led by the nose
Preserved but no longer current.
Said of a person who has no volition of his own but follows with docility the guidance of a stronger character. In another sense it appears in Isaiah xxxvii, 29 : — "Because thy rage against me ... is come up into mine ears, therefore will I put my hook in thy nose . . . and will turn thee back. . . ." Horses, asses, etc., led by bit and bridle, are led by the nose. Hence lago says of Othello, he was "led. by the nose as asses are'* (i, 3).
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 “led by the nose” mean?
Said of a person who has no volition of his own but follows with docility the guidance of a stronger character. In another sense it appears in Isaiah xxxvii, 29 : — "Because thy rage against me ... is come up into mine ears, therefore will I put my hook in thy nose . . . and will turn thee back. . . ." Horses, asses, etc., led by bit and bridle, are led by the nose. Hence lago says of Othello, he was "led. by the nose as asses are'* (i, 3).
Is “led by the nose” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.