nose

noun noses

1. A protuberance on the face housing the nostrils, which are used to breathe or smell. She had a small nose between two sparkling blue eyes.
2. A snout, the nose of an animal.
3. The tip of an object. the nose of a tea-kettle, a bellows, or a fighter plane
4. The bulge on the side of a piece of a jigsaw puzzle, that fits into the hole of its adjacent piece.

   Similar: tab

5. The length of a horse’s nose, used to indicate the distance between horses at the finish of a race, or any very close race. Red Rum only won by a nose.
6. A perfumer. Jacques Polge, Chanel's top “nose” since 1978, made the decision when developers started trying to buy up land around Grasse, where the Muls cultivate three hectares of the precious plant.
7. The sense of smell. We are not offended with […] a dog for a better nose than his master.
8. idiomatic Bouquet, the smell of something, especially wine.
9. The skill in recognising bouquet. It is essential that a winetaster develops a good nose.
10. broadly Skill at finding information. A successful tabloid reporter has a nose for gossip.
11. also, idiomatic, followed by around or about The action of nosing, in the sense to snoop They had a nose around the abandoned property.
12. A downward projection from a cornice.

    Similar: drip

13. slang An informer. […] M was a Magsman, frequenting Pall-Mall; / N was a Nose that turned chirp on his pal; […]

    Similar: nark

Similar: nose, beak, beezer, boko, conk, honker, hooter, neb, pecker, proboscis, schnozz, schnozzle, schnozzola, schnoz, smeller, sneck, sniffer, snitch, snoot, snotbox, snout, trunk

verb noses · nosing · nosed

1. intransitive To move cautiously by advancing its front end. The ship nosed through the minefield.
2. also, ambitransitive, idiomatic, intransitive, followed by around or about, in which case To snoop. She was nosing around other people’s business.
3. transitive To detect by smell or as if by smell. […] if you finde him not this moneth, you ſhall noſe him as you go vp the ſtaires into the Lobby.
4. transitive To push with one's nose; to nuzzle. [L]ambs are glad / Nosing the mother's udder, and the bird / Makes his heart voice among the blaze of flowers: […]
5. transitive To defeat (as in a race or other contest) by a narrow margin; sometimes with out.
6. transitive To utter in a nasal manner; to pronounce with a nasal twang. to nose a prayer
7. transitive To furnish with a nose. to nose a stair tread
8. transitive To confront; be closely face to face or opposite to.
9. intransitive To dive down in a steep angle; to nosedive
10. intransitive To travel with the nose of the plane/ship aimed in a particular direction. The plane is nosing up!