Farmers Slang & Its Analogues. 18901909, rev. 2022.
Bag of nails
subs. phr. (American thieves).Confusion; topsy-turveydom. [Qy. from bacchanals.] Also, He squints like a BAG OF NAILS, i.e., his eyes are directed as many ways as the points of a bag of nails (GROSE).