verb phrase🎓 English idiom

hit the nail on the head

to be exactly right

What it means

To describe or identify something exactly right, or to say precisely what is true about a situation. It praises an accurate, well-judged statement or guess.

Examples

  • You hit the nail on the head when you said he was just tired.
  • Her review hit the nail on the head about the film's weak ending.
  • I think you've hit the nail on the head with that explanation.
  • He hit the nail on the head about why the project failed.

Where it comes from

A carpentry image, striking a nail squarely and accurately rather than glancing off it. The figurative use is very old, appearing in English texts as early as the 16th century.

Related idioms

#see eye to eye#you can say that again#on the same page#cut to the chase

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