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Glite Dictionary
👢 A boot nail 👢 To add boot nails
to hobnail

to hobnail

9.9
To put short nails with thick heads into boot soles to make the boots last and give better grip
  • verb
  • /ˈhɑbˌneɪl/
  • Archaic
translation icon : clavar clavos de hobnail
  • hobnailed boots

Examples

  • Come on, you hobnail heroes!

    Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938)

  • The sun had already passed beyond the hobnailed steeple, and the shadows of the houses lengthened across the village steps.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • He decided to hobnail his old boots to make them more durable for hiking.

  • Before the rainy season, she planned to hobnail her shoes to ensure a better grip on slippery surfaces.

  • To prepare for the rough terrain, they hobnailed their footwear for added traction.

Surface Forms

hobnail infinitive
hobnailed past
hobnailed past participle
hobnailing present participle
hobnails third person singular

Etymology

Hobnail (verb) comes from the noun hobnail and means to put those thick-headed nails into a shoe or boot sole to make it last longer and give better 'grip'.