thumb the nose

[Robin Hamilton]

> I remember it as "cocking a snoot".
>
> DanG

All this possibly goes back to an original West Germanic root (of "snoot",
"snout", "snook", and "nook") whose existence can only (now) be inferred
from later recorded cognate forms.

But I'm outside my territory here -- if Amy West is listening, she'd
probably be able to clarify this.

But pertinently in part, Michael Quinion in World Wide Words:

        http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-coc4.htm

            Robin

> On 5/14/2010 9:20 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>>
>> I think George means "cocking a snook."

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