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toffee-nosed

toffee-nosed

1 9.9
Acting as if you are better than other people
  • adjective
  • /ˈtɒfiˌnəʊzd/
  • Offensive
translation icon : esnob
  • His toffee-nosed attitude alienated his colleagues, who preferred a more down-to-earth approach.

Examples

  • And there were the twins, taking their cut at every turn, like a pair of toffee-nosed stockbrokers.

  • Because given the choice of taking orders from a toffee-nosed twat like you... ... and slogging it out with these guys--

  • Courtesy of none other than the ultimate toffee-nosed Dr. Jekyll, Harley Street specialist and a man noted for his good works.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • The toffee-nosed gentleman looked down on everyone at the party, acting as if his wealth made him superior.

  • She was rather toffee-nosed, only becoming friends with people she deemed important or wealthy.

Synonyms

pretentious
vstoffee-nosed
  • Offensive
74 7.3

Trying to seem more important or clever than you really are

is more about social superiority and snobbish attitude than mere show
snooty
vstoffee-nosed
16 7.4

Acting as if you are better than other people

is more focused on an affected, showy claim to importance
snotty
vstoffee-nosed
  • Informal
16 7.8

Acting as if you are better than other people

is more about an affected, showy snobbishness rather than plain conceit
snobby
vstoffee-nosed
  • Offensive
16 6.3

A person who thinks they are better than other people and looks down on them

is more about pretending to be superior in a showy way
haughty
vstoffee-nosed
14 8.1

Acting proud and looking down on other people

is less openly disdainful and more about affected social pretence
snobbish
vstoffee-nosed
  • Offensive
7 5.3

Acting like you are better than other people because of their money or clothes

is more about an affected or pretentious show of importance
snot-nosed
vstoffee-nosed
  • Offensive
7 9.6

Having a rude, arrogant attitude often used to describe a child

is more about a deliberate, affected show of social superiority
snotty-nosed
vstoffee-nosed
  • Offensive
1 8.2

A person, often a child, who is rude and acts as if better than others

is more about affected, pretentious social superiority than childish rudeness
toffy
vstoffee-nosed
  • Offensive
9.9

Acting like a rich person to seem important

is broader, meaning general snobbish pretence rather than class affectation
highfaluting
vstoffee-nosed
  • Informal
9.9

Showing off and acting more important than others

is more about social superiority shown through affected behaviour
muffy
vstoffee-nosed
  • Offensive
9.9

Having a proud, snobbish manner and showing off fashionable tastes

is broader, stressing pretence of importance beyond just fashion

Antonyms

222 2.8

Not proud and not thinking you are better than others

Simple and honest in style and not trying to impress people

How Snobbish

pretentious
  • Offensive
74 7.3
snobbish
  • Offensive
7 5.3
toffee-nosed
  • Offensive
1 9.9
snooty
16 7.4

Surface Forms

toffee-nosed positive

Morphology

toffee-nosed = toffee + nose (opaque) = toffee + nose + ed

Although built from 'toffee' + 'nose' + '-ed', the idiomatic meaning 'snobbish' cannot be derived from the literal parts by an average learner.

Etymology

Toffee-nosed comes from old British slang toff 'a rich, upper-class person' and the sweet toffee, creating a picture of someone with their nose turned up as if too 'pampered'. That's why toffee-nosed means snobbish or acting like you are better than other people.