hung on the nail
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Put in pawn. The custom referred to is the old one of hanging each pawn on a nail, with a number attached, and giving the customer a duplicate thereof.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “hung on the nail” mean?
Put in pawn. The custom referred to is the old one of hanging each pawn on a nail, with a number attached, and giving the customer a duplicate thereof.
Is “hung on the nail” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.