Norwegian expression of the day: Snytt ut av nesen
Our Norwegian expression of the day explores what it means to blown out somebody's nose, and it's not as bad as you might think.
What does it mean?
Snytt ut av nesen means blown out the nose. Given what comes out of the nose (blood or snot), it doesn't sound like it'd be the nicest thing to say about someone.
Snytt itself means ripped and can be used in the same way as if you were ripped off by someone or cheated.
However, fear not. If somebody says you are blown straight out of the nose, they (probably) aren't insulting you.
Instead, the term is used to describe your similarity to someone, usually a relative. The expression means that you are so similar that it's almost as if you appeared from out of their nose (if you want to avoid any comparisons to snot).
There perhaps isn't really a direct English equivalent. There are expressions which come close, such as "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" or "spitting image", but these don't quite fully cover the expression.
In English, the closest you could get is perhaps "exactly like". On a slow news day, certain Norwegian publications will put together lists of celebrities' children with headlines like: Disse 7 kjendisene er som snytt ut av nesen på sine verdensberømte besteforeldre (These 7 celebrities are straight out of the noses of their world-famous grandparents).
Use it like this:
Hun er som snytt ut av nesa på faren sin, så like er de
She is right out of her father's nose, they are so similar.
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What does it mean?
Snytt ut av nesen means blown out the nose. Given what comes out of the nose (blood or snot), it doesn't sound like it'd be the nicest thing to say about someone.
Snytt itself means ripped and can be used in the same way as if you were ripped off by someone or cheated.
However, fear not. If somebody says you are blown straight out of the nose, they (probably) aren't insulting you.
Instead, the term is used to describe your similarity to someone, usually a relative. The expression means that you are so similar that it's almost as if you appeared from out of their nose (if you want to avoid any comparisons to snot).
There perhaps isn't really a direct English equivalent. There are expressions which come close, such as "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" or "spitting image", but these don't quite fully cover the expression.
In English, the closest you could get is perhaps "exactly like". On a slow news day, certain Norwegian publications will put together lists of celebrities' children with headlines like: Disse 7 kjendisene er som snytt ut av nesen på sine verdensberømte besteforeldre (These 7 celebrities are straight out of the noses of their world-famous grandparents).
Use it like this:
Hun er som snytt ut av nesa på faren sin, så like er de
She is right out of her father's nose, they are so similar.
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