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nose
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nose
/nəʊz/
noun
noun: nose; plural noun: noses1.
the part projecting above the mouth on the face of a person or animal, containing the nostrils and used for breathing and smelling.
"he slowly breathed out the air through his nose"
Similar:
snout
muzzle
proboscis
trunk
beak
conk
snoot
schnozzle
hooter
sniffer
snitch
neb
bracket
bugle
the sense of smell, especially a dog's ability to track something by its scent.
"a dog with a keen nose"
Similar:
sense of smell
olfactory sense
an instinctive talent for detecting something.
"he has a nose for a good script"
Similar:
instinct
feeling
gift for discovering/detecting
sixth sense
intuition
insight
perception
the aroma of a particular substance, especially wine.
"the wine has a raspberry nose and a clean taste"
Similar:
smell
bouquet
aroma
fragrance
perfume
scent
odour
2.
the front end of an aircraft, car, or other vehicle.
"the plane's nose dipped as it started descending towards the runway"
Similar:
tip
nose cone
bow
prow
front end
bonnet
hood
droop-snoot
a projecting part of something.
"the nose of the saddle"
3.
an act of looking around or prying.
"she wanted a good nose round the house"
INFORMAL
a police informer.
"he knew that CID men are allowed to drink on duty as much of their time is spent with noses"
verb
verb: nose; 3rd person present: noses; past tense: nosed; past participle: nosed; gerund or present participle: nosing1.
(of an animal) thrust its nose against or into something.
"the pony nosed at the straw"
Similar:
nuzzle
nudge
push
prod
smell or sniff (something).
"because of its strength, whisky is nosed rather than tasted"
2.
look around or pry into something.
"I was anxious to get inside and nose around her house"
Similar:
pry
inquire impertinently
be inquisitive
inquire
be curious
poke about
poke around
mind someone else's business
be a busybody
stick/poke one's nose in
interfere (in)
meddle (in)
intrude (on)
be nosy (about)
nosy
snoop
stickybeak
investigate
explore
ferret (about) in
ferret (around) in
rummage in
search
delve into
peer into
prowl around
have a good look at
snoop about
snoop round
snoop around
detect by diligent searching.
"he nosed out the signs of trespass"
Similar:
detect
find
search out
discover
disclose
bring to light
track down
dig up
hunt out
ferret out
root out
uncover
unearth
disinter
smell out
sniff out
follow the scent of
scent out
run to earth/ground
3.
(of a vehicle) move cautiously forward.
"he turned left and nosed into an empty parking space"
Similar:
move slowly
ease
inch
edge
move
manoeuvre
steer
slip
squeeze
slide
guide
push
tuck
(of a competitor) manage to achieve a leading position by a small margin.
"they nosed ahead by one point"
Phrases
by a nose
(of a victory) by a very narrow margin. "first over the line was Shemaka, but only by a nose"
count noses
count people in order to determine the numbers in a vote. "we count noses at Church conventions"
cut off one's nose to spite one's face
disadvantage oneself through a wilful attempt to gain an advantage or assert oneself. "by cutting Third World aid to reduce public spending, the government would be cutting off its nose to spite its face"
get one's nose in front
manage to achieve a winning or leading position. "she got her nose in front at the eighth hole"
get up someone's nose
irritate or annoy someone. "I bet it really gets up your nose that I've been so successful"
give someone a bloody nose
inflict a resounding defeat on someone. "voters gave the government a bloody nose in the county elections"
have one's nose in a book
be reading studiously or intently. "Kate always had her nose in a book and liked people in history better than people now"
keep one's nose clean
stay out of trouble. "he tried to keep his nose clean with socially useful work"
keep one's nose out of
refrain from interfering in (someone else's affairs). "‘Why don't you keep your nose out of my business?’ he demanded"
nose to tail
(of vehicles) moving or standing close behind one another, especially in heavy traffic. "the traffic grinds nose to tail along the road"
not see further than the end of one's nose
fail to consider different possibilities or to foresee the consequences of one's actions.
on the nose
to a person's sense of smell. "the wine is pungently smoky and peppery on the nose"
put someone's nose out of joint
offend someone or hurt their pride. "she likes being the queen bee, and you've put her nose out of joint"
speak through one's nose
pronounce words with a nasal twang.
turn one's nose up at
show distaste or contempt for. "he turned his nose up at the job"
under someone's nose
directly in front of someone. "he thrust the paper under the Inspector's nose"
with one's nose in the air
haughtily. "she walked past the cars with her nose in the air"
Origin
Old English nosu, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch neus, and more remotely to German Nase, Latin nasus, and Sanskrit nāsā ; also to ness.
on the nose
phrase of nose
1.
to a person's sense of smell.
"the wine is pungently smoky and peppery on the nose"
2.
INFORMAL•NORTH AMERICAN
precisely.
"at ten on the nose the van pulled up"
Similar:
exactly
precisely
sharp
on the dot
promptly
prompt
dead (on)
on the stroke of …
on the dot of …
bang (on)
spot on …
on the button
3.
INFORMAL•AUSTRALIAN
distasteful or offensive.
4.
INFORMAL
(of a bet) on a horse to win (as opposed to being placed).
"Caesar's Revenge in the three-thirty, Pat. On the nose"
Use over time for: nose
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