Meaning
To be punished or scolded.
Cultural Background
The nose is a symbol of pride and curiosity. Phrases like 'zadziwiać nosa' (to turn up one's nose) or 'wtykać nos' (to stick one's nose in) are common, making 'dostać po nosie' a logical extension of this symbolism. Journalists love this phrase for headlines because it's punchy and evocative. It's often used to describe political parties losing elections they expected to win. It is a common way for teachers to describe the consequences of not studying, framing the failure as a personal 'lesson' rather than just a grade. In the Polish startup scene, 'dostać po nosie' is used to describe the 'fail fast' mentality, though with a slightly more negative/humbling connotation than in Silicon Valley.
Use with 'srodze'
To sound more advanced, add the adverb 'srodze' (severely). 'Srodze dostać po nosie' is a very common and elegant collocation.
Check the gender
Don't forget to change 'dostać' to 'dostała' if the subject is female. The 'po nosie' part never changes.
Meaning
To be punished or scolded.
Use with 'srodze'
To sound more advanced, add the adverb 'srodze' (severely). 'Srodze dostać po nosie' is a very common and elegant collocation.
Check the gender
Don't forget to change 'dostać' to 'dostała' if the subject is female. The 'po nosie' part never changes.
Self-deprecation
Using this about yourself makes you sound humble and self-aware. It's a great way to admit a mistake without sounding too dramatic.
Test Yourself
Fill in the missing words to complete the idiom.
Marek był zbyt pewny siebie, ale na egzaminie srodze ______ po ______.
The correct form is 'dostał' (past tense) and 'nosie' (locative case).
In which situation is it appropriate to use 'dostać po nosie'?
Wybierz odpowiednią sytuację:
The idiom is used for humbling failures, especially after arrogance.
Complete the dialogue with the correct form of the idiom.
A: Czy szef zaakceptował twój szalony pomysł? B: Nie, wręcz przeciwnie. Strasznie ______.
The idiom must match the gender/number of the speaker, but the phrase 'po nosie' remains constant.
Match the idiom variation to the intensity.
Dopasuj:
Prztyczek is small, dostać is standard, oberwać is stronger/more colloquial.
🎉 Score: /4
Visual Learning Aids
Practice Bank
4 exercisesMarek był zbyt pewny siebie, ale na egzaminie srodze ______ po ______.
The correct form is 'dostał' (past tense) and 'nosie' (locative case).
Wybierz odpowiednią sytuację:
The idiom is used for humbling failures, especially after arrogance.
A: Czy szef zaakceptował twój szalony pomysł? B: Nie, wręcz przeciwnie. Strasznie ______.
The idiom must match the gender/number of the speaker, but the phrase 'po nosie' remains constant.
Dopasuj:
Prztyczek is small, dostać is standard, oberwać is stronger/more colloquial.
🎉 Score: /4
Frequently Asked Questions
10 questionsNot necessarily rude, but it is informal. It's fine with friends, but avoid it in very formal settings unless you are trying to be colorful.
Yes, but people will usually assume you mean it metaphorically unless the context is clearly about a fight or sports.
'Oberwać' is more colloquial and sounds a bit more 'street'. 'Dostać' is the standard version.
No, we don't use possessive pronouns like 'moim' in this idiom. It's always just 'po nosie'.
Yes, very often! It describes a company or investor suffering a setback due to overconfidence.
Usually, yes. It carries a connotation that the person was being a bit too bold or arrogant.
Yes: 'Dostaniesz po nosie, jeśli nie przestaniesz'. (You'll get in trouble if you don't stop).
There isn't a direct opposite idiom, but 'odnieść sukces' (to achieve success) or 'triumfować' (to triumph) work.
Yes, especially in crime movies or comedies where a character's plan fails.
Yes, it's very common for parents to use this to explain consequences.
Related Phrases
utrzeć komuś nosa
builds onTo prove someone wrong or outdo them.
dostać po uszach
similarTo be scolded loudly.
sparzyć się
similarTo get burned (figuratively).
mieć coś w nosie
contrastTo not care about something.
