APAD: Look down your nose
Meaning:
To be snobbish/superior about something
Background:
Apparently, the first recorded use of this expression in the USA was in the
1920s. However, similar expressions have been in use in other languages (and
probably English) long before this date. For example, the equivalent in French
is regarder de haut.
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Confucians have the concept of Junzi. A distinguished member of society, he has
many dos and don'ts. For one, a Junzi "stays away from the kitchen," and looks
down his nose at physical labor in general.
From another angle, however, the poor guy is stripped of an essential, in many
ways nourishing, and even entertaining activity that makes one human. He is not
interested in preparing a meal or the stories of the nutrients entering his
mouth. His faithful guide the tastebuds, devoted to salt, sugar, and fat, tell
him that the food is delicious and that's enough. He's severed his ties to
nature and is ready to be loaded into the matrix.