to hit the needle
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Hit the right nail on the head, to make a perfect hit. A term in archery, equal to hitting the bull's-eye.
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 “to hit the needle” mean?
Hit the right nail on the head, to make a perfect hit. A term in archery, equal to hitting the bull's-eye.
Is “to hit the needle” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.