# nags
## English
### Pronunciation

* Rhymes: -æɡz

### Noun

nags
* plural of nag

### Anagrams

* AGNs, Angs, ngas, snag, NSAG, GNAs, ANGs, gans, GANs, sang, SNAG, Sang

## Latvian
### Etymology

Basically from Proto-Balto-Slavic *nágas, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃nṓgʰs (see there for further descendants). The meaning 'leg', widely attested in Slavic (cf. Ukrainian нога (noha), Russian нога (noga), Czech noha, Polish noga) and also in Old Prussian noge (cf. also meaning #3 below), probably evolved as '(finger) nail' > '(bird) claw' > '(bird) leg'. The 'metal fastener for joining wood etc.' meaning, found in Germanic languages (English nail, German Nagel), is probably derived from 'claw' as 'object for piercing'.

### Noun

nags m (1st declension)
* (anatomy) fingernail (thin, curved horny plate on the back surface of a (human) fingertip).
    gari nagi ― long nails
    ieaudzis nags ― ingrown nails
    naga gultne ― nail bed (base on which the nails rest)
    naga sakne ― nail root (part of the nail under the skin, where the nail grows)
    nagu kopšana ― nail care
    nagu laka ― nail polish
    apgriezt nagus ― to trim one's nails
    nolīdzināt nagus ar vīlīti ― to file one's nails
    ar zobiem un nagiem ― with tooth and nail (with complete dedication, persistently)
* (anatomy) claw (horny formation at the tip of an animal's toe). Kaķa nags.
    kaķa nags ― a cat's claw
    ērgļa nagi ― eagle claws
    Vanagam ir asi nagi. ― A hawk has sharp talons.
    Govis apslima ar mutes un nagu sērgu. ― Cows get foot-and-mouth disease.
* (figurative, colloquial) hand
    Šaudās acis, meklē nagi ķert un grābt.His eyes are darting, his hands searching for something to grab and catch.
* (figurative, colloquial) dexterity, skill, knack, special talent
    Viņam uz atslēdznieku darbu esot nags no bērnu dienām. ― He has had a knack for locksmithing since childhood.
* a protrusion or formation resembling such a horny plate
    Zirgs klibo, [...] bet piešu asie nagi to cērt un nebeidz dzīt.The horse stumbles, [...] but its sharp hoof slits cut it and do not stop moving forward.
* a crescent-shaped protrusion of a hat above the forehead
    Zem žokej cepures naga šaurās spraugas spīdēja divas niknas acis.Under the narrow gap of the protrusion of a jokeyš hat, two fierce eyes shone.
* (plural only, obsolete) difficulty, great effort
    Agrāk, kad bija jānēsa līdzi pičpaunā, bija daudz lielāki nagi - kur tu iznēsāsi un pieglabāsi!In the past, when you had to carry it with you in a pitchfork, it was a much greater effort - where will you carry it and store it!
* misfortune, desperate situation
    Bet muļķītis skaidri nagos, labi zina, ja muižā rādīsies, velns paņems kā zemeni.But a fool in a clearly desperate situation knows very well that, if he shows up at the estate, the devil will pick him lick a strawberry.
* (colloquial) cataract, glaucoma
    Izplatīts akluma un vājredzības cēlonis... ir bojājumi acs optiskajā sistēmā, piemēram, lēcas vai radzenes apduļķojumi (katarakta, nags).A common cause of blindness and low vision... is damage to the optical system of the eye, such as clouding of the lens or cornea (cataract, or nail).

#### References

* ↑ Karulis, Konstantīns (1992) “nags”, in Latviešu Etimoloģijas Vārdnīca‎ (in Latvian), Rīga: AVOTS, →ISBN