turn up one's nose

From turn (verb) + up (preposition) + one’s + nose (noun), describing a gesture possibly universally understood as indicating contempt, disgust, or scorn which has existed at least since Ancient Greek times: see Ancient Greek ἐκμυκτηρίζω (ekmuktērízō, “to hold in derision”), from ἐκ- (ek-, prefix expressing completion or totality) and μυκτηρίζω (muktērízō, “to turn up the nose, sneer at”) (from μῠκτήρ (mŭktḗr, “nostril”)).

• "I tried to help, but they turned up their noses at my advice."
• "We listened in profound silence until the conclusion of this harangue, when Captain Guy replied by assuring the chief of his eternal friendship and goodwill, concluding what he had to say be a present of several strings of blue beads and a knife. At the former the monarch, much to our surprise, turned up his nose with some expression of contempt; but the knife gave him the most unlimited satisfaction, and he immediately ordered dinner."
• "Why I recollect, a bit ago, having a tarrier dog what got old and disagreeable, and was turned out on that account from a swell house in Belgravy. Well, he come into my hands, and nat'rally I put him on paunch, like the rest. Would he eat it? Not he. He had been used to his chicken, and his mutton chops, and his 'ashes: and he turned up his nose at anything commoner."
• "What I want to know is what he gets to eat there. A piece of dried fish now and then—what? That's coming down pretty low for a man who turned up his nose at my table d'hôte!"
• "[A] Man muſt be nice indeed, that turns up his Noſe at a VVoman, vvho has no vvorſe Imperfection, than ſetting too great a Value upon her Underſtanding."
• "[…] Lord Orville, […] changed the ſubject to Cox's Muſeum, and aſked vvhat he thought of it? "Think!—" ſaid he, "vvhy I think as hovv it i'n't vvorth thinking about. I like no ſuch jem cracks. It is only fit, in my mind, for monkeys,—though, for aught I knovv, they too might turn up their noſes at it.""
• "Antonia bustled round the ransack'd room, / And, turning up her nose, with looks abused / Her master, and his myrmidons, of whom / Not one, except the attorney, was amused; […]"
• "But he turned up his nose at their mumming and shamming, / And cared (shall I say?) not a d—— for their damming; / So they first read him out of their Church, and next minute / Turned round and declared he had never been in it."
• "So Old Cheeseman went on, and didn’t he lead a miserable life! Of course the Reverend turned up his nose at him, and of course she did—because both of them always do that at all the masters—but he suffered from the fellows most, and he suffered from them constantly."
• "The Greek and Roman authors, moreover, constituted an aristocracy, beside which any productions of a language counted barbaric, must sink to the lowest plebian level. What learning there was in those days, we may easily imagine, turned up its nose at the strains of the native minstrels."
• "Lovely as he was, Satan could be cruelly offensive when he chose; and he always chose when the human race was brought to his attention. He always turned up his nose at it, and never had a kind word for it."
• "Now the people stood by, (calmly and leisurely) watching, but the rulers scoffed and sneered (turned up their noses) at Him [Jesus], saying, He rescued others; let Him now rescue Himself, if He is the Christ (the Messiah) of God, His Chosen One!"

• hold one's nose up