Under everyone's nose 👃👥

Meaning

Something that is happening or a thing that is present but is not noticed or seen by people who are nearby.

Origin

Imagine a time when secrets were harder to keep, but people were still surprisingly unobservant. The phrase paints a picture of something blazingly obvious, right there in front of your face. Think of a magician performing a sleight-of-hand trick; the object disappears, literally under the observer's nose, yet they miss it entirely. It's this very human tendency to overlook the apparent, to be so focused on one thing that another slips by unnoticed, that solidified this idiom. The 'nose' acts as a potent symbol for your immediate awareness and perception, suggesting that even what's closest to you can be missed if you aren't paying attention.

Under everyone's nose represented with emoji👃👥

This playful arrangement of a nose and two people, 👃👥, functions as a delightful invitation to ponder the phrase 'under everyone's nose.' It underscores the subtle ways in which obvious truths or happenings can slip past our collective notice. Note how the simple juxtaposition gently teases the viewer, challenging us to consider what might be hiding in plain sight, just beyond the reach of our everyday gaze.

Examples

• The missing keys were under everyone's nose the whole time, on the kitchen counter.
• He was hiding the cookies under everyone's nose, right in the cookie jar.
• The gnome kept his tiny mushroom garden under everyone's nose, just behind the rose bushes.
• The fairy's secret portal was hidden under everyone's nose, disguised as an old oak tree.

Frequently asked questions