nail biterとは 意味・読み方・使い方

発音

名詞

nail biter (plural nail biters)

1. (literal) One who habitually bites or chews their fingernails.
   • 1957 March 7, Vladimir Nabokov, chapter 4.3, in Pnin, Heinemann, page 90:

     But Victor did not reveal any behavior disorder, did not pick his nose, did not suck his thumb, was not even a nail biter.

2. (figurative) A situation which causes anxiety, suspense, nervousness or discomfort.

   Synonym: cliffhanger

   It was a real nail biter waiting for the test results.

   • 2018 August 8, Frank Bruni, “A Nail-Biter in Ohio Is a Democratic Triumph”, in New York Times‎:

     And in a shockingly misogynistic ad, Republicans placed an image of O’Connor in a huddle of three supposedly nightmarish mascots of liberalism, all women: Pelosi, Elizabeth Warren and Hillary Clinton. O’Connor absorbed all of this and still turned the race into a nail-biter.

   • 2026 July 18, Jim Pickard, Lucy Fisher, “Burnham vows to be pro-business PM”, in FT Weekend (International section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 2:

     Shabana Mahmood, in her role as chair of Labour's national executive committee, confirmed Burnham's victory on stage at the special party conference, conceding that it was “hardly a nail-biter”.