(n) :
a thin
nail, usually small, with a slight
projection at the top on one side instead of a head, or occasionally with a small domed head, similar to that of an
escutcheon pin; (U.S. elementary school usage, particularly kindergarten and primary grades) A paper fastener, a fastening device formed of thin, soft metal, such as shim brass, with a round head and a flat, split shank, which is spread after insertion in a hole in a stack of pages, in much the same way as a
cotter pin or a split
rivet