Rachel Chau
2021-07-29 08:07
Cut off (one's) nose to spite (one's) face phrase idiomatic
Bite (one's) nose off to spite (one's) face is also used to convey the same meaning.
To do something disadvantageous or harmful to yourself in order to hurt someone else
She got out of the car and walked home in the rain after fighting with her boyfriend. She was just cutting her nose off to spite her face.
The coach seemingly cut his nose off to spite his face by selling James - one of the top-scorers in the team - after an argument with him.
To punish someone or something harshly
Once something has been done, you can do nothing but face the consequences.
White lie
Act in a way that is likely to cause problems for you
The verb "cut" should be conjugated according to its tense.
The idea of the expression may come from the fact that it was not uncommon in the Middle Ages for a person to cut off the nose of another for various reasons, including punishment from the state, or as an act of revenge. Cognitive scientist Steven Pinker notes that the phrase may have originated from this practice, as at this time "cutting off someone's nose was the prototypical act of spite." The expression has since become a blanket term for (often unwise) self-destructive actions motivated purely by anger or desire for revenge.
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