nose in

nose in

1. To move forward very slowly and cautiously. Typically said of vehicles. If used transitively, a noun or pronoun can be used between "nose" and "in." I think you'll have enough room to get into the parking spot—just nose the car in a little bit at a time to be sure. He stood watching the fishing boats nose in as they came back to shore from their expeditions.

2. To pry or snoop around; to try to find information about something, especially private, secret, or sensitive matters. Make sure no word of this gets out. The last thing we need is the feds nosing in our affairs. My mom always tries to nose in whenever she suspects I'm dating someone new.

See also: nose

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

nose in (to something)

[for a boat or other vehicle] to move or be moved into something or some place carefully, nose first. The captain nosed into the channel, and our journey had begun. He nosed in and we sailed on.

See also: nose

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

nose in

Also, nose into.

1. Advance cautiously, front end first, as in We nosed the boat into her berth, or The car nosed in very slowly. [Mid-1900s]

2. Pry, snoop, as in He was nosing into our finances again. [First half of 1900s] Also see nose about; poke one's nose into.

See also: nose

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.