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1st February 2026
02:16pm GMT

If you wondered what the small hole at the end of your nail clippers is for but never realised, we’re here to tell you.
In many households, nail clippers are an essential part of personal grooming, and they have been ever since they were invented more than 150 years ago, in 1875.
They’ve made life much easier, since humans used to use scissors or even knives. Talk about effort.
But even though you’ve had one, or several of them, in your home for as long as you’ve lived, you probably never really paid attention to one detail.
And we’re talking about the tiny hole at the bottom of it, as every nail clipper has it.

But what’s the point of it?
A user on Facebook raised the question, and he said the discussion came up after a chat he had with his mother-in-law.
“My mother-in-law couldn’t stop laughing when she realised I had no idea what the tiny hole in a nail clipper is for”, they wrote.
“Now I wonder … am I the only one who never knew?”
In the comments, many people were trying to guess what’s the real purpose of it, and many theories have sprung up.
“Is it to keep your toenail clippings”, joked one person, while a second added: “Maybe it’s a place to store dental floss.”
But the actual purpose of this hole is in fact way more simple and functional. It is to attach your nail clipper to a chain or keyring.
“This revelation came as a surprise to many, and one person joked: “I’ll never look at my nail clippers the same way”, while another said: “Time to attach them to my keys!”
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