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    What is the origin of the saying, "To cut off your nose to spite your face?"

    Question #107139. Asked by star_gazer. (Jul 17 09 1:12 AM)


    looney_tunes

    		"The precise origin of "Don't cut off your nose to spite your face" is slightly fuzzy, but it seems to have first appeared around 1200 as a Latin proverb cited by Peter of Blois, a French poet of the day. The phrase then crops up a bit later in a history of France, written in the mid-17th century, attributed to a courtier who supposedly employed it to deter King Henry IV from destroying Paris to punish the occupants' low opinion of his rule. The proverb apparently didn't really become popular in English until the 19th century."

    This site has a more extended discussion.

    http://message.snopes.com/showthread.php?t=35792

    Jul 17 09, 2:15 AM

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