Too on the nose

Snooz · Post by **Snooz** » Wed Feb 06, 2013 2:18 pm

What does that even mean? On the nose means precise or exact, right? So how can something that's exactly right be TOO exactly right?

To put this in context, I was reading a review on a new show called "The Americans" that had this line:

A few elements fall short: The use of period-specific music is nice but too on-the-nose, from “Harden My Heart by Quarterflash playing while Elizabeth pumps the aforementioned DOJ agent for information, to “In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins, which provides the soundtrack for an intense scene between Elizabeth and Phillip, who may have the most interesting marriage on TV.

Source

One of the commenters continued with "It was a little on the nose with the plotting..."

What!?! Have I missed out on an expression change? This doesn't make sense to me.

YZGI · Post by **YZGI** » Wed Feb 06, 2013 2:58 pm

I watched it. I thought it was decent, we will see if it holds me.

I think the guy meant that it wasn't unpredictable. Too on the nose. Hell I don't know.

Snooz · Post by **Snooz** » Wed Feb 06, 2013 3:04 pm

I'm confused again. "Wasn't unpredictable" means it was predictable, right? LOL, maybe I've got early senile dementia...

fuzzywuzzy · Post by **fuzzywuzzy** » Wed Feb 06, 2013 3:04 pm

"Too on the nose" is used when something someone says is suspicious or "something smells here" or somethings up . "I smell something fishy here"

Or it can mean offputting, too bad for ones tastes.

Snooz · Post by **Snooz** » Wed Feb 06, 2013 3:12 pm

I did some googling before posting here and I saw that meaning but it seems to be Australian specific. Besides, that doesn't really fit the complaint about 80s music being played in a period drama set in the 80s.

YZGI · Post by **YZGI** » Wed Feb 06, 2013 3:13 pm

SnoozeAgain;1419309 wrote: I'm confused again. "Wasn't unpredictable" means it was predictable, right? LOL, maybe I've got early senile dementia...

It's not that early.

Snooz · Post by **Snooz** » Wed Feb 06, 2013 3:32 pm

Hey, at least I'm not writing double negatives, you butthead.

YZGI · Post by **YZGI** » Wed Feb 06, 2013 3:40 pm

SnoozeAgain;1419314 wrote: Hey, at least I'm not writing double negatives, you butthead.

:wah:

Post by **Bryn Mawr** » Wed Feb 06, 2013 4:58 pm

I suspect we would say it's "too near the knuckle" - reality is too graphically portrayed for it to be enjoyable.

Snooz · Post by **Snooz** » Wed Feb 06, 2013 5:23 pm

That makes more sense but I don't see how anyone could complain about the music, I thought it was very well done. It's been years since I've heard Fleetwood Mac's Tusk and they used it beautifully in the opening scene.

There's a Welshman playing a Russian spy impersonating an American on the show. Matthew Rhys is his name and he's so very good in this part.

fuzzywuzzy · Post by **fuzzywuzzy** » Thu Feb 07, 2013 1:04 am

So no one uses Australian metaphors?.... well **** me I didn't know it was all one way

I suspect we would say it's "too near the knuckle" - reality is too graphically portrayed for it to be enjoyable.

hence being "on the nose". sheesh I get it.

Snooz · Post by **Snooz** » Thu Feb 07, 2013 3:03 am

I'm sure we do but I've never heard that one. On the nose = on the dot. Precise.

YZGI · Post by **YZGI** » Thu Feb 07, 2013 7:53 am

SnoozeAgain;1419370 wrote: I'm sure we do but I've never heard that one. On the nose = on the dot. Precise.

I wonder if what he was referring to was the sex. How the "wife" was having sex outside the "marriage" for the purpose of spying. And how the Russian raped her because it was part of the job. I think it was "too on the nose" about the gritty reality of the job and the things that go with it.

flopstock · Post by **flopstock** » Thu Feb 07, 2013 8:09 am

YZGI;1419381 wrote: I wonder if what he was referring to was the sex. How the "wife" was having sex outside the "marriage" for the purpose of spying. And how the Russian raped her because it was part of the job. I think it was "too on the nose" about the gritty reality of the job and the things that go with it.

I don't think I'd like this show.

YZGI · Post by **YZGI** » Thu Feb 07, 2013 8:14 am

flopstock;1419384 wrote: I don't think I'd like this show.

Thats kinda how my wife was on it. I doubt they spend a lot more time on that part of it. We will see.

I felt a little different about it to begin with but in the end I kinda like the show. We will see where it goes.

Snooz · Post by **Snooz** » Thu Feb 07, 2013 3:51 pm

I just had it explained to me:

It's a movie/TV term that means you are essentially rubbing/hitting the audience's nose in whatever plot device or information you need to impart.

Think painfully obvious dialog or when the camera keeps going back to some significant object in the scene.

When you find yourself saying to the screen "we get it already" or eye-rolling because something unnecessarily obvious, then it's "too on the nose"

Funny that after doing a fairly thorough google search, that "movie/TV term" never popped up but what do I know?