turn up one's nose

Meaning

Verb

• To make the gesture of raising one's nose, as a sign of scorn, contempt or disgust.
• To regard with contempt or scorn; to treat with contempt or scorn; to ignore or disregard in a contemptuous or scornful way.
• To refuse, especially with disgust, contempt or scorn; to refuse with apparent disregard about offending the offerer.

Origin

• A description of a gesture possibly universally understood as indicating scorn, contempt or disgust.
• Already found in Ancient Greek as ἐκμυκτηρίζω, from ἐκ- (intensifier with additional senses of out from or of the nature of) and μυκτηρίζω, from the stem μυκτήρ.