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Phrase: Under your nose
Gentlemen, this question is for you.
How many times have you unsuccessfully looked in the fridge?
Then your wife comes along in a huff and says, “Here it is right under your nose!”
Come on, tell the truth.
It can’t be just me.
Anyways, when someone says something is under your nose, they mean it is directly in front of you.
That is one meaning of today’s phrase and the simplest one.
There is a second meaning.
I was watching a rerun of the drama CSI: NY the other night when a crime was committed right under the noses of the police.
Two investigators were eating breakfast in a diner.
Another patron asked them for directions.
While looking at the map together, the other customer leaned over one of the cops to see more clearly.
Then he thanked them for their help and left.
That’s when one officer realized his wallet was gone.
The other patron was a thief and had stolen it under his nose.
This is an example of the second meaning of the phrase under your nose: to do something openly and boldly without anyone noticing.
Both uses of under your nose are used when we are not vigilant enough.
We always have to be on guard and keep our eyes open.
As soon as we relax and let our guard down, that’s precisely when something embarrassing or unpleasant will happen under our noses.
Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test
This post is understandable by someone with at least a 7th-grade education (age 12).
On the Flesch-Kincaid reading-ease test, this post scores 75.
The easier a passage is to read, the higher the score on a scale of 0 – 100.