From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
hit the nail on the head third-person singular simple present hits the nail on the head present participle hitting the nail on the head simple past and past participle hit the nail on the head
( idiomatic ) identify something exactly ; to arrive at exactly the right answer .
He hit the nail on the head when he said the problem was the thermostat.
1593 Gabriel Harvey , Pierce's Supererogation, or A New Praise Of The Old Ass , page 291 :"Scotte's discovery of Witchcraft dismasketh sundry egregious impostures, and in certaine principall chapters, and speciall passages, hitteth the nayle on the head with a witnesse."
identify something exactly
Catalan: justa la fusta
Chinese:
Mandarin: 一針見血 ／ 一针见血 (zh) ( yīzhēnjiànxiě ) ( draw blood on the first prick )
Czech: uhodit hřebíček na hlavičku (cs) , udeřit hřebíček na hlavičku
Danish: ramme hovedet på sømmet
Dutch: de spijker op de kop slaan (nl)
Finnish: osua naulan kantaan
French: faire mouche (fr) , taper dans le mille (fr) , mettre dans le mille (fr)
German: den Nagel auf den Kopf treffen (de) , ins Schwarze treffen (de)
Hungarian: fején találja a szöget (hu)
Icelandic: hitta naglann á höfuðið eiga kollgátuna hitta í mark koma orðum að kjarna máls tilgreina kjarna máls
Italian: colpire nel segno fare centro (it)
Latin: rem acū tangō acū tangō
Lithuanian: durti kaip pirštu į akį ( prick as finger in the eye )
Luxembourgish: den Nol op de Kapp treffen
Maltese: laqat il-musmar fuq rasu
Polish: trafić w sedno pf
Portuguese: acertar em cheio
Russian: попа́сть не в бровь, а в глаз ( popástʹ ne v brovʹ, a v glaz ) ( hit not the brow but the eye ) , попа́сть в то́чку ( popástʹ v tóčku ) ( hit the spot )
Spanish: dar en el blanco dar en el clavo clavarla en el ángulo
Swedish: slå huvudet på spiken (sv)
Turkish: tam üstüne basmak (tr)
Ukrainian: попа́сти в то́чку ( popásty v tóčku ) , приткну́ти як вужа́ ви́лами ( prytknúty jak vužá výlamy ) , у самі́сіньке о́ко вці́лити ( u samísinʹke óko vcílyty )
