This post explains the noun phraseA ‘nailed on‘. If you have questions or comments, please email us at: admin@languagecaster.com.
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Football Language: Nailed on
If something is nailed on, it is certain to happen, the outcome can be easily predicted. A nail is an object used in construction for securing parts together. If you nail something down or together, you make it secure. This feeling of security carries over to the phrase nailed on, so we say in football, for example, this game is a nailed on win – we are sure that our team will win; the result and prediction is safe. The phrase is also used a lot with penalty decisions, For example, we can say it was a nailed on penalty – a definite penalty.
Here is an example from a match report on Manchester United and Manchester City in The Telegraph: “Ashley Young should already have conceded a penalty in the first half for a handball, but his challenge on Sergio Aguero in the second half was not only a nailed-on penalty, but also a definite red card for the United player.“
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