nail-shop

Updated: July 18, 2025

Plenty comes not near his dwelling, except of rags, and of children. But few recruits arise from his nail-shop, except for the army. His hammer is worn into deep hollows, fitting the fingers of a dark and plump hand, hard as the timber it wears. His face, like the moon, is often seen through a cloud. Man first catches the profession; the profession afterwards moulds the man.

William Hutton - An History of Birmingham (1783)

The prisoner, Henry Wooster, who worked in the nail-shop, contrived to hide some bits of iron nail rods in his clothes and carry them back with him into the mine. He learned, with their help, to take off his fetters at night.

Caroline Clifford Newton - Once Upon a Time in Connecticut