Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
toper's nose

toper's nose

9.9
A nose that becomes large and red with visible veins from long heavy drinking
  • noun
  • Archaic
translation icon : nariz de bebedor
  • He developed a noticeable toper's nose after years of drinking.

Examples

  • His toper's nose was unmistakable in the dim light of the pub.

  • Victorian caricatures often depicted politicians with a toper's nose to suggest their fondness for alcohol.

  • The character in the novel was described as having a pronounced toper's nose from years of drinking.

  • Some people might joke about a toper's nose being a badge of honor.

  • His toper's nose revealed his years of heavy drinking, a common sight among regulars at the bar.

  • In the story, the old man had a distinctive toper's nose, symbolizing his long battle with alcoholism.

  • During the art exhibit, many of the caricatures featured a toper's nose to highlight the satirical view of drunkenness.

Synonyms

brandy nose
vstoper's nose
9.9

A large red nose with visible small blood vessels often caused by heavy drinking

is the general name for this same drinking related nose change
rum nose
vstoper's nose
  • Archaic
9.9

A red, swollen nose with small red veins, often linked to heavy drinking

is the broader colloquial label for that drinking related nasal change
rum-blossom
vstoper's nose
  • Archaic
9.9

A red, swollen nose with small veins you can see after long heavy drinking

is the general phrase used for this alcohol related nasal appearance
copper nose
vstoper's nose
9.9

A red, swollen nose with small broken veins, often from heavy drinking

is the wider informal term for the same alcohol associated nose change
potato nose
vstoper's nose
  • Informal
9.9

A large red round nose with small red lines from blood vessels

is the standard informal name focusing on enlargement from heavy drinking
hammer nose
vstoper's nose
  • Specialized
9.9

An enlarged red nose with visible blood vessels that often comes from heavy drinking

is a simpler term focusing on redness and vessel prominence rather than follicles
hypertrophic rosacea
vstoper's nose
  • Specialized
9.2

A skin problem that makes the nose thick, red, and swollen with small red lines

is a common drinking related description rather than a specific medical diagnosis
rhinophyma
vstoper's nose
  • Specialized
9.9

A very large round nose with thick red skin and visible blood vessels

is the everyday label for enlarged red noses often linked to alcohol rather than disease

Antonyms

normal
∞ 1.0

Usual or expected in most situations

How Red

rhinophyma
  • Specialized
9.9
toper's nose
  • Archaic
9.9

Surface Forms

toper's nose singular
toper's noses plural

Morphology

toper's + nose

The phrase is a straightforward possessive composition: 'toper's' = 'of a toper (heavy drinker)' and 'nose' = facial organ, so the MWE literally means 'the nose of a drinker' (reddened/enlarged from drinking). Although 'toper' is somewhat rare, if a learner knows the constituent 'toper' the overall meaning is directly derivable and cross-linguistically predictable.

Etymology

Toper's nose comes from toper, an old word for a heavy drinker, and the red nose those drinkers often had. Heavy drinking can make the nose red and swollen, so the phrase came to mean 'a red, swollen nose from heavy drinking'.