Word.ws English Dictionary

drove a nail where it would go

drove a nail where it would go is the simple past of drive a nail where it will go.

Meaning of drive a nail where it will go

Verb

drive a nail where it will go (third-person singular simple present drives a nail where it will go, present participle driving a nail where it will go, simple past drove a nail where it would go, past participle driven a nail where it would go)

  1. (archaic) To take a pragmatic or expedient approach, rather than the ideal.
    • "Well, I think East is right," said Arthur; "I can't see but what it's right to do the best you can, though it mayn't be the best absolutely. Every man isn't born to be a martyr."
      "Of course, of course," said East; "but he's on one of his pet hobbies. — How often have I told you, Tom, that you must...1857, Thomas Hughes, Tom Brown's School Days

Questions about drove a nail where it would go

What is drove a nail where it would go the simple past of?
Drove a nail where it would go is the simple past of drive a nail where it will go.

Words near drove a nail where it would go in the dictionary

  1. drove
  2. drove a coach and horses through
  3. drove a coach and six through
  4. drove a hard bargain
  5. drove a nail in someone's coffin
  6. drove a nail where it would go
  7. drove a stake through its heart
  8. drove a wedge
  9. drove a wedge between
  10. drove at
  11. drove away

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: drove a nail where it would go (page history and authors); drive a nail where it will go (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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