nose count

plural nose counts

1. datedidiomaticuncommonSynonym of headcount.

   Again, we can afford the nose count - because, where we have to, we can undo its results.

   1935, Max Radin, Alexander Marsden Kidd (editors), Legal Essays in Tribute to Orrin Kip McMurray, page 313

   2 more examples

   Getting back to the question, in all fairness to you and to everyone concerned, because there is a matter of money involved in this thing, although your statement was that it was not sufficient, that is, a simple nose count and a housing census, would that have some importance, however?

   1962, United States, Congress, House, Committee on Post Office and Civil Service, Subcommittee on Census and Statistics, Mid-Decade Census, page 15

   The power of polling, both on nose counts and in depth, was never more vividly demonstrated than in the 1968 New Hampshire primary campaign.

   1968, William Safire, The New Language of Politics - An Anecdotal Dictionary of Catchwords, Slogans, and Political Usage, page 108

   Synonyms: headcount