English · Idiom Attested

hit the nail on the head

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To describe a situation or problem exactly right.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Mô tả tình huống hoặc vấn đề chính xác

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Literally: To strike a nail squarely on its head.

Agreeing emphatically with an accurate diagnosis or remark.

Where it’s used: Used Widespread English

“It’s not the price, it’s the trust.” — “Exactly. You’ve hit the nail on the head.”

Editorial example (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)

Sources & notes

Figurative class: Metaphor (PIE-English corpus, CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31).

Topics: Head

Common questions

What does “hit the nail on the head” mean?

To describe a situation or problem exactly right. Literally: To strike a nail squarely on its head.

Is “hit the nail on the head” formal or informal?

hit the nail on the head is generally neutral; connotation: approving.