Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

squint like a bag of nails

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.77 in modern English

Syllables: squin-t -like a bag of -nails
IPA

40

Scrabble Score

21

Letters

4

Syllables

14

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To squint very much, as though one's eyes were directed as many ways as the points of a bag of nails.

Example Sentences

"Does she squint like a bag of nails? Is she hideous? They always are!' The Earl stood back.'You may judge for yourself,' he said dryly. 'Miss Taverner, little though he may have recommended himself to you, I must beg leave to present my brother, Captain Audley.'"
"In his own language, he called out, “Where is she then, Rob? Is she hideous? Does she squint like a bag of nails? Does she screech like a shrew with toothache?” This time, the silence was definitely appalled – not least, I suspected, because there was more than a grain of truth in Hereward's unflattering description."

Inflected Forms

squints like a bag of nails (present, singular) squinting like a bag of nails (participle, present) squinted like a bag of nails (participle, past) squinted like a bag of nails (past)

Questions

What does squint like a bag of nails mean?: To squint very much, as though one's eyes were directed as many ways as the points of a bag of nails.

How to pronounce squint like a bag of nails

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “squint like a bag of nails”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “squint like a bag of nails”.
Repeat and practice — Say “squint like a bag of nails” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.