Phrase guide

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

verb · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

verb

Meaning 1

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

28 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: 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 (sǔnrén bù lìjǐ) — to harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
  • Chinese Mandarin: 傷敵一千,自損八百 /伤敌一千 — to harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
  • Chinese Mandarin: 自损八百 (shāng dí yīqiān, zì sǔn bābǎi) — to harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
  • Chinese Mandarin: 殺敵一千,自損八百 /杀敌一千 — to harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
  • Chinese Mandarin: 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 — to harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
  • Finnish: sattua omaan nilkkaan — to harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
  • French: se tirer une balle dans le pied — to harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
  • German: sich ins eigene Fleisch schneiden — to harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
  • Italian: darsi la zappa sui piedi — to harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
  • Italian: spararsi sui piedi — to harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
  • Polish: na złość mamie odmrozić sobie uszy — to harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
  • Polish: na złość mamie odmrażać sobie uszy — to harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
  • Polish: na złość babci odmrozić sobie uszy — to harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
  • Polish: na złość babci odmrażać sobie uszy — to harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
  • Polish: na złość mamusi odmrozić sobie uszy — to harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
  • Polish: na złość mamusi odmrażać sobie uszy — to harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
  • Romanian: își da singur în cap — to harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
  • Romanian: își fura singur căciula — to harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
  • Russian: 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
  • Russian: 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 — to harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
  • Spanish: tirar piedras al propio tejado — to harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
  • Spanish: tirar piedras sobre el propio tejado — to harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
  • Turkish: pireye kızıp yorgan yakmak — to harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
  • Uzbek: burgaga achchiq qilib ko'rpa yoqish — to harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary
  • Vietnamese: gậy ông đập lưng ông — to harm oneself as a result of attempting to harm an adversary