# "on the nose" -- alternate term? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 24, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-nose-alternate-term/540592 "2010-05-24T17:50:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-nose-alternate-term/540592/1 "2010-05-24T17:50:49Z")
There’s a phrase in screenwriting: “on the nose”. It means dialog that directly states a character’s intentions, emotions, or motivations instead of indirectly suggesting them: For example: _"I’m angry at you because when you show up late you remind me of my stepfather._" That’s crappy, “on the nose” dialog. However, surely someone must have noticed that blatant, direct statements were a lousy way to construct a character before screenwriting was invented in the 20th century. Is there an older term from literature or theater that means the same thing? ---
**Author:** ![melodyharmonius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/melodyharmonius/32/21310_2.png) [@melodyharmonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melodyharmonius)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2010, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-nose-alternate-term/540592/2 "2010-05-24T17:56:04Z")
Hmmm - how about the fact that “there’s no need to read between the lines” on that one! ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2010, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-nose-alternate-term/540592/3 "2010-05-24T18:06:28Z")
The ‘telling’ part of ‘show, don’t tell’.