hit the nail on the head
/ˌhɪt ðə ˈneɪl ɒn ðə ˈhed/INFORMAL · B2
Meaning
to describe exactly what is causing a problem
Examples
- 1You've hit the nail on the head – the real problem is that nobody reads the instructions.
- 2The teacher's comment really hit the nail on the head – my essays needed more examples.
- 3When Ben blamed the slow website for our lost customers, he hit the nail on the head.
- 4I think Priya hit the nail on the head: the flat feels cold because the windows are so old.
- 5Does his explanation hit the nail on the head, or is there another reason why sales have dropped?
Grammar
hit has the same past form: hit, hit. Keep both articles: the nail, the head.
More idioms about communication
All 20 idioms and the topic quiz →get the wrong end of the stickto misunderstand what someone meansspeak your mindto say honestly and directly what you thinkword of mouthnews passed on by people telling each otherto cut a long story shortused to give only the main point of what happenedall earslistening eagerly and with full attentionhear something on the grapevineto learn news that people pass on informally
English Idioms400 idioms in 20 topics — with reviews that keep them from fading
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