A "nosy" lesson
Hello and welcome to a new episode of our language series in which we look at the Czech language from head to toe. Today's body part is the nose, the prominent part of the human face which serves as the organ of smell. Both its position on the face and its function inspired our forefathers to coin idioms and sayings using the word nose or nos.
Hello and welcome to a new episode of our language series in which we look at the Czech language from head to toe. Today's body part is the nose, the prominent part of the human face which serves as the organ of smell. Both its position on the face and its function inspired our forefathers to coin idioms and sayings using the word nose or
If someone has a good nose for something - má dobrý nos - in both Czech and English it means that the person has a good instinct or intuition. Also referring to the sense of smell, Czechs use another idiom - nejde mu to pod nos - literally "it doesn't go under his nose", it doesn't smell good to him, therefore he does not like it. In both languages people turn up their noses at things they don't think are good enough for them - ohrnují nos. And about people who turn up their noses too often, Czechs say that they "carry their noses too high" - nosí nos pøíli¹ vysoko - meaning they are conceited, they put on airs.
Sometimes we fail to see things which are right under our nose - pøímo pod nosem. About narrow-minded people Czechs say - nevidí si ani na ¹pièku nosu - he does not see as far as the tip of his nose.
The "linguistic" nose is often used for poking into other people's business. Although the Czech language has no literal translation of the English word "nosy", Czechs, too like to poke their noses into all kinds of things - do v¹eho strkají nos.
If people don't follow any maps or plans and just use their instincts, they follow their nose - jdou rovnou za nosem. If a person has a feeling they somebody is trying to fool them, they say - vodí mì za nos - he or she is leading me by the nose, or up the garden path. Such a trickster deserves nothing less than not to be trusted anymore - as Czechs say: nikdo mu nevìøí ani nos mezi oèima. No one believes his nose between his eyes.
And that's the end of our programme today. Until next time, na shledanou, good-bye.
See also Living Czech.
