# hit the nail on the head

idiom · CEFR B1

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/hit-the-nail-on-the-head
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To identify something exactly; to arrive at exactly the right answer.

## Examples

- You hit the nail on the head with that answer.
- When she said the problem was poor communication, she hit the nail on the head.
- The critic hit the nail on the head when he wrote that the film's real weakness was its slow, confusing script.

## Origin

From carpentry — striking the nail squarely; figurative use attested as early as The Book of Margery Kempe (c. 1438).

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.