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north and south noun Rhyming slang for 'mouth'. E.g. Dust
floating about in the air, which gets in your north and south.
nose noun 1. A spy or informer; one who gives information
to the police. E.g. He knew that CID men are allowed to drink on
duty because much of their time is spent with 'noses' or informants.
2. to keep one's nose clean to stay out of trouble, behave properly.
E.g. Denis Fitzgerald ... a known associate of villains, but
managed to keep his own nose clean. 3. on the nose: a) US
precisely. E.g. Malcolm Cowley was right on the nose when he
wrote that The Deer Park was a far more difficult book to write
than The Naked and the Dead. b) Offensive, annoying; smelly.
E.g. Excuse I not shakin' hands sport but me mits are pretty much
on the nose. 4. to get up someone's nose to annoy someone. E.g.
The implication that granny was a little winning knockout with a
system that couldn't be bettered ... does, I'm afraid, get rather up
my nose.
nosh noun 1. A restaurant; a snack-bar. Also nosh bar, nosh-
house. E.g. After a quick bite at a Nosh, and two strong black
coffees, I felt up to the ordeal. 2. Food, a meal. E.g. Burglars go
for plain, healthy English nosh. 3. mainly US A snack. 4. US To
eat between meals; to snack. E.g. The politician, equipped with a
trowel and the Fixed Smile, gobs mortar on a cornerstone, or
noshes his way along the campaign trail.
no siree /-sari:/ adverb Also no sirree. Mainly US No
indeed; certainly not. E.g. The senator wouldn't protect him. No
siree. [Siree prob. from obs. dialect sirry, from sir noun]
notch-house noun A brothel. E.g. Nancy ran a notch-house
for travelers who loved to see things. [Notch perh. an alteration of
nautch noun, dancing (girl).]
posh adjective 1. Smart, classy; stylish, first-rate; also,
socially superior. E.g. This railway... though posherand faster, had
often reminded him of the tram-like train. verb trans. 2. to posh up
to smarten up or make 'posh'.