Meaning & Analysis
The proverb literally describes the sharp, pungent sensation of strong mustard, which creates a stinging or burning feeling in the nasal passages, as if one's nose is being physically gripped.
Insights
Quick Temper and Irritability
The primary metaphorical meaning, as explained in historical sources, is a tendency to become angry or take offense at the slightest provocation. The mustard's sharp 'bite' symbolizes a quick, irritable, and aggressive temper.
Aggressive Confrontation
The phrase 'takes one by the nose' implies being forcefully led or controlled. Metaphorically, it can represent an unavoidable or aggressive comment, truth, or situation that demands immediate, and often uncomfortable, attention.
A Rude Awakening
The sudden, startling effect of the mustard can be seen as a metaphor for a rude or 'uncivil' awakening. It represents a shocking or unpleasant realization that forcefully seizes one's awareness.
Embodied Metaphor
The proverb draws on the universally understood physical experience of tasting strong mustard. Its sharp, almost aggressive pungency provides a powerful and relatable metaphor for a sudden, involuntary fit of pique or anger, highlighting a lack of emotional control.
Cultural Symbolism of Irritation
The cross-reference to 'takes pepper in the nose' reveals a cultural pattern of using nasal irritation as a symbol for a quick temper. This connection underscores a historical understanding of anger as a sharp, almost physical, and uncontrollable reaction.
Social and Literary Wit
Jonathan Swift's witty use of the proverb in 'Polite Conversation', where the mustard is called 'uncivil' for taking him by the nose, illustrates its social currency. It could be used humorously to comment on bluntness or an aggressive social affront.
Rhetorical Devices
Personification
Mustard, an inanimate object, is given the human-like ability to 'take' someone by the nose. This personification animates the condiment, turning it into an active aggressor to dramatize its effect.
Sensory Imagery
The proverb's power comes from its strong appeal to physical sensation—the 'bite' or sting of mustard. This visceral, sensory imagery makes the emotional metaphor of sudden anger more vivid and relatable.
Idiomatic Expression
The phrase 'takes one by the nose' is an idiom that typically means to dominate or deceive. The proverb plays on this, using the literal sensation to fuel a metaphor about being 'led' by one's own temper.
Transcription
Quotations
For mustard to catch one by the nose, viz. to be quickly mov'd, and angry at the least thing in the World, to take pett, or pepper in the nose.
Egad, my lord, your mustard is very uncivil. —Why uncivil...? —Because it takes me by the nose.
Cross References
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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