Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

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

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.67 in modern English

Syllables: cut of-f one's nose -to spite one's -face
IPA

44

Scrabble Score

29

Letters

4

Syllables

11

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary.

Example Sentences

"The public disgrace of his arrival - which I sometimes wonder he could manage to survive - rankled in his bones; he was in that humour when a man - in the words of the old adage - will cut off his nose to spite his face; and he must make himself a public spectacle in the hopes that some of the disgrace might spatter on my lord."

Inflected Forms

cuts off one's nose to spite one's face (present, singular) cutting off one's nose to spite one's face (participle, present) bite off one's nose to spite one's face (alternative) cut off one's face to spite one's nose (alternative)

Phrases

dig one's own grave hoist by one's own petard shoot oneself in the foot sow dragon's teeth

Frequently Paired Words

dig one's own grave hoist by one's own petard shoot oneself in the foot sow dragon's teeth

Questions

What does cut off one's nose to spite one's face mean?: To harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary.

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

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