to pay through the nose
Preserved but no longer current.
To pay an excessive price, or at an exorbitant rate. There may be some connexion between this old phrase, "rhino" (#.v.), slang for money, and Gr. rhinos, the nose; or there may be an allusion to nose- bleeding and being bled for money.
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 “to pay through the nose” mean?
To pay an excessive price, or at an exorbitant rate. There may be some connexion between this old phrase, "rhino" (#.v.), slang for money, and Gr. rhinos, the nose; or there may be an allusion to nose- bleeding and being bled for money.
Is “to pay through the nose” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.