dar en el clavo

Word by word

strike · on · the · nail

Idiomatic sense

To hit the point exactly. A remark, a guess, a diagnosis of a problem. The nail is struck, not missed.

It praises accuracy. It is not a phrase for winning an argument by force, and it is not the literal hammer.

Examples

1. Diste en el clavo con ese comentario.

   You hit the nail on the head with that remark.

2. No sé si di en el clavo.

   I'm not sure I got it exactly right.

Equivalents

Marks say how far the other phrase travels with this one. How to read them.

1. exact

   English

   to hit the nail on the head

   The same nail, the same accuracy, the same praise.

2. exact

   German

   den Nagel auf den Kopf treffen

   To hit the nail on the head. Same picture again.

3. near

   French

   mettre dans le mille

   To hit the bull's-eye. Same praise of exactness, a target instead of a nail.

4. near

   Japanese

   図星を言う

   To say the thing that hits the mark, often the thing the other person hoped would stay unnamed. Very close when the remark is the point.

Notes

Dar el clavo, without en, is not this idiom and wanders into other slang. Keep the preposition.

Sources

• Standard idiom. Wording is original.