That depends on the airport/airline/terminal/security agent/phase of moon.

I went through SYD's international terminal last week and saw a couple nail clippers get confiscated even though they lacked nail files. The pax protested but the security agents didn't care. Of course, SYD also is the same airport where they put some new signs near all the entrances. Signs that show the international "NO" symbol (the red circle with a diagonal red line through it) with a side silhouette of a pair of nailclippers inside the circle.

Even carrying clippers through security checkpoints at US airports can be a pain. As soon as their outline is spotted by the scanners, someone goes bag diving to find them and whether they have files or not. A colleague has started carrying his clippers on his keychain to speed things up.