APAD: Look down your nose

Meaning:

To be snobbish/superior about something

 

Background:

Apparently, the first recorded use of this expression in the USA was in the

1920s. However, similar expressions have been in use in other languages (and

probably English) long before this date. For example, the equivalent in French

is regarder de haut.

 

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Confucians have the concept of Junzi. A distinguished member of society, he has

many dos and don'ts. For one, a Junzi "stays away from the kitchen," and looks

down his nose at physical labor in general.

 

From another angle, however, the poor guy is stripped of an essential, in many

ways nourishing, and even entertaining activity that makes one human. He is not

interested in preparing a meal or the stories of the nutrients entering his

mouth. His faithful guide the tastebuds, devoted to salt, sugar, and fat, tell

him that the food is delicious and that's enough. He's severed his ties to

nature and is ready to be loaded into the matrix.