little toenail

• little toe nail, little toe-nail

Blend of little toe +‎ toenail.

little toenail (plural little toenails)

1. The nail of the little toe.
   • 1966 June 15, “6 Emergencies Get Treatment”, in Corsicana Daily Sun, volume 70, number 290, Corsicana, Tex., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 4, column 4:

     E. W. Hays, Box 636, hit a chair with his foot, knocking his right little toenail loose.

   • 1977 March 1, Tom McEwen, “On Divorce Proceedings, Salary Desires: Mum’s the Word for [Johnny] Bench”, in The Tampa Tribune, 83rd year, number 50, Tampa, Fla., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 4-C, column 5:

     Bench said he lost both little toenails to foul tips and half of both of his big toenails.

   • 1992 August 5, Daniel Ruth, “Failing to nail dismount won’t ruin your life”, in The Tampa Tribune, Tampa, Fla., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 2-BayLife, column 1:

     But noooooo! Some wiseacre “expert” will patronizingly explain that because gymnast Kim Zmeskal’s left little toenail was off center by the length of an eyelash, the judges will be forced to dock a tenth of a point from her score.

   • 2011 [2010], Juan Pablo Villalobos, translated by Rosalind Harvey, chapter 1, in Down the Rabbit Hole, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire: And Other Stories, →ISBN, page 8:

     Thirty bullets in the little toenail of the left foot.

     [original: Treinta balazos en la uña del dedo chiquito del pie izquierdo.]

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see little,‎ toenail.
   • 2000 April 6, Jane Smiley, “Jack Russell”, in Horse Heaven, New York, N.Y.: Alfred A. Knopf, →ISBN, page 13:

     With his eyes closed, Al could hear her drop the pinecone rhythmically on the tile, chock chock chock chock, the bass, her little toenails clicking a tune around it. Didn’t he deserve a really big horse?