A thin white thread appeared over the horizon, in competing 24 luminescence with the bright fingernail clipping of the moon.

一道纤细的白线出现在天边，与一弯指甲般的明月争辉。

youdao

But when I refer to a crescent moon I'm usually just intending to communicate its fingernail-clipping shape.

不过，当我提到一轮crescent moon的时候，我通常只是想描述它的形状，像一片被剪下的、弯弯的手指甲。

youdao

The deeper the needle penetrated, the more flexible the nail. (The squeamish may wish to note that this test can be done using a fingernail clipping.) In a test of 30 people, Dr Towler found that the nails of those with osteoporosis were significantly softer than those of people without it.

ECONOMIST: Medicine