摸門釘 [－门钉]

Jyutping mo2 mun4 deng1
Pinyin mō mén dīng

Definitions (CC-CANTO)
  1. (slang) an expression when someone goes to visit their friends but no one is at home or to fail to visit a place because it is closed
Definitions (粵典–words.hk)
  1. 動詞
    上門​揾​人​，​而​咁​啱​對方​唔​響​屋企​，​入​唔​到​去​亦​都​見​唔​到​對方
    to be unable to reach somebody when one pays a visit to them; literally "to scrape the door nails"
    • 原來小明出咗街，搞到我頭先去揾佢摸門釘𠻹。
      原来小明出咗街，搞到我头先去揾佢摸门钉𠻹。
      In fact Ming had already gone out, so I couldn't find Ming at his place just now.
Definitions (Wiktionary)
  1. verb, Cantonese, verb-object
    to visit someone, only to find that he or she is absent
Definitions (Kaifangcidian)
  1. 吃閉門羹 – 吃闭门羹
Examples (粵典–words.hk)
  1. Cantonese
    原来小明出咗街，搞到我头先去揾佢摸门钉𠻹。
    原來小明出咗街，搞到我頭先去揾佢摸門釘𠻹。
    • In fact Ming had already gone out, so I couldn't find Ming at his place just now.