Meaning
- a situation like a close contest, which induces anxiety or tension.
- in a literal sense, someone with the habit of biting their nails.
- a suspenseful situation.
- an anxiety-provoking situation.
- a game with a tied score.
- a situation that is tense enough to make you want to bite your nails to reduce the tension.
Examples in Sentences
- Friday's nail-biter of a win over the Houston Texans was an excruciating contest.
- The election turnout was high. The amendments were defeated in a nail-biter.
- A tight match was contested in Tucuman, Argentina's searing heat. It concluded in a 1-1 stalemate before the Austrians held their nerve in the nail-biting shootout.
- It was a nail-biter for me to be her caregiver until she could get the necessary legal documents.
- The United States emerged victorious at the championship after a nail-biting final.
- The nail-biter election generated the highest voter turnout rate in over a hundred years.
Origin
The phrase is formed from the words "nail" and "bite." The first use of the idiom happened in the mid-19th century. Since the 1500s, people have recognized the act of biting one's nails as a symptom of anxiety. Many people bite their nails when under stress. Therefore, the idiom "nail biter" can have a literal meaning, indicating individuals who bite their nails. The idiom has been used as the title of a horror comic book series created by Mike Henderson and Josua Williamson. Image Comics published the series; the first issue was released on May 7, 2014.
