sixpenny nail
- noun
- Specialized
:
clavo de seis peniques
- The carpenter selected a sixpenny nail for joining the two pieces of wood.
Examples
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When building a birdhouse, using a sixpenny nail ensures a sturdy construction.
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For the project, I needed a sixpenny nail that was long enough to secure the shingles.
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"About the size of a sixpenny nail, just above the fetlock." "How does that happen?"
Fiction book (1995)
How Long
Surface Forms
Morphology
sixpenny + nail
The compound labels a type/size of nail using an archaic price/measure term 'sixpenny' rather than a literal descriptive adjective; a learner who knows 'six' and 'penny' may infer this is a particular kind or size of nail but cannot derive the specific length (2 inches) from the parts. The link between 'sixpenny' and nail length is conventional and language-specific, so the meaning is partially predictable but requires prior exposure for full understanding.
Etymology
The compound noun sixpenny nail comes from an old shop habit: nails were named by how much a group of them cost, so a nail sold for 'sixpence' was called a sixpenny nail. Over time that price name became a size name, so today sixpenny nail means a short nail about two inches long.
