Language: en
Meaning: (idiomatic)Tocountpeople one at a time.1941September 1,Emanuel Celler,Louis Finkelstein, Frances Strauss, “Americans: Jew and Christian”, inThe Atlantic[1], archived fromthe originalon3 January 2023:While I have nevercounted noses, it is utterly preposterous to estimate that 40 per cent of the total, or 383,658 Federal civil jobs, are held by Jews.1981October 25,Walter Kerr, “Stage View; 'CANDIDA' AS A GAME, NOT A PLAY”, inThe New York Times[2], archived fromthe originalon24 May 2015:Upon entering, this Candida does not even pause tocount noses, see who's there.1998August 30,K. C. Cole, “Exactly Right”, inLos Angeles Times[3], archived fromthe originalon3 January 2023:Statisticians saycounting nosesisn’t the best way to come up with the right number--at least not for a population as large and varied as that of the United States. Far more accurate, they say, is a statistical method called sampling.; (idiomatic,politics)To determine the number ofsupportersof a particularpoliticianorissue.1867August 1,John Neal, “London Forty Years Ago: From the Memoranda of a Traveller”, inThe Atlantic[4], archived fromthe originalon14 August 2022:The last time we met — only three days ago — his great project was coming up before Parliament, and he told me, in confidence, that he was sure of a favorable result, — that he hadcounted noses, and had the most comfortable assurances from all the great leaders of the day, — and in short, between ourselves, that grass would be growing on the London Exchange within two years.1980February 10,John M. Goshko, “Egypt to Get Best Weapons as U.S. Hunts Arab Support”, inWashington Post[5], archived fromthe originalon3 January 2023:Although Israel strongly opposes beefing up military aid to Egypt, the Israelis, as one reliable source puts it, "havecounted nosesin Congress and know they can't stop it."2011February 9, Chris Weigant, “Can Boehner Count Votes?”, inHuffPost[6], archived fromthe originalon3 January 2023:Because it appears the Speaker has not learned to accuratelycount nosesin his own caucus yet.2019February 14, Erin Durkin, “Andrew McCabe says officials discussed removing Trump after Comey firing”, inThe Guardian[7], archived fromthe originalon16 August 2022:"The highest levels of American law enforcement were trying to figure out what to do with the president," Pelley said. "They werecounting noses. They were not asking cabinet members whether they would vote for or against removing the president, but they were speculating this person would be with us, that person would not, and they werecounting nosesin that effort."2023January 3,Franklin Foer, “You'll Miss Gerontocracy When It's Gone”, inThe Atlantic[8], archived fromthe originalon3 January 2023:They reached professional maturity during the years when their political party began to struggle in the face of Republican attacks on the ethos of big-government liberalism, and they prided themselves on their pragmatism, their ability tocount nosesand preserve disparate coalitions.
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