turn up one's nose

Meanings

1. To tilt one's face upwards slightly, thus raising one's nose, and often to look downwards at someone, as a sign of contempt, disgust, or scorn.
2. Followed by at.
3. To refuse something offered, especially with contempt, disgust, or scorn, or with apparent disregard about offending the offerer.
4. To regard or treat someone with contempt or scorn; to scorn; also, to disregard or ignore someone in a contemptuous or scornful way.

Etymology

From turn (verb) + up (preposition) + one’s + nose (noun), describing a gesture possibly universally understood as indicating contempt, disgust, or scorn which has existed at least since Ancient Greek times: see Ancient Greek ἐκμυκτηρίζω (ekmuktērízō, “to hold in derision”), from ἐκ- (ek-, prefix expressing completion or totality) and μυκτηρίζω (muktērízō, “to turn up the nose, sneer at”) (from μῠκτήρ (mŭktḗr, “nostril”)).