Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

pay through the nose

/ˌpeɪ θɹu ðə ˈnoʊz/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.44 in modern English

Syllables
pay through the nose
IPA
/ˌpeɪ θɹu ðə ˈnoʊz/
32
Scrabble Score
17
Letters
1
Syllables
12
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To pay an exorbitant or excessive amount, either in money or in some other manner.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Origin uncertain; according to the American etymologist and linguist Anatoly Liberman (born 1937), probably a nautical term drawing an analogy between paying a large sum of money and paying out an anchor’s cable or chain through the hawseholes at the bow (metaphorically the “nose”) of a ship. He is unconvinced of other explanations such as the following: * The term is said to derive from the story of the Norse god Odin levying a tax on the nose of every Swede. However, Liberman is of the view that it is unclear why a god would require money. * Alternatively, the term is said to be from Old Norse nef-gildi (“poll tax payable to the king”, literally “nose-tax”), nose being a synecdoche referring to a person, because the Irish were required to pay such a tax to the Vikings who conquered them (795–1169 C.E.). Liberman points out that the English term is only attested centuries after this period.

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˌpeɪ θɹu ðə ˈnoʊz/
  • British English: /ˌpeɪ θɹuː ðə ˈnəʊz/

Inflected Forms

pays through the nose (present, singular) paying through the nose (participle, present) paid through the nose (participle, past) paid through the nose (past)

Phrases

an arm and a leg

Frequently Paired Words

an arm and a leg expensive

Rhymes With

those does close shows goes knows rose follows clothes chose nose hard-nose

Questions

How do you pronounce pay through the nose?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˌpeɪ θɹu ðə ˈnoʊz/.
What does pay through the nose mean?
To pay an exorbitant or excessive amount, either in money or in some other manner.
Where does pay through the nose come from?
Origin uncertain; according to the American etymologist and linguist Anatoly Liberman (born 1937), probably a nautical term drawing an analogy between paying a large sum of money and paying out an anchor’s cable or chain through the hawseholes at the bow (metaphorically the “nose”) of a ship. He is unconvinced of other explanations such as the following: * The term is said to derive from the story of the Norse god Odin levying a tax on the nose of every Swede. However, Liberman is of the view that it is unclear why a god would require money. * Alternatively, the term is said to be from Old Norse nef-gildi (“poll tax payable to the king”, literally “nose-tax”), nose being a synecdoche referring to a person, because the Irish were required to pay such a tax to the Vikings who conquered them (795–1169 C.E.). Liberman points out that the English term is only attested centuries after this period.

How to pronounce pay through the nose

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “pay through the nose”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌpeɪ θɹu ðə ˈnoʊz/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “pay through the nose”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “pay through the nose” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.