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Glite Dictionary
nail varnish

nail varnish

1 2.7
A colored or clear liquid you put on nails to make them look shiny and protect them
  • noun
  • /neɪl ˈvɑrnɪʃ/
  • UK
translation icon : esmalte de uñas
  • Jeanie Daniels is such a victim of this in-your-face tyranny, as she was told to put her nail varnish away because of the smell.

Examples

  • And in a week's time, I will send you all five of these nail varnishes because I'm never going to use them, and I'll send them all to you.

  • Annoyingly, after I Add all the nail varnish and let it dry, guess what?

  • Let me put a little bit off nail varnish on there to protect that.

  • "Did you bring the nail varnish remover?" Grandfather

    Fiction book (2002)

  • Careful, my nail varnish!

    Dr. No (1962)

  • Daniels decided to take her act to the bathroom but was busted by a Southwest flight attendant who was lying in wait as she continued to use the nail varnish in the bathroom of the plane.

    Blog text (2)

  • Hair grips, nail varnish, throat pastilles, Syrup of Figs.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Then over here I've got my Ciate nail varnish, a couple of Charlotte Tilbury bits and also the so we've rose gold and pink my brushes.

  • She applied bright red nail varnish to her toenails before the beach trip.

  • He picked a bottle of blue nail varnish to match his outfit for the party.

Synonyms

polish
vsnail varnish
81 2.7

A substance used to make a surface smooth and shiny

is a cosmetic liquid for fingers and toes rather than a rubbed surface cleaner
nail polish
vsnail varnish
40 1.8

A colored or clear paint you put on fingernails and toenails to give them color and shine

is aimed at protection and decoration rather than only adding color or shine
varnish
vsnail varnish
12 4.4

A clear hard shiny layer put on wood to protect it and make it shine

is specifically cosmetic for fingers and toes rather than general surface protection
nail enamel
vsnail varnish
1 2.8

A colored or shiny liquid you put on nails to make them look good

is a cosmetic liquid that emphasizes protection and decoration for fingers or toes

How Shiny

to gloss
1 4.0
nail varnish
  • UK
1 2.7
matte
  • US
14 5.3

Surface Forms

nail varnish singular
nail varnishes plural
nail polishes plural
nail polish singular

Morphology

nail + varnish

The meaning is directly compositional: 'nail' (finger/toe covering) combined with 'varnish' (a protective/decorative coating) yields a coating applied to nails. This construction is transparent and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The noun nail varnish comes from the idea of putting a shiny liquid called varnish on the nail, much like the varnish people use on wood. That's why the term means a liquid that 'protects' and 'decorates' fingernails or toenails.