Copper Nose
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Oliver Cromwell; also called "Ruby Nose," "Nosey," and "Nose Al- mighty," no doubt from some scorbutic tendency which showed itself in a big red nose.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Copper Nose” mean?
Oliver Cromwell; also called "Ruby Nose," "Nosey," and "Nose Al- mighty," no doubt from some scorbutic tendency which showed itself in a big red nose.
Is “Copper Nose” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.