Express scorn or ridicule. For example, I'm sure the members of the school committee thumb their noses at any suggestion we make. This expression alludes to the traditional gesture of contempt, that is, placing the thumb under the nose and wiggling the fingers. [c. 1900]
thumb one's nose
| Idioms: thumb one's nose |
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 | snook |
| thumb (Idiom) |
| nose (Idiom) |
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 | Idioms. The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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