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

verb

To harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary.

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Meanings

verbcut off one's nose to spite one's face (third-person singular simple present cuts off one's nose to spite one's face, present participle cutting off one's nose to spite one's face, simple past and past participle cut off one's nose to spite one's face)

present singular third person cuts off one's nose to spite one's face · participle present cutting off one's nose to spite one's face · alternative bite off one's nose to spite one's face · alternative cut off one's face to spite one's nose

  1. idiomaticTo harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary.
    1 more example

    The public disgrace of his arrival - which I sometimes wonder he could manage to survive - rankled in his bones; he was in that humour when a man - in the words of the old adage - will cut off his nose to spite his face; and he must make himself a public spectacle in the hopes that some of the disgrace might spatter on my lord.

    1889, Robert Louis Stevenson, The Master of Ballantrae

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
dig one's own grave

Translations

Arabic مَنْ حَفَرَ حُفْرَةً لِأَخِيهِ وَقَعَ فِيهَا
  • مَنْ حَفَرَ حُفْرَةً لِأَخِيهِ وَقَعَ فِيهَا (man ḥafara ḥufratan liʔaḵīhi waqaʕa fīhā)to harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
Chinese Mandarin 損人不利己 /损人不利己, 傷敵一千，自損八百 /伤敌一千
  • 損人不利己 /损人不利己 (sǔnrén bù lìjǐ)to harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
  • 傷敵一千，自損八百 /伤敌一千to harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
  • 自损八百 (shāng dí yīqiān, zì sǔn bābǎi)to harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
  • 殺敵一千，自損八百 /杀敌一千to harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
  • 自损八百 (shādí yīqiān, zì sǔn bābǎi)to harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
Dutch wie zijn neus schendt schendt zijn aangezicht
  • wie zijn neus schendt schendt zijn aangezichtto harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
Finnish sattua omaan nilkkaan
  • sattua omaan nilkkaanto harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
French se tirer une balle dans le pied
  • se tirer une balle dans le piedto harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
German sich ins eigene Fleisch schneiden
  • sich ins eigene Fleisch schneidento harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
Italian darsi la zappa sui piedi, spararsi sui piedi
  • darsi la zappa sui piedito harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
  • spararsi sui piedito harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
Polish na złość mamie odmrażać sobie uszy, na złość mamie odmrozić sobie uszy
  • na złość mamie odmrażać sobie uszyto harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
  • na złość mamie odmrozić sobie uszyto harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
  • na złość babci odmrażać sobie uszyto harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
  • na złość babci odmrozić sobie uszyto harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
Romanian își da singur în cap, își fura singur căciula
  • își da singur în capto harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
  • își fura singur căciulato harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
Russian вы́колю себе́ глаз, пусть у тёщи зять криво́й бу́дет, назло́ ма́ме отморо́жу у́ши
  • вы́колю себе́ глаз, пусть у тёщи зять криво́й бу́дет (výkolju sebé glaz, pustʹ u tjóšči zjatʹ krivój búdet)to harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
  • назло́ ма́ме отморо́жу у́ши (nazló máme otmoróžu úši)to harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
Spanish tirar piedras contra el propio tejado, tirar piedras al propio tejado
  • tirar piedras contra el propio tejadoto harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
  • tirar piedras al propio tejadoto harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
  • tirar piedras sobre el propio tejadoto harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
Turkish pireye kızıp yorgan yakmak
  • pireye kızıp yorgan yakmakto harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
Vietnamese gậy ông đập lưng ông
  • gậy ông đập lưng ôngto harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
Cite this entry
APA

cut off one's nose to spite one's face. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cut%20off%20one's%20nose%20to%20spite%20one's%20face

MLA

“cut off one's nose to spite one's face.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cut%20off%20one's%20nose%20to%20spite%20one's%20face. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cut off one's nose to spite one's face,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cut%20off%20one's%20nose%20to%20spite%20one's%20face.

Source: cut off one's nose to spite one's face on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.