[nose down]{v.}, {of an aircraft} To head down; bring down thenose of. •/The big airliner began to nose down for a landing./ •/Thepilot nosed the plane down toward the runway./

[nose in(1)] or [nose into(1)] {informal} Prying or pesteringinterest in; unwelcome interest in; impolite curiosity. •/He always had hisnose in other people’s business./ Contrast: NOSE OUT OF.

[nose in(2)] or [nose into(2)] {v.} To move in close; move slowlyin with the front first. •/The ship nosed into the pier./ •/The car nosedinto the curb./

[nose in a book]{n. phr.} Busy interest in reading. — Used with apossessive. •/Mother can’t get Mary to help do the housework; she always hasher nose in a book./

[nose is out of joint] See: PUT ONE’S NOSE OUT OF JOINT.

[nose out]{v.}, {informal} 1. To learn by effort (somethingprivate or secret); uncover. •/The principal nosed out the truth about thestolen examination./ 2. To defeat by a nose length; come in a little ahead ofin a race or contest. •/The horse we liked nosed out the second horse in avery close finish./ •/The Democratic candidate nosed out his rival forCongress by a few hundred votes./

[nose out of]{informal} Curious attention; bothering. — Usually usedwith a possessive and usually used with "keep". •/When Billy asked his sisterwhere she was going she told him to keep his nose out of her business./Contrast: NOSE IN.

[nose over]{v.} To turn over on the nose so as to land upside down.•/The airplane made a faulty landing approach and nosed over./

[nose up]{v.} To head up; incline the forward end upwards; move up.•/The airplane nosed up through the cloud bank./ •/The pilot nosed theplane up from the field./

[no-show]{n.}, {informal} A person who makes a reservation, e.g.,at a hotel or at an airline, and then neither claims nor cancels it. •/Theairlines were messed up because of a great number of no-show passengers. /

[no sooner --- than] As soon as; at once when; immediately when. •/Nosooner did he signal to turn than the other car turned in front of him./•/No sooner were the picnic baskets unpacked than it began to rain./

[no spring chicken]{n. phr.} A person who is no longer young. •/Eventhough she is no spring chicken anymore, men still turn their heads to look ather./

[no sweat(1)]{adj.}, {slang}, {informal} Easily accomplished,uncomplicated. •/That job was no sweat./

[no sweat(2)]{adv.} Easily. •/We did it no sweat./

[not a few] See: QUITE A FEW.

[not a leg to stand on]{n. phr.}, {informal} No good proof orexcuse; no good evidence or defense to offer. •/The man with a gun and $300in his pocket was accused of robbing an oil station. He did not have a leg tostand on./

[not a little] See: QUITE A LITTLE.

[not all there]{adj. phr.} Not completely alert mentally;absentminded; not together. •/Bill is a wonderful guy but he is just not allthere./

[not at all] See: AT ALL.

[not bad] or [not so bad] or [not half bad] {adj.},{informal} Pretty good; all right; good enough. •/The party last nightwas not bad./ •/It was not so bad, as inexpensive vacations go./ •/Theshow was not half bad./

[not by a long shot] See: BY A LONG SHOT.

[not by any means] See: BY NO MEANS.

[notch] See: TIGHTEN ONE’S BELT.

[note] See: COMPARE NOTES, TAKE NOTE OF.

[not for all the coffee in Brazil] or [not for all the tea in China] or[not for anything in the world ] or [not for love or money] See: NOTFOR THE WORLD.

[not for the world] or [not for worlds] {adv. phr.} Not at anyprice; not for anything. •/I wouldn’t hurt his feelings for the world./•/Not for worlds would he let his children go hungry./

[not half bad] See: NOT BAD.

[not have anything on] See: HAVE NOTHING ON.

[not have the heart to]{v. phr.} To not be insensitive or cruel.•/My boss did not have the heart to lay off two pregnant women when they mostneeded their jobs./

[nothing] See: GO FOR NOTHING, HAVE NOTHING ON, HERE GOES NOTHING, IN NOTIME or IN NOTHING FLAT, NOT TO MENTION or TO SAY NOTHING OF.

[nothing doing]{adv. phr.}, {informal} I will not do it; certainlynot; no indeed; no. •/"Will you lend me a dollar?" "Nothing doing!"/•/"Let’s go for a boat ride!" "Nothing doing!"/ Compare: NO DEAL.

[nothing if not]{adv. phr.} Without doubt; certainly. •/With itsbright furnishings, flowers, and sunny windows, the new hospital dayroom isnothing if not cheerful./

[nothing like] See: ANYTHING LIKE.

[nothing of the kind]{adv. phr.} On the contrary. •/"Did you quityour job?" he asked. "No, I did nothing of the kind," she answered./

[nothing short of]{adv. phr.} Absolutely; thoroughly; completely.•/Olivier’s performance in Hamlet was nothing short of magnificent./

[nothing succeeds like success] Success in one thing makes success in otherthings easier; people like a successful person. — A proverb. •/The girls alllike Bob because he is football captain. Nothing succeeds like success./

[nothing to it]{adj. phr.} Presenting no serious challenge; easilyaccomplished. •/Once you learn how to tread water, swimming is really easy;there is nothing to it./ Compare: EASY AS APPLE PIE, A CINCH, A PIECE OFCAKE.

[nothing to sneeze at] See: SNEEZE AT.

[notice] See: SIT UP AND TAKE NOTICE, TAKE NOTE OF or TAKE NOTICE OF.

[not in the least]{adv. phr.} Not at all. •/She was not in the leastinterested in listening to a long lecture on ethics./

[notion] See: HALF A MIND also HALF A NOTION, TAKE INTO ONE’S HEAD or TAKEA NOTION.

[not know which way to turn] or [not know which way to jump] {v.phr} To be puzzled about getting out of a difficulty; not know what to do toget out of trouble. •/When Jane missed the last bus home, she didn’t knowwhich way to turn./ •/After Mr. Brown died, Mrs. Brown had no money to paythe bills. When the landlord told her to pay the rent or move out, she didn’tknow which way to jump./

[not let any grass grow under one’s feet] See: LET GRASS GROW UNDER ONE’SFEET.

[not one’s cup of tea] See: CUP OF TEA.

[not one’s scene] See: CUP OF TEA.

[not on your life]{adv. phr.}, {informal} Certainly not; not ever;not for any reason. — Used for emphasis. •/I wouldn’t drive a car withbrakes like that — not on your life./ •/Did he thank me for my advice? Noton your life./

[not see beyond one’s nose] See: SEE BEYOND ONE’S NOSE.

[not so bad] See: NOT BAD.

[not so hot] or [not too hot] {adj. phr.} Ineffective; not verygood. •/His plans to rebuild the house in a hurry obviously weren’t sohot./

[not the only fish in the sea]{n. phr.} One of many; not the only oneof the kind; not the only one available. •/He said he could find other girls — she was not the only fish in the sea./ Compare: NOT THE ONLY PEBBLE ON THEBEACH.

[not the only pebble on the beach]{n. phr.} Not the only person to beconsidered; one of many. •/George was acting pretty self-important and wefinally had to tell him that he wasn’t the only pebble on the beach./Compare: NOT THE ONLY FISH IN THE SEA.