Read Webster's New World American Idioms Handbook Online
Authors: Gail Brenner
Webster's New World American Idioms Handbook (35 page)
to be nosy, to interfere or inquire about someone’s private business (private life). Also put as the opposite, to
get one’s nose out of someone’s business
and to
mind one’s own business.
♦
Why do you want
to poke your nose in her business?
It will only cause trouble.
♦
He shouldn’t
stick his nose in their business!
It doesn’t concern him.
nose around
to investigate, to look around out of curiosity or to look for something ♦
The police
nosed around
the crime scene looking for clues.
♦
We like
to nose around
in antique shops.
Noses That Can Be Hurt
The nose is more likely to get bumped or injured than the other facial features. A few
nose
idioms use this possibility to express their meaning. The following idioms suggest injury to the nose:
no skin off one’s nose
it’s not a bother or an inconvenience; means “It doesn’t matter to me” ♦ It’s no skin of my nose
if he doesn’t wants to join my group.
♦
The new policy doesn’t affect her, so it’s really
no skin off her nose.
rub someone’s nose in something
to remind people of their bad luck, misfortune, or of something they did wrong. Rubbing someone’s nose in something is considered unkind or cruel. ♦
She knows how badly I feel about forgetting her birthday; she doesn’t have
to rub my nose in it. ♦
So he made a mistake; you don’t have
to rub his nose in it.
get one’s nose (bent) out of shape
to get upset, agitated, or angry about something. This idiom is often said to ridicule someone’s anger. Also said as to
get one’s nose out of joint.
♦
He
got his nose bent out of shape
just because I didn’t return his call for a few days.
♦
Don’t
get your nose out of joint
over such a small thing. It’s not a big deal.
cut off one’s nose to spite one’s face
to hurt or injure one’s own interests out of anger or resentment ♦
If you leave the job in anger, maybe you’ll be
cutting off your nose to spite your face. ♦
She destroyed her painting just because he criticized her work. She’s just
cutting off her nose to spite her face.
Noses That Indicate Snobbishness
Pointing the face, and thus the nose, upward is a gesture of rejection, disapproval, or strong dislike. The following expressions mean to reject or to disapprove of something or someone that one considers inferior.
turn up one’s nose
to reject or show dislike; to consider something inferior ♦
She
turned up her nose
at two good job offers!
♦
We kids always
turned up our noses
when mom served broccoli.
look down one’s nose
to consider something inferior (the nose is pointed up, so one must look downward to see) ♦
We were poor, so some people
looked down their noses
at us.
♦
They
look down their nose
at anyone who doesn’t share their religion.
have one’s nose in the air
to consider oneself superior ♦
Don’t put
your nose in the air.
It makes you look arrogant and silly.
♦
When they became rich they walked around with
their noses in the air.
Thumbing One’s Nose
Another expression using the nose is to
thumb one’s nose,
which means to show contempt, defiance, or ridicule. This expression refers to an impolite, but somewhat silly, gesture of putting one’s thumb under the nose and wiggling one’s fingers. This expression can be used to refer to the actual gesture or to merely imply the intention behind the gesture. Here are some examples:
- The kids on the winning team
thumbed their noses
at the losers. - I expect that the voters will
thumb their noses
at this proposal on voting day.
A Few Other Nose Idioms
be (right) under one’s nose
to be very obvious, to be directly in front of one, though one may not see it; also put as
right in front of you
♦
There’s your pen. It’s
right under your nose. ♦
The solution to a problem is often
right under your nose.
keep one’s nose clean
to stay out of trouble and do the right thing ♦
The police officer told the boy, “You
keep your nose clean.
I don’t want to see you here in the detention center again.”
♦
Dad said, “If you want me to help you buy that car, then you have to
keep your nose clean
and get good grades.”
hard-nosed
unfeeling, tough, stubborn ♦
He’s a good coach. He tells us what we’re doing wrong without being
hard-nosed
about it.
♦
She’s really
hard-nosed
about keeping our breaks to exactly 10 minutes.
[See
pay through the nose
in Chapter 6.]
The Mouth
A few idioms with
mouth
refer to the sense of taste. But it’s talking or keeping quiet that are most often alluded to in
mouth
idioms, with expressions like
open one’s mouth
and
shut
one’s mouth.
Many more idioms use
mouth
to mean talk too much or too little, talk nonsense, or gossip.
Mouths That Talk Too Much
Words come out of the mouth, so it makes sense that most idiomatic expressions with
mouth
refer to talking. Information that is passed verbally, through talking, is passed
by word of mouth
or
through word of mouth
. Here are some examples:
- News of layoffs spread quickly
by word of mouth. - Cheryl: How did you hear about the Hospice Program? Diane: Just through
word of mouth.
Some of my friends have used your services.
If the talking is incessant babbling and bragging about oneself or about nonsense, then one of the following expressions might apply:
run off at the mouth
to babble, brag incessantly ♦
He’s always
running off at the mouth
about the famous people he knows.
shoot off one’s mouth
to brag, or to harass others ♦
Why did you have
to shoot off your mouth?
It nearly caused a fight.
your mouth is open!
means “you’re talking nonsense” ♦
Hey Dude,
your mouth is open!
You’re babbling about nothing.
If the talking is gossip, then one of these expressions might be used:
have a big mouth
to gossip; to reveal private information ♦
She
has such a big mouth!
Now everyone knows about my family problems.
open one’s mouth
to give unwanted opinions; to tell secrets ♦
I probably shouldn’t have
opened my mouth
at the meeting. Next time I won’t express my opinions.
♦
Your secret is safe with me. I won’t
open my mouth.
Mouths That Don’t Talk
Some expressions with
mouth
mean to not talk, to refrain from saying something, to shut up, or to stay quiet. The following expressions have these meanings:
keep one’s mouth shut
to keep a secret; refrain from saying something ♦
You all have to promise
to keep your mouths shut
about mom’s surprise party.
shut one’s mouth
to be quiet; to stop saying something ♦ Shut your mouth!
I don’t want to hear that foul talk.
not open one’s mouth
to remain silent; to keep a secret ♦
Is something wrong? You
haven’t opened your mouth
all evening.
Mouths That Have Something Inside
Some expressions with
mouth
refer to putting things in or taking things out. Here are some interesting examples.
Saying a Mouthful
When someone
says a mouthful
it means that he or she has said something small that is profound, important, or meaningful. For example: “Whoever said, ‘Love conquers all’ definitely
said a mouthful.”
The expression
a mouthful
without the word
say
is also an idiom that refers to any name that is very long and difficult to pronounce. For example: “They named her Leah-Ann Elizabeth Leilani Masterson. Now that’s
a mouthful!”
put one’s foot in one’s mouth
to say the wrong thing; to embarrass oneself by making a social mistake ♦
Boy, I sure
put my foot in my mouth
when I asked if his wife was his mother!
♦
Oops, I should shut up before I
put my foot in my mouth.
Note:
A funny expression that is used when a person always says the wrong thing is “He only opens his mouth to change feet.”
put words in someone’s mouth
to tell people what they should say; to talk for someone; also, to accuse someone of misrepresenting someone else’s words ♦
You’re
putting words in Timmy’s mouth.
Let him explain how he feels.
♦
That’s not what I said. Don’t
put words in my mouth!
take the words right out of someone’s mouth
to say exactly what someone else was thinking or going to say ♦
I agree! You
took the words right out of my mouth. ♦
Go out for pizza? Great idea. You
took the words right out of my mouth.
Mouths That Taste
A couple of idiomatic expressions with
mouth
allude to taste:
leave a bad taste in one’s mouth
to leave one with a bad impression, bad memory, feeling, or suspicion; people use this expression when they feel uncomfortable or vaguely displeased with what someone said or did ♦
Something about that conversation has
left a bad taste in my mouth. ♦
I was interested in him but his attitude toward his parents
leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
make one’s mouth water
to make one hungry or think about good food; refers to one’s mouth literally salivating when imagining or eating good food ♦
When he talked about the seafood in Veracruz, it
made my mouth water. ♦
It
makes my mouth water
already, thinking about Thanksgiving dinner.
Idioms with
Back, Stomach,
and
Gut
In this section, you’ll find expressions that include the words
back, stomach,
and
gut.
In most cases, the meaning of the expression alludes to the function or weaknesses of the body part.
The Back
When the back is strong and sturdy it gives the body support, holds it up straight, and allows a person to stand. Many idioms with
back
allude to this function of the back. At the same time, the back is vulnerable because one’s back is hidden from one’s own view. It’s hard to know if secrets or deceptions are happening
behind one’s back.
Other idioms with
back
refer to this quality.
The Backbone
The
backbone
is, literally, the center of support. To be
the backbone
of something means to be the primary person or thing that supports an effort. Look at these examples:
- Those two players have been
the backbone
of our team all year. - Donations from our supporters provide
the backbone
of our organization.
Someone with
no backbone
cannot stand up to pressure and is easily intimidated. Here are examples:
- If you have
no backbone,
people will take advantage of you. - I used to have
no backbone,
and I let others tell me what to do.
Backing Someone Up
Some expressions with
back
refer to supporting or helping someone, taking care of someone’s interests.
back someone up
to support someone’s cause, argument, or explanation ♦
If she doesn’t believe you, I’ll
back you up.
I know you’re telling the truth.
♦
If you are going to tell the director about the problem, I’ll
back you up
because I agree with you.
give someone backing
to provide support, usually financial support. When this idiom does not mean financial support, it is sometimes expressed as to
give someone full backing.
♦
We’ve
given the World Children’s Fund our backing
because we strongly believe in their mission.
♦
When we met to choose a new board member, I
gave my full backing
to Jim because he was the best for the job.
Here are a few other expressions meaning to help someone else:
scratch someone’s back
to do a favor for someone, generally with the hope that the favor will be returned ♦
I’m happy to help you get this promotion. After all, you’ve
scratched my back
plenty of times
. ♦
Politicians and big business have been
scratching each other’s backs
for years.
Note:
Often said in the expression
You scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours,
meaning “We’ll help each other get something we each want.”