expressions - Common phrase for "to name the issue exactly"

to put your finger on something

In English we have the same expression but without 'wound'. For that reason it may be more flexible than the German version because you can 'put your finger' on other things as well. Note that the expression usually refers to a problem or a solution to a problem. Note also that the English version of the expression pre-dates the German one by half a century or so.

Examples

There's something wrong here but I can't quite put my finger on it.

I have been trying to solve this problem for weeks but I can't put my finger on the correct solution.

That's it! You've put your finger on it, exactly!

put your finger on sth

to ​discover the ​exact ​reason why a ​situation is the way it is,
​especially when something is ​wrong: There's something ​odd about
him, but I can't ​quite put my finger on it.
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/put-your-finger-on-sth

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Definition of put one's finger on something in English:
Identify something exactly: he cannot put his finger on what has
gone wrong

Discussion

The following Google ngram: put * finger on shows that the expression entered the language in the late 1700s. You can read examples by following the links at the bottom of the page.

It might be presumed that the expression came into English from German and lost the word 'wound' on the way. However that is shown to be false by examining the corresponding German Google ngram: Finger auf die Wunde which shows that that version entered the German language in the 1800s.