cut off one's nose to spite one's face

cut off (one's) nose to spite (one's) face

To use self-destructive means in an attempt to solve a problem or fix a situation. I know you're mad at your dad, but don't cut off your nose to spite your face—running away is only going to make your life harder.See also: cut, face, nose, off, spite

cut off one's nose to spite one's face

Injure oneself out of pique. For example, Staying home because Meg was invited first is cutting off your nose to spite your face . Similar hyperboles appeared in several Latin proverbs; in English the expression was first recorded in 1561. See also: cut, face, nose, off, spite

cut off one's nose to spite one's face, to

To act out of pique in a way that injures oneself more than anyone else. The term appears about 1200 as a Latin proverb recorded by Peter of Blois. It was repeated in the mid-seventeenth century by Gedéon Tallemant des Réaux in recounting the history of France: “Henry IV understood very well that to destroy Paris would be, as they say, to cut off his nose to spite his face.”See also: cut, nose, off, spite