under our noses
12
4.9
- idiom
:
delante de nuestras narices
- The solution was right under our noses, but we didn't see it until it was too late.
- right under our noses
- happening under our noses
- just under our noses
But the majority of child trafficking is right under our noses.
- But the majority of child trafficking is right under our noses.
Examples
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It was right under our noses.
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Oh, she was right under our noses!
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Yet it's been right here under our nose the whole time.
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Things are here, under our noses.
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It's right under our noses.
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Right under our noses all this time.
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Here, right in the middle of the city, right under our noses.
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You realize that if he can do this right under our noses, he can do it anywhere.
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Our country has been stolen from under our noses.
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This is going on under our noses while the country is losing its grip.
Blog text (16)
Synonyms
57
2.5
Other people do not see or pay attention to it
34
5.2
People do not notice it because someone keeps it quiet
3
5.2
To be easy to see but not noticed by others
2
4.8
Easy to see but not noticed because it looks ordinary
Happens openly without people nearby noticing
People do not notice it when it is important
Something that almost no one notices
Antonyms
How Obvious
24
3.3
38
2.7
12
4.9
- Informal
2
4.8
34
5.2
12
3.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'so close or obvious that it should have been noticed but was overlooked' follows directly from the literal components 'under' + 'our' + 'noses', which convey extreme proximity; the implication of having missed something despite its nearness is a predictable pragmatic extension. This construction is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words is likely to infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
The idiom under our noses comes from the simple picture of something right under our noses, so near your face that you should have seen it but did not. That's why it means 'so close or obvious that it should have been noticed, but was overlooked'.