"turn up one's nose" meaning in English

See turn up one's nose in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Audio: En-au-turn up one's nose.ogg [Australia] Forms: turns up one's nose [present, singular, third-person], turning up one's nose [participle, present], turned up one's nose [participle, past], turned up one's nose [past]
Etymology: A description of a gesture possibly universally understood as indicating scorn, contempt or disgust. Already found in Ancient Greek as ἐκμυκτηρίζω (ekmuktērízō, “I hold in derision”), from ἐκ- (ek-) (intensifier with additional senses of out from or of the nature of) and μυκτηρίζω (muktērízō, “I turn up the nose, I sneer at”), from the stem μυκτήρ (muktḗr, “nostril”). Etymology templates: {{m|grc|ἐκμυκτηρίζω|t=I hold in derision}} ἐκμυκτηρίζω (ekmuktērízō, “I hold in derision”), {{m|grc|ἐκ-}} ἐκ- (ek-), {{m|grc|μυκτηρίζω|t=I turn up the nose, I sneer at}} μυκτηρίζω (muktērízō, “I turn up the nose, I sneer at”), {{m|grc|μυκτήρ|t=nostril}} μυκτήρ (muktḗr, “nostril”) Head templates: {{en-verb|*}} turn up one's nose (third-person singular simple present turns up one's nose, present participle turning up one's nose, simple past and past participle turned up one's nose)
  1. To make the gesture of raising one's nose, as a sign of scorn, contempt or disgust. Synonyms: turn one's nose up Related terms: turn, turn up
    Sense id: en-turn_up_one's_nose-en-verb-YnkunAw6 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with language name categories using raw markup, English light verb constructions, English predicates, English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 43 26 31 Disambiguation of English entries with language name categories using raw markup: 47 26 27 Disambiguation of English light verb constructions: 53 22 25 Disambiguation of English predicates: 38 31 31 Disambiguation of English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys: 48 25 27
  2. (idiomatic, with "at") To regard with contempt or scorn; to treat with contempt or scorn; to ignore or disregard in a contemptuous or scornful way. Tags: idiomatic
    Sense id: en-turn_up_one's_nose-en-verb-5nf7gBlj Categories (other): English predicates Disambiguation of English predicates: 38 31 31
  3. (idiomatic, with "at") To refuse, especially with disgust, contempt or scorn; to refuse with apparent disregard about offending the offerer. Tags: idiomatic Translations (to refuse, especially as due to pride and status): faire la fine bouche (French), lever le nez (French), fúlsa við (Icelandic), arricciare il naso (Italian), kręcić nosem [imperfective] (Polish), strâmba din nas (Romanian), burun kıvırmak (Turkish)
    Sense id: en-turn_up_one's_nose-en-verb-rqw0zV3a Categories (other): English predicates Disambiguation of English predicates: 38 31 31 Disambiguation of 'to refuse, especially as due to pride and status': 5 9 86
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Translations (to sneer): faire la fine bouche (French), lever le nez (French), fitja upp á nefið (Icelandic), setja upp hundshaus (Icelandic), arricciare il naso (Italian), strâmba din nas (Romanian), задирать нос (zadiratʹ nos) (Russian)
Disambiguation of 'to sneer': 29 37 34

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

Download JSON data for turn up one's nose meaning in English (8.7kB)

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  "etymology_text": "A description of a gesture possibly universally understood as indicating scorn, contempt or disgust.\nAlready found in Ancient Greek as ἐκμυκτηρίζω (ekmuktērízō, “I hold in derision”), from ἐκ- (ek-) (intensifier with additional senses of out from or of the nature of) and μυκτηρίζω (muktērízō, “I turn up the nose, I sneer at”), from the stem μυκτήρ (muktḗr, “nostril”).",
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          "ref": "1972, Émile Zola, translated by George Holden, Nana, Penguin Books",
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          "type": "quotation"
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        "To make the gesture of raising one's nose, as a sign of scorn, contempt or disgust."
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      "id": "en-turn_up_one's_nose-en-verb-YnkunAw6",
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          "_dis1": "80 9 11",
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          "_dis1": "80 9 11",
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          "_dis1": "80 9 11",
          "word": "turn one's nose up"
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        {
          "ref": "1848, James Russell Lowell (initially published anonymously), A Fable for Critics",
          "text": "But he turned up his nose at their murmuring and stammering,\nAnd cared (shall I say?) not a d—— for their damming;\nSo they first read him out of their church, and next minute\nTurned round and declared he had never been in it.",
          "type": "quotation"
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        {
          "ref": "1853, Charles Dickens, The Schoolboy's Story",
          "text": "So Old Cheeseman went on, and didn’t he lead a miserable life! Of course the Reverend turned up his nose at him, and of course she did—because both of them always do that at all the masters—but he suffered from the fellows most, and he suffered from them constantly.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1916, Mark Twain, The Mysterious Stranger",
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          "type": "quotation"
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          "ref": "1958, annotated translation based on documents deriving from postulated c.85 Greek text attributed to Luke (ἐξεμυκτήριζον δὲ καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες σὺν αὐτοῖς λέγοντες· Ἄλλους ἔσωσε, σωσάτω ἑαυτόν, εἰ οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκλεκτός.). Lockman Foundation, The Amplified New Testament, used in 1965 Zondervan Corporation, The Amplified Bible, Luke 23:35",
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        }
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        "To refuse, especially with disgust, contempt or scorn; to refuse with apparent disregard about offending the offerer."
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        "(idiomatic, with \"at\") To refuse, especially with disgust, contempt or scorn; to refuse with apparent disregard about offending the offerer."
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          "_dis1": "5 9 86",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "to refuse, especially as due to pride and status",
          "word": "faire la fine bouche"
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          "_dis1": "5 9 86",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
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        },
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          "lang": "Icelandic",
          "sense": "to refuse, especially as due to pride and status",
          "word": "fúlsa við"
        },
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          "_dis1": "5 9 86",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "to refuse, especially as due to pride and status",
          "word": "arricciare il naso"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "5 9 86",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "to refuse, especially as due to pride and status",
          "tags": [
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          ],
          "word": "kręcić nosem"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "5 9 86",
          "code": "ro",
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          "sense": "to refuse, especially as due to pride and status",
          "word": "strâmba din nas"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "5 9 86",
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "to refuse, especially as due to pride and status",
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        }
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      "_dis1": "29 37 34",
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "to sneer",
      "word": "faire la fine bouche"
    },
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      "sense": "to sneer",
      "word": "fitja upp á nefið"
    },
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      "_dis1": "29 37 34",
      "code": "is",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "sense": "to sneer",
      "word": "setja upp hundshaus"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "29 37 34",
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "to sneer",
      "word": "arricciare il naso"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "29 37 34",
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "sense": "to sneer",
      "word": "strâmba din nas"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "29 37 34",
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "zadiratʹ nos",
      "sense": "to sneer",
      "word": "задирать нос"
    }
  ],
  "word": "turn up one's nose"
}
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          "ref": "1972, Émile Zola, translated by George Holden, Nana, Penguin Books",
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          "type": "quotation"
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          "ref": "1848, James Russell Lowell (initially published anonymously), A Fable for Critics",
          "text": "But he turned up his nose at their murmuring and stammering,\nAnd cared (shall I say?) not a d—— for their damming;\nSo they first read him out of their church, and next minute\nTurned round and declared he had never been in it.",
          "type": "quotation"
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        {
          "ref": "1853, Charles Dickens, The Schoolboy's Story",
          "text": "So Old Cheeseman went on, and didn’t he lead a miserable life! Of course the Reverend turned up his nose at him, and of course she did—because both of them always do that at all the masters—but he suffered from the fellows most, and he suffered from them constantly.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1916, Mark Twain, The Mysterious Stranger",
          "text": "Lovely as he was, Satan could be cruelly offensive when he chose; and he always chose when the human race was brought to his attention. He always turned up his nose at it, and never had a kind word for it.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1958, annotated translation based on documents deriving from postulated c.85 Greek text attributed to Luke (ἐξεμυκτήριζον δὲ καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες σὺν αὐτοῖς λέγοντες· Ἄλλους ἔσωσε, σωσάτω ἑαυτόν, εἰ οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκλεκτός.). Lockman Foundation, The Amplified New Testament, used in 1965 Zondervan Corporation, The Amplified Bible, Luke 23:35",
          "text": "... but the rulers scoffed and sneered (turned up their noses) at Him, saying, He rescued others; let Him now rescue Himself, if He is the Christ (the Messiah) of God, His Chosen One!"
        }
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      "glosses": [
        "To regard with contempt or scorn; to treat with contempt or scorn; to ignore or disregard in a contemptuous or scornful way."
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        "(idiomatic, with \"at\") To regard with contempt or scorn; to treat with contempt or scorn; to ignore or disregard in a contemptuous or scornful way."
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          "text": "I tried to help, but they turned up their noses at my advice."
        },
        {
          "ref": "1881, James Greenwood, Low-Life Deeps",
          "text": "Why I recollect, a bit ago, having a tarrier dog what got old and disagreeable, and was turned out on that account from a swell house in Belgravy. Well, he come into my hands, and nat'rally I put him on paunch, like the rest. Would he eat it? Not he. He had been used to his chicken, and his mutton chops, and his 'ashes: and he turned up his nose at anything commoner.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1915, Joseph Conrad, Victory: An Island Tale",
          "text": "What I want to know is what he gets to eat there. A piece of dried fish now and then--what? That's coming down pretty low for a man who turned up his nose at my table d'hote!",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To refuse, especially with disgust, contempt or scorn; to refuse with apparent disregard about offending the offerer."
      ],
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        "(idiomatic, with \"at\") To refuse, especially with disgust, contempt or scorn; to refuse with apparent disregard about offending the offerer."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "with \"at\""
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      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
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      "tags": [
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  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "turn one's nose up"
    }
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  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "to sneer",
      "word": "faire la fine bouche"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "to sneer",
      "word": "lever le nez"
    },
    {
      "code": "is",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "sense": "to sneer",
      "word": "fitja upp á nefið"
    },
    {
      "code": "is",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "sense": "to sneer",
      "word": "setja upp hundshaus"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "to sneer",
      "word": "arricciare il naso"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "sense": "to sneer",
      "word": "strâmba din nas"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "zadiratʹ nos",
      "sense": "to sneer",
      "word": "задирать нос"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "to refuse, especially as due to pride and status",
      "word": "faire la fine bouche"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "to refuse, especially as due to pride and status",
      "word": "lever le nez"
    },
    {
      "code": "is",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "sense": "to refuse, especially as due to pride and status",
      "word": "fúlsa við"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "to refuse, especially as due to pride and status",
      "word": "arricciare il naso"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "to refuse, especially as due to pride and status",
      "tags": [
        "imperfective"
      ],
      "word": "kręcić nosem"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "sense": "to refuse, especially as due to pride and status",
      "word": "strâmba din nas"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "to refuse, especially as due to pride and status",
      "word": "burun kıvırmak"
    }
  ],
  "word": "turn up one's nose"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-30 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (210104c and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.