snot-nosed

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snot-nosed

A little boy wipes his snot-nosed face with his sleeve.

Definition

Adjective: 1. Having a nose dirty with mucus: Describes someone, typically a child, whose nose is running or dirty with nasal discharge. 2. (Informal, derogatory) Conceited and arrogant; snobbish: Used colloquially to describe a person who is overly self-important, impudent, or disrespectful, often implying they are immature or undeserving of their attitude.

Usage Examples

  • Literal meaning (dirty with nasal discharge):

    • The kindergarten teacher always has tissues ready for the snot-nosed children during cold season.
    • He was a snot-nosed kid with dirty knees and a constant sniffle.

  • Figurative/Informal meaning (conceited, arrogant):

    • I won't take advice from some snot-nosed rookie who just started last week.
    • She dismissed the idea with a wave of her hand, acting like a snot-nosed heiress.
Advanced Usage Notes
  • The term is highly informal and derogatory. It is used to express strong contempt or annoyance, especially towards someone perceived as immature yet arrogant.
  • The figurative sense often carries a connotation of youth or inexperience, suggesting the person's arrogance is not justified by wisdom or achievement.
  • It is frequently used in the phrase "" to combine both the literal image of a messy child and the figurative meaning of an ill-mannered, impudent person.
Variants and Related Words
  • Snotty (adj.): The more common short form, carrying the same two meanings: 1) covered with or resembling snot, 2) annoyingly arrogant or snobbish.
    • a snotty remark (arrogant)
    • a snotty handkerchief (dirty with mucus)
  • Snooty (adj.): Snobbish, looking down on others. (Close synonym for the figurative sense).
  • Uppity (adj.): (Informal, often derogatory) Self-important; not showing proper respect to others. (Close synonym for the figurative sense).
Synonyms
  • For meaning 1 (dirty): runny-nosed, mucus-smeared.
  • For meaning 2 (arrogant): conceited, impudent, insolent, snobbish, stuck-up, persnickety.
Related Idioms/Phrases
  • Snot-nosed brat/kid: A common, strongly derogatory phrase combining both meanings to describe a badly behaved, arrogant, or annoying child or young person.
    • That snot-nosed brat just kicked my bicycle over!
snot-nosed

A little boy wipes his snot-nosed face with his sleeve.

Adjective
  1. dirty with nasal discharge
    • a snotty nose
    • a house full of snot-nosed kids
  2. (used colloquially) overly conceited or arrogant
    • a snotty little scion of a degenerate family-Laurent Le Sage
    • they're snobs--stuck-up and uppity and persnickety

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