Idiom:
Nail-biter


Meaning:
something
(such as a game or movie) that causes people to feel nervous because the ending
is not known until the final moment

Example
#1:

Jan: I’m so excited for the Super Bowl this coming
Sunday!!

Steve: I know! The Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos
are both really great teams. 

Jan: I think it will be a real nail-biter! We won’t know who wins until the very last minute!


Steve:
I’d
rather watch a game that is a nail-biter
than a lopsided game where one team scores all the points.

Jan: Me, too! Just as long as my team wins!

Example
#2:


Selena: Have you seen that new movie, “An Unsolved
Crime?”

Jackie: No, but I’ve heard that it is a real nail-biter!

Selena: Yes, it is. I had absolutely no idea who had
done the crime until the last second. Then, I was really shocked!

Jackie: Don’t tell me! I still want to see it.

Selena: OK. You’ll love it! The final scene is especially nail-biting.


Meaning: “A nail-biter” is something (like a close game) that causes tension or anxiety.  In the first example, two really good teams
are playing for the championship in American football. It will be a close game and no one will know who will win
until the final moments of the game. This will cause fans of the teams to be
nervous or tense.  In the second example,
the movie is very suspenseful and the ending is unpredictable. In this example,
both “nail-biter (noun)” and “nail-biting (adjective)” are used to describe the
movie.  For more information,
please visit: www.languagesystems.com.