nose ring
11
3.8
- noun
- /noʊz rɪŋ/
:
pendiente nasal
- Her nose ring was made of gold and looked stunning.
- nose ring and earrings
- nose ring and tattoo
- wear nose rings
If the answer is yes, then lose the nose ring.
- If the answer is yes, then lose the nose ring.
Examples
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A brass nose ring and silver ear hoops complete the ensemble.
Academic text (2006) -
I really love what you've done with your nose ring.
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You want me to take out my nose ring?
-
- I like your nose ring.
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You want a nose ring?
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And the nose ring, you might want to take that out.
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I'm okay about the nose ring, but these stay with me.
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Proudly, the old man led it by its nose ring to the shed.
Fiction book (1992) -
Ooh, nice nose ring.
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Tania had a nose ring, an eye ring, and a navel ring.
Fiction book (1999)
How Decorative
11
3.8
55
1.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a ring worn through the nose' is directly and compositionally derivable from 'nose' (the facial organ) + 'ring' (a circular decorative band). Although the example definition of 'ring' mentions a finger, extending 'ring' to other body ornaments (earring, nose ring) is a productive and cross-linguistically common pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Nose ring comes from a simple image: a small ring put through a person's or an animal's nose. In people it is worn as a 'decoration', and farmers put a nose ring in a bull's nose to help 'control' the animal, so the phrase now covers both meanings.