Avere un chiodo fisso

Meaning: To be obsessed with one idea.

Language: Italian

Literally: To have a fixed nail

Category: Daily Life

Origin: A nail driven fast into the mind pictures a single thought that simply will not come loose.

More idioms — Daily Life

• Tirar o pai da forca — Said of something done in frantic urgency.
• Гол как сокол — Dirt poor; without a thing to your name.
• 石橋を叩いて渡る — To be extremely, even excessively, cautious.
• 釘を刺す — To remind someone firmly so they can't back out.
• 班门弄斧 — To display feeble skill before a true master.
• 名落孙山 — To fail an examination.

More Italian idioms

• arrampicarsi sugli specchi — to attempt to defend an indefensible position or grasp at straws.
• per amore o per forza — by any means necessary; whether one wishes it or not.
• mettere radici — to settle in a place permanently or commit to something long-term.
• tirare l'acqua al proprio mulino — to act in self-interest, redirecting resources or advantage to oneself.
• tenere a freno la lingua — to refrain from speaking; to keep silent.
• in pompa magna — with ceremony, grandeur, and great fanfare.

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