To rub someone’s nose in something is to repeatedly remind them of something they have done wrong, some painful or embarrassing fact, or a personal fault.
Often this idiom is used in the negative, as in the common phrase “Don’t rub my nose in it.”
Compare the similar idiom Rub Salt in the Wound. These two idioms are not exact synonyms.
Origin of “Rub Someone’s Nose In It”
Used since the mid-1900s, the phrase “rub someone’s nose in it” is based on the incorrect belief that the best way to house train a puppy is to rub their nose in their own feces or urine when they have defecated or urinated indoors.
Sentence Examples
“I know I shouldn’t have talked to Robert knowing you guys were arguing. You don’t have to rub my nose in it.”
“Getting drunk and embarrassing myself is bad enough without you rubbing my nose in it.”
“I know I shouldn’t make fun of Darren for failing his test, but he’s been such a jerk to me, I just wanted to run his nose in it a little.”
Similar and Related Idioms
- Add Insult to Injury: To make a bad or uncomfortable situation even worse by saying or doing something insensitive, unfair, or humiliating on top of the original hardship.
- Kick Someone When They’re Down: To continue criticizing or attacking someone who is already in a vulnerable or defeated state.
- Add Fuel to the Fire: To take action that makes an already intense or bad situation significantly worse.
- Twist the Knife: To deliberately increase someone’s emotional pain or distress after an initial blow.