on the nose

== English == === Etymology === (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.) === Pronunciation === === Prepositional phrase === on the nose (idiomatic) Exact; precise; appropriate. Synonyms: on the button, on the dot; see also Thesaurus:exactly (idiomatic) Unimaginative; overliteral; lacking nuance; unsophisticated. Synonym: heavy-handed Antonyms: nuanced, subtle (slang, Australia, often figurative) Smelly; malodorous. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:malodorous (gambling slang) Being a bet on a horse to finish first. (obsolete slang) On the lookout. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see on,‎ nose. ==== Translations ==== === Further reading === “on the nose”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present. Eric Partridge (2005), “on the nose”, in Tom Dalzell and Terry Victor, editors, The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, volume 2 (J–Z), London; New York, N.Y.: Routledge, →ISBN, page 1384. “Nose” in [John Camden Hotten], The Slang Dictionary […], 5th edition, London: Chatto and Windus, 1874, page 238: “"on the nose," on the look-out.”. === Anagrams === honestone