Hangnail
[hang-neyl] /ˈhæŋˌneɪl/
noun
1.
a small piece of partly detached skin at the side or base of the fingernail.
/ˈhæŋˌneɪl/
noun
1.
a piece of skin torn away from, but still attached to, the base or side of a fingernail
n.
also hang-nail, 1670s, apparently from hang (v.) + (finger) nail, but probably folk etymology from Old English agnail “a corn on the foot, painful spike (in the flesh)” from Proto-Germanic *ang- “compressed, hard, painful” (from PIE *angh- “tight, painfully constricted, painful;” see anger) + Old English nægl “spike” (see nail (n.)).
hangnail hang·nail (hāng’nāl’)
n.
A small piece of dead skin at the side or the base of a fingernail that is partly detached from the rest of the skin.
Read Also:
- Hang-on
[hang-on, -awn] /ˈhæŋˌɒn, -ˌɔn/ Informal. noun 1. something easily attached to or mounted on another surface or object, as a turbocharger or transceiver in an automobile, a unit suspendable from shelving, or a portable soap dish. adjective 2. pertaining to or denoting such an attachment: A clumsy hang-on unit supplied the air conditioning.
- Hang on to your hat
Also, hold your hat. An expression warning someone of a big surprise. For example, Hang on to your hat, we’re about to go public, or Hold your hat—we just won the lottery. This expression may allude, according to lexicographer Eric Partridge, to a wild ride on a rollercoaster. [ ; first half of 1900s ]
- Hangout
[hang-out] /ˈhæŋˌaʊt/ noun, Informal. 1. a place where a person frequently visits, especially for socializing or recreation. noun noun Complete disclosure; total openness: a ”modified limited hang-out,” meaning a response that would satisfy Watergate investigators while disclosing as little as possible (1960s+) Related Terms go the hang-out road
- Hang out the laundry
verb phrase To drop paratroops from an aircraft (WWII Air Forces)
- Hang out the wash
verb phrase To hit a hard line drive [1930s+ Baseball; because the ball’s path resembles a taut clothesline]