bluenose

[ bloo-nohz ]

noun
  1. a puritanical person; prude.

  2. (initial capital letter)Also Blue Nose .Canadian. an inhabitant of the Maritime Provinces, especially of Nova Scotia.

  1. Nautical Slang.

    • a sailing vessel of Nova Scotia.

    • a seaman on such a vessel.

Origin of bluenose

1
First recorded in 1780–85 (def. 2, 3); 1925–30, an Americanism for (def. 1); blue + nose; (def. 1) cf. blue law, etc.; (def. 2, 3) originally a derisive name for someone living in Nova Scotia before the Loyalists arrived; further etymology uncertain

Words Nearby bluenose

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How to use bluenose in a sentence

  • He came from Nova Scotia, too, and called himself a typical bluenose.

    Dorothy's Travels | Evelyn Raymond
  • She was making westing, and the Olympian bluenose aft was driving his wind-harried steed up into fairer and warmer latitudes.

    The Viking Blood | Frederick William Wallace
  • Not like aour old bluenose packets, whittled out of the bush above tide-water, eh?

    The Viking Blood | Frederick William Wallace
  • Donald smiled to himself at the thought of the hard-case bluenose mate having a penchant for chocolate “fudge.”

    The Viking Blood | Frederick William Wallace
  • Your lazy lime-juice shell-backs give Yankee and bluenose ships a hard name.

    The Viking Blood | Frederick William Wallace

British Dictionary definitions for bluenose

bluenose

/ (ˈbluːˌnəʊz) /


noun
  1. US slang a puritanical or prudish person

  2. (often capital) informal a native or inhabitant of Nova Scotia

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012