schnoz
Americannoun
Usage
What does schnoz mean? Schnoz is a slang term for a nose, especially a big one. Schnoz is very informal and is usually used to be funny. Sometimes, it’s used to make fun of someone who has a big nose, which can be very rude and offensive, but some people also apply the term to their own nose. It can also be used neutrally, simply as a silly way to refer to any nose, as in You’ve got a little something on your schnoz. This use of the word doesn’t necessarily imply that the nose is big. Variants of the term include schnozz, schnozzle, and schnozzola. Example: If my schnoz were any bigger, it would have its own area code!
Etymology
Origin of schnoz
1935–40, probably expressive alteration of nose, nozzle; schn- by association with any of several semantically related Yiddish words, e.g. shnabl beak, shnoyts snout, shnuk beak, trunk; for suffix of schnozzola -ola
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Martin Crimp’s modern English version of the play reminds us that the monstrous schnoz isn’t really the point.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 29, 2024
Resembling a pug-size hedgehog with the schnoz of an anteater, they are one of only five living species of monotreme, that rare mammal that lays eggs.
From Science Magazine • Jan. 17, 2023
It resembles the psychedelic fly agaric mushroom, a fungus as bright red as Rudolph's schnoz sprinkled with white flecks like snow.
From Salon • Dec. 15, 2022
An extra-long nasal swab is made for a stupendous schnoz, but 2,300 Style Invitational entries make for a stupendous snooze.
From Washington Post • Jul. 23, 2020
But this long schnoz can also be used to suck up water and even create high-frequency trumpeting.
From The Verge • Jun. 5, 2016
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
