noses

noses
   One of the many parts of the body which is significant if it itches, but a range of meanings have been reported since the 17th century. In Thomas Dekker's play The Honest Whore ((1604), ii. i): 'We shall ha' guests to day, I lay my little maidenhead; my nose itches so', while John *Melton (1620: 47) declares: 'When a man's nose itcheth, it is a signe he shall drink wine'. Multiple reasons, with satisfying rhythm, are often given: 'You will shake hands with or kiss a fool, drink a glass of wine, run against a cuckold's door, or miss them all four' (Connoisseur (13 Mar. 1755); compare Folk-Lore 24 (1913), 90). A similar confusion pertains to a blue vein which can appear across the top of the nose: you will drown, be hanged, die young, and so on (The Shepherd's Kalendar (1503); Lean, 1903: ii. 291; Folk-Lore 68 (1957), 413). According to Addy (1895: 144) a turned-up nose indicates deceit.
   See also *nosebleed.
   ■ Lean, 1903: ii. 142, 283-8, 291; Opie and Tatem, 1989: 288; Hazlitt, 1905: 441-2.

A Dictionary of English folklore. . 2014.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Noses Creek — is a 14.5 mile long (23.3 km)[1] stream in Cobb County, Georgia, USA. It is a significant tributary of the much larger Sweetwater Creek, in turn part of the Chattahoochee River basin. On topographic maps, it begins between Kennesaw and… …   Wikipedia

  • noses — nəʊz n. facial feature above the mouth and below the eyes; part of the body used for smelling and breathing; sense of smell; propensity for detecting; proboscis; snout v. smell, sniff; nuzzle with the nose; snoop about; move forward cautiously …   English contemporary dictionary

  • NOSES — …   Useful english dictionary

  • Blue Noses Group — Le Blue Noses Group fait partie du mouvement sots art et a personnifié dans son art les tendances innovantes de l’art moderne russe comme la communication et le burlesque. Les artistes travaillent sur la zone, sur la ligne de séparation entre la… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Mouse Noses on Toast —   Author(s) Daren King …   Wikipedia

  • Red Noses — Infobox Play name = Red Noses image size = 150px caption = writer = Peter Barnes characters = Jean Mistral Bonville Father Flote Master Bells Brodin Marguerite Frapper Pope Clement VI setting = 13th century France premiere = 1985 place = Barbican …   Wikipedia

  • count\ noses — • count heads • count noses v. phr. informal To count the number of people in a group. On the class picnic, we counted heads before we left and when we arrived to be sure that no one got lost. The usher was told to look out into the audience and… …   Словарь американских идиом

  • count heads or noses — idi count heads or noses, to count the number of people present …   From formal English to slang

  • rub noses — ► rub noses rub one s nose against someone else s in greeting (as is traditional among Maoris and some other peoples). Main Entry: ↑rub …   English terms dictionary

  • count noses — phrasal see count heads …   New Collegiate Dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”