# Meaning of thumbing the nose / biting the thumb

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-thumbing-the-nose-biting-the-thumb/166900>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 6, 2003, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-thumbing-the-nose-biting-the-thumb/166900 "2003-04-06T18:52:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![cdhostage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@cdhostage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cdhostage)\
**Post date:** [April 6, 2003, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-thumbing-the-nose-biting-the-thumb/166900/1 "2003-04-06T18:52:14Z")

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I’ve seen references to the latter in Shakespeare and sme other literature, and the former in more recent texts. What significances do these insults hold?

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**Author:** ![StanDup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@StanDup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StanDup)\
**Post date:** [April 6, 2003, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-thumbing-the-nose-biting-the-thumb/166900/2 "2003-04-06T19:42:30Z")

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I’ve heard it basically means “fuck you”. Could be wrong, but that’s what I’m putting my money on.

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**Author:** ![monica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@monica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monica)\
**Post date:** [April 6, 2003, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-thumbing-the-nose-biting-the-thumb/166900/3 "2003-04-06T20:38:09Z")

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Ah…are you referring to Romeo and Juliet?:  
“Do you bite your thumb at me, sir?”  
“I do bite my thumb at you.” (or something like that, anyway).

Basically, I’ve been led to understand that this about the same as flicking someone off nowadays.

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**Author:** ![zipper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/5f8ce5/32.png) [@zipper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zipper)\
**Post date:** [April 6, 2003, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-thumbing-the-nose-biting-the-thumb/166900/4 "2003-04-06T21:02:29Z")

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I think it is equivalent to the middle finger .

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**Author:** ![BuckleberryFerry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5f9b8f/32.png) [@BuckleberryFerry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BuckleberryFerry)\
**Post date:** [April 6, 2003, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-thumbing-the-nose-biting-the-thumb/166900/5 "2003-04-06T21:04:15Z")

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I think it’s:

-Do you bite your thumb at me, sir?  
-I bite my thumb, but not at you.

A quick check at [BookRags](http://www.bookrags.com/books/2ws16/PART2.htm) gives me:

> [@](#):
>
> Abraham.  
> Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?
> 
> Sampson.  
> I do bite my thumb, sir.
> 
> Abraham.  
> Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?
> 
> Sampson.  
> Is the law of our side if I say ay?
> 
> Gregory.  
> No.
> 
> Sampson.  
> No, sir, I do not bite my thumb at you, sir; but I bite my  
> thumb, sir.

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**Author:** ![Largo62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/45deac/32.png) [@Largo62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Largo62)\
**Post date:** [April 6, 2003, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-thumbing-the-nose-biting-the-thumb/166900/6 "2003-04-06T21:07:06Z")

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I don’t know about biting the thumb, but I always thought thumbing the nose (touching the tip of your nose with your thumb, palm open and fingers up) meant “kiss my ass.”

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**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\
**Post date:** [April 6, 2003, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-thumbing-the-nose-biting-the-thumb/166900/7 "2003-04-06T21:15:13Z")

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Fr. DeBoiser, my HS English teacher who knew everything about English lit, said the meaning was unknown but it was generally considered to be equivalent to the middle finger.