count noses
Also, count heads. Reckon up the number of those present. For example, The theater seemed only half-full, so the producer decided to count noses, or Our tour leader was always careful to count heads before the bus started off. This idiom was originally put as tell noses. [Mid-1600s]
Words Nearby count noses
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
How to use count noses in a sentence
Perhaps the phrase "to count noses" originated in these lands.
The Land of the Black Mountain | Reginald WyonHold your horses, Buster, and count noses; perhaps youll find that there are only five of us present.
Motor Boat Boys' River Chase | Louis ArundelSome of the older ranchmen suggested to Packard and to Fisher that they count noses.
Roosevelt in the Bad Lands | H. Hagedorn.When he came to count noses he understood that there wasn't a show for him to be elected cox.
Fred Fenton on the Crew | Allen ChapmanWe never thought to count noses until we reached the Cassidy place, and then we found they were missing.
The Little Colonel's House Party | Annie Fellows Johnston
Browse