thumb one's nose

English

Etymology

See thumb, nose.

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

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Verb

A Confederate sailor thumbing his nose (gesture)

thumb one's nose (third-person singular simple present thumbs one's nose, present participle thumbing one's nose, simple past and past participle thumbed one's nose)

1. To place a thumb upon the tip of the nose, typically with the fingers spread and while simultaneously wiggling one's fingers, in a gesture of disrespect.

   My brother thumbed his nose in reply to my snide remarks.

2. (figuratively) To act disrespectfully, especially by flouting the object of disrespect.

   Richard Feynman delighted in thumbing his nose at the dissidents and workers.

Synonyms

• (place a thumb upon the tip of the nose in a gesture of disrespect): cock a snook

Translations

to place a thumb upon the tip of the nose in a gesture of disrespect

• Catalan: fer pam i pipa (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 嘲笑我的鼻子

• Dutch: een lange neus maken
• Finnish: näyttää pitkää nenää
• French: faire un pied de nez
• German: eine lange Nase machen, eine Nase drehen
• Hungarian: orrot mutat, szamárfület mutat
• Italian: fare marameo
• Korean: 조롱하다 (ko) (joronghada)
• Polish: zagrać na nosie (pl)
• Russian: показа́ть нос (pokazátʹ nos)

to act disrespectfully, especially by flouting the object of disrespect

• Finnish: näyttää pitkää nenää
• Hungarian: fittyet hány (hu)

See also

• twist one's fingers in one's ears
• wriggle one's fingers