cut off one's nose to spite one's face

English

WOTD – 16 December 2011

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU):

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Verb

cut off one's nose to spite one's face

1. (idiomatic) To harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary.

See also

• hoist by one's own petard
• sow dragon's teeth

Translations

harm oneself as a result of trying to harm an adversary

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 損人不利己／损人不利己 (zh) (sǔnrén bù lìjǐ), 损人不利己 (zh) (sǔnrén bùlìjǐ)

• Dutch: wie zijn neus schendt schendt zijn aangezicht
• Finnish: sattua omaan nilkkaan
• German: sich ins eigene Fleisch schneiden (de)
• Italian: darsi la zappa sui piedi, spararsi sui piedi
• Romanian: (lit. to hit oneself in the head) a-și da singur în cap, (lit. to steal one's own cap) a-și fura singur căciula
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: вы́колю себе́ глаз, пусть у тёщи зять криво́й бу́дет (výkolju sebé glaz, pustʹ u tjóšči zjatʹ krivój búdet) (lit.: I'll poke my own eye out, let my mother-in-law have a one-eyed son-in-law), назло́ ма́ме отморо́жу у́ши (nazló máme otmoróžu úši) (lit: I'll get my ears frostbitten to spite my mom)
• Spanish: tirar piedras contra el propio tejado (es), tirar piedras al propio tejado, tirar piedras sobre el propio tejado
• Uzbek: burgaga achchiq qilib ko'rpa yoqish (lit. burn a blanket to spite bedbugs)