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[-] ExcessShiv@lemmy.dbzer0.com 38 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago)

This depiction is not what the idiom means though, when you take it literally.

[-] huppakee@lemmy.world 5 points 15 hours ago

Actually i think in English you say you hit the nail on the head, so if you take it literally you can pick any head you like. In Dutch you'd say you hit a nail on it's head which is much clearer to someone who takes it literally.

[-] ExcessShiv@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)

Not really, the specification of "the head" would refer to the head of the nail in the context of the idiom, because that's the only thing in the idiom with a head so it's the only head it can refer to.

[-] huppakee@lemmy.world 4 points 15 hours ago

But if you take it literally it can be any head you see right, because you're not seeing it within the scope of the idiom but the scope of your direct surrounding? Otherwise nvm, i'm not a native speaker so whatever.

[-] Zarobi@aussie.zone 5 points 14 hours ago

No, you're right. It's just English being funny and context dependant. You can easily misread things by mistake. That's how a lot of puns and jokes work

this post was submitted on 19 Jul 2026
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