• huppakee@lemmy.world
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        2 days 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
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          2 days 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
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            2 days 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
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              2 days 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

    • Jankatarch@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      Thank you! And DAMN I was way too far off. My last guess was that it has to do with Vlad the impaler nailing stuff to peoples’ heads.

      Turkish messengers came to [Vlad] to pay respects, but refused to take off their turbans, according to their ancient custom, whereupon he strengthened their custom by nailing their turbans to their heads with three spikes, so that they could not take them off. - Antonio Bonfini: Historia Pannonica