IdiomBody & Senses
Russian
RussianОстаться с носом (Ostat'sya s nosom)
Meaning: To be left empty-handed or outwitted.
Literally: To be left with the nose
Example: “Он пришёл за час до закрытия и остался с носом.” — He arrived an hour before closing and went away empty-handed.
English equivalent: To go away empty-handed
Equivalents in other languages
Portuguese: Ficar a ver navios Literally: To be left watching ships
Italian: a bocca asciutta Literally: With dry mouth
English: go away empty-handed
Origin: Russian Wiktionary and the Учебный фразеологический словарь explain that in old Russia petitioners brought officials and judges a gift or bribe, called a нос. If the gift was refused, the petitioner went away "with his nose," still holding it, and with no hope for his case. This is the standard explanation in Russian phrase dictionaries, but it is not confirmed by period documents.
More Russian idioms
- Как сельдь в бочке (Kak sel'd' v bochke) Packed together very tightly.
- Вешать всех собак (Veshat' vsekh sobak) To blame someone for everything.
- Седьмая вода на киселе (Sed'maya voda na kisele) A very distant relative.
- Положить зубы на полку (Polozhit' zuby na polku) To go hungry; to tighten your belt.
- Считать ворон (Schitat' voron) To idle and let chances slip by.
- Гол как сокол (Gol kak sokol) Dirt poor; without a thing to your name.
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