cut off one's nose to spite one's face


Injure oneself out of pique. For example, Staying home because Meg was invited first is cutting off your nose to spite your face. Similar hyperboles appeared in several Latin proverbs; in English the expression was first recorded in 1561.

Words Nearby cut off one's nose to spite one's face

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.