Meanings
comparative more toffee-nosed · superlative most toffee-nosed
- IrelandUKSnobbish, condescending or aloof.
1 more example
Parkinson: You made films before, but the part that really made your name was Zulu, wasn't it […] and there of course—against type—you played the toff, you played the officer. Caine: I played the officer, yeah, and everybody thought I was like that. Everyone was so shocked when they met me, this like Cockney guy had played this toffee-nosed git.
2000 December 18, BBC and Bafta Tribute to Michael Caine, 16:43-17:05
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivesnobbish; pretentiously superior
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Probably from toff or from toffee-nose + -ed.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
toffee-nosed. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/toffee-nosed
“toffee-nosed.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/toffee-nosed. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “toffee-nosed,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/toffee-nosed.
Source: toffee-nosed on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.