What does it Mean to ‘Lead Someone by the Nose’?

To lead someone by the nose means —

• to dominate someone completely;
• to force someone to follow your instructions carefully;
• to direct someone to follow you meticulously and slowly.

This idiom comes from the manner in which some disobedient farm animals are handled. If you want to take a headstrong farm animal such as a bull from one place to another, it is not an easy task. It likely won’t follow you if you are pulling the rope tied around its neck.

A proper way to achieve this objective is to have a metal ring pass through its nostrils and then pull on it.

You might have seen it if you have visited a farm.

Thus, you completely dominate an animal when you lead it by the nose.

Let’s see an example —

“I would have never passed the exam had my teachers not led me by the nose”.

It means the teachers gave me precise instructions and I followed them meticulously and passed the exam.

I hope you found this story interesting. If you did, buy my full course on Udemy or watch it for free on Skillshare by signing up here. This course covers nearly 380 idioms with their origins and backstories.

Hi, I am Gauri Shanker, a Vocab teacher and enthusiast. I teach vocabulary in a fun and engaging way. You can check out my courses here.