turn up one's nose

Verb

turn up one's nose (third-person singular simple present turns up one's nose, present participle turning up one's nose, simple past and past participle turned up one's nose)

1. (intransitive) To tilt one's face upwards slightly, thus raising one's nose, and often to look downwards at someone, as a sign of contempt, disgust, or scorn.
   • When your turn came, you were carefully collared, and led up to the presence, as if even at that awful moment you were mutinously and murderously disposed. The Pasha, looking at you with a vicious sneer, turned up his nose, ejaculated "Ajemi," and prescribed the bastinado.1855, Richard F[rancis] Burton, “Preparations to Quit Cairo”, in Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to El-Medinah and Meccah. […], volume I (El-Misr), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans...
   • Sir Felix when he read this letter at his club in the afternoon of the Monday, turned up his nose and shook his head. He thought if there were much of that kind of thing to be done, he could not go on with it, even though the marriage was certain, and the money secure. "What an infernal little...1873 May 1 – December 22 (date written), Anthony Trollope, “In Grosvenor Square”, in The Way We Live Now. […], volume I, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published June 1875, →OCLC, page 158

   Synonyms:

   hold one's nose up

2. (idiomatic, intransitive) To refuse something offered, especially with contempt, disgust, or scorn, or with apparent disregard about offending the offerer.
   • I tried to help, but they turned up their noses at my advice.
   • We listened in profound silence until the conclusion of this harangue, when Captain Guy replied by assuring the chief of his eternal friendship and goodwill, concluding what he had to say be a present of several strings of blue beads and a knife. At the former the monarch, much to our surprise...1838, [Edgar Allan Poe], chapter XIX, in The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC, pages 159–160

   Synonyms:

   hold one's nose up

3. (idiomatic, intransitive) To regard or treat someone with contempt or scorn; to scorn; also, to disregard or ignore someone in a contemptuous or scornful way.
   • [A] Man muſt be nice indeed, that turns up his Noſe at a VVoman, vvho has no vvorſe Imperfection, than ſetting too great a Value upon her Underſtanding.1721, [Colley] Cibber, The Refusal; or, The Ladies Philosophy: A Comedy. […], London: […] B[arnaby Bernard] Lintot, […]; W[illiam] Mears, […]; and W[illiam Rufus] Chetwood, […], →OCLC, Act I, page 3
   • […] Lord Orville, […] changed the ſubject to Cox's Muſeum, and aſked vvhat he thought of it? "Think!—" ſaid he, "vvhy I think as hovv it i'n't vvorth thinking about. I like no ſuch jem cracks. It is only fit, in my mind, for monkeys,—though, for aught I knovv, they too might turn up their noſes at...1778, [Frances Burney], “Letter XXIII. Evelina in Continuation.”, in Evelina, or, A Young Lady’s Entrance into the World, volume I, London: […] T[homas] Lowndes, […], →OCLC, page 191

   Synonyms:

   hold one's nose up