20 Idioms related to human nose

Posted by Olympiad Tester on Dec 31, 2023

1. Nose out of joint

Meaning: To be upset or offended, often due to a perceived slight or disappointment.
Sentence Usage 1: Her comments about his work left him with his nose out of joint.
Sentence Usage 2: The decision to exclude him from the project left his nose out of joint.

2. Follow your nose

Meaning: To trust and rely on one's instincts or intuition to navigate or make decisions.
Sentence Usage 1: Instead of using a map, he decided to follow his nose and explore the city.
Sentence Usage 2: When in doubt, just follow your nose; it often leads you in the right direction.

3. Have your nose in a book

Meaning: To be engrossed in reading; spending a lot of time reading.
Sentence Usage 1: She always has her nose in a book, even during lunch breaks.
Sentence Usage 2: As a child, he had his nose in a book whenever he could.

4. Keep your nose clean

Meaning: To stay out of trouble; to avoid doing anything wrong or questionable.
Sentence Usage 1: He advised his younger brother to keep his nose clean in school.
Sentence Usage 2: If you want to succeed in this job, it's important to keep your nose clean and follow the rules.

5. Keep nose to the grindstone

Meaning: To work hard and diligently; to stay focused on tasks without distractions.
Sentence Usage 1: Despite the challenges, she kept her nose to the grindstone and completed the project on time.
Sentence Usage 2: It's important to keep your nose to the grindstone if you want to excel in your studies.

6. Led by the nose

Meaning: To be controlled or manipulated by someone; to be easily influenced.
Sentence Usage 1: He felt like he was being led by the nose and wanted to make decisions independently.
Sentence Usage 2: The employees felt they were being led by the nose without having a say in company decisions.

7. Look down one's nose

Meaning: To regard someone with disdain or contempt; to feel superior to others.
Sentence Usage 1: She tended to look down her nose at people who didn't share her educational background.
Sentence Usage 2: It's not right to look down your nose at someone just because of their job.

8. No skin off someone's nose

Meaning: Something that doesn't affect or bother someone; not their concern.
Sentence Usage 1: Whether he succeeds or fails is no skin off my nose; it doesn't impact me either way.
Sentence Usage 2: It's no skin off her nose if they decide to change the schedule; she has no commitments.

9. Turn up one's nose

Meaning: To express disdain or rejection; to refuse something with a haughty attitude.
Sentence Usage 1: She turned up her nose at the idea of eating fast food for dinner.
Sentence Usage 2: Don't turn up your nose at opportunities; sometimes, they come in unexpected forms.

10. Win by a nose

Meaning: To win narrowly or by a small margin, often in a competition or race.
Sentence Usage 1: The team managed to win by a nose in the final minutes of the game.
Sentence Usage 2: The race was incredibly close, but he managed to win by a nose at the last second.

11. Keep your nose to the wind

Meaning: To stay alert and aware of what is happening around you; to be vigilant.
Sentence Usage 1: In a new environment, it's essential to keep your nose to the wind to understand the dynamics.
Sentence Usage 2: The detective kept his nose to the wind, looking for any signs of suspicious activity.

12. Brown-nose

Meaning: To seek favor through flattery or excessive praise; to be overly obedient or subservient.
Sentence Usage 1: Some employees tend to brown-nose the boss to secure promotions.
Sentence Usage 2: She thought it was unnecessary to brown-nose her way to success; hard work should speak for itself.

13. Cut off your nose to spite your face

Meaning: To take actions that harm oneself in an attempt to get back at someone else; self-destructive behavior.
Sentence Usage 1: Quitting the job in anger was like cutting off your nose to spite your face; it left her financially unstable.
Sentence Usage 2: Don't refuse the offer just to get back at your colleague; you'd be cutting off your nose to spite your face.

14. Turn up one's nose at

Meaning: To reject or disdain something; to show displeasure or contempt.
Sentence Usage 1: She turned up her nose at the idea of using public transportation.
Sentence Usage 2: Don't turn up your nose at opportunities; sometimes, they come in unexpected forms.

15. A nose for something

Meaning: An instinct or talent for detecting or recognizing something.
Sentence Usage 1: The detective had a nose for finding clues that others might overlook.
Sentence Usage 2: She has a nose for business and can identify profitable opportunities.

16. Pay through the nose

Meaning: To pay a very high price for something; to pay more than something is worth.
Sentence Usage 1: I had to pay through the nose for those concert tickets, but it was worth it.
Sentence Usage 2: Avoid buying from that vendor; they'll make you pay through the nose for their products.

17. Hold one's nose

Meaning: To endure something unpleasant or objectionable.
Sentence Usage 1: She had to hold her nose and enter the room, despite the strong odor.
Sentence Usage 2: Sometimes, you have to hold your nose and do the dirty work to achieve your goals.

18. Count noses

Meaning: To count the number of people present; to take attendance.
Sentence Usage 1: Before starting the meeting, we need to count noses to ensure everyone is here.
Sentence Usage 2: The teacher counted noses to make sure none of the students were absent.

19. Look down your nose at

Meaning: To regard someone with a haughty attitude; to view someone with disdain.
Sentence Usage 1: He tends to look down his nose at those who don't share his interests.
Sentence Usage 2: It's not fair to look down your nose at people just because they have different lifestyles.

20. Thumb your nose at

Meaning: To express scorn or disrespect; to show contempt or defiance.
Sentence Usage 1: He decided to thumb his nose at authority and rebel against the rules.
Sentence Usage 2: Thumbing your nose at tradition can sometimes lead to innovative breakthroughs.