7 June 2013

Nose Job


The nose comes in for little praise. A 'nose job' is one of the most common procedures in cosmetic surgery, and do we want them bigger? We do not. Oscar Wilde said, 'There is nothing so difficult to marry as a large nose'- a characteristically outrageous line, especially given the size and individuality of his own proboscis.  Of course, it's okay for a man to have a big nose, as it enhances and is even indicative of his masculinity, the size of the one protuberance being suggestive of the other. But on women, small, cute and kink-free seems to be desirable.
 It's a risky business, though. Not only does the nose do an invaluable job of allowing us to breathe, smell and taste, it's often the most distinctive feature of the face. A cariacature often starts with the nose and goes on from there. So you might find you miss it when it's gone. And as the rest of your face (and everything else) ages, creases and shrivels, your nose stays remarkably buoyant and wrinkle-free.
It's also mildly interesting that, given its facial prominence, the nose features in so many English phrases:
                'as plain as the nose on your face'
                'pay through the nose'
                'keep one's nose to the grindstone'
                'turn up your nose at'
                'win by a nose'
                'thumb one's nose at'
                'keep your nose clean'
                'get up someone's nose'
                'put a person's nose out of joint'
                'lead by the nose'
                'stick your nose into someone's business'  
                'look no further than one's nose'
and, finally: 'cut off your nose to spite your face'. So easily done..

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