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MUSCOVITE Posted 14 years ago
Vocabulary

eating nails vs biting nails

Hi,

I guess I know what "biting nails" means (e.g. "stop biting your nails! it's disgusting!"), but the other expression is not clear at all.... What kind of nails are meant here? Iron nails? Fake nails on a girl's fingers? If you could explain?

mus-te
  

Top answer

I have never heard "eating nails" used as an expression. Can you give us a full quotation? There is "spitting nails", angry, and they are iron nails.

— Enoon

  • I have never heard "eating nails" used as an expression.
  • Can you give us a full quotation?
  • There is "spitting nails", angry, and they are iron nails.
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4 Answers
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I have never heard "eating nails" used as an expression. Can you give us a full quotation? There is "spitting nails", angry, and they are iron nails.
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This is what I have just found by googling:

FROM:

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.

eat nails definition

  1. tv.
    to do something extreme in extreme anger. (Probably refers to construction nail, buy may also be conceived of as finger nails. See also
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Ah. Now that I see that, "mad enough to eat nails" rings a bell. I would not say it's a common expression. You can't just say "eating nails", though, the way you can (in fact, must) "spitting nails":

He was eating nails. Wrong.
He was spitting nails. Right.
He was mad enough to eat
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enoonHe was eating nails. Wrong.He was spitting nails. Right.He was mad enough to eat nails. Right.He was mad enough to spit nails. Wrong.
That's interesting! Thanks!
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