toffee-nosed

[ taw-fee-nohzd, tof-ee- ]

adjective

, British Slang.

1. stuck-up; conceited; pretentious:

   a toffee-nosed butler; a toffee-nosed shop.

toffee-nosed

adjective

1. slang.
   pretentious or supercilious; used esp of snobbish people

Word History and Origins

Origin of toffee-nosed¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Word History and Origins

Origin of toffee-nosed¹

C20: perhaps coined as a pun on toffy stylish, grand: see toff

Example Sentences

The former governor is so buttoned-down and toffee-nosed he belongs at Downton Abbey.

From The Daily Beast

Or was she in fact a maligned victim of elite snobbery (see “pin up girl,” above) by toffee-nosed, Georgetown cocktail-swillers?

From The Daily Beast