons taught by top-notch teachers from around the world. Double-click on the English subtitles displayed on each video page to play the video from there. The subtitles scroll in sync with the video playback. If you have any comments or requests, please contact us using this contact form.