Prickly Pepper-Nosed People

Here’s a very handy word that was used in the 16th and 17th centuries, but seems to have died out.

It’s pepper-nosed. And pepper-nosed means to be touchy or easily angered, quick to take offense, even if something isn’t offensive.

Oh, okay. Pepper-nosed with the idea being that you’re irritated?

Yeah, yeah. If you take pepper in the nose, you get irritated.

Or if you have pepper in the nose, you behave superciliously or contemptuously.

Right. Instead of sniffing snuff, you’re sniffing pepper.

Yeah, but I really like that for, you know, to describe somebody who’s pepper nose, who’s just ready to take offense at anything you say, no matter what it is.

I think we all have a few of those in our life.

Yes, we do.

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