К НОГТЮ
• К НОГТЮ (прижать, взять) кого substand
[PrepP; Invar; adv or subj-compl with copula (subj: human or collect)]
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⇒ to deal with s.o. severely, sometimes going so far as to kill him:
- X прижмет Y-а к ногтю - [in refer, to punishment] X will come down hard on Y;
- [in refer, to killing] X will blot (wipe) Y out;
- X will do away with Y.
♦ Если милиция его поймает, то всех нас к ногтю прижмут за то, что ему помогали. If the police catch him, they'll come down hard on us, too, for having helped him.