When “I got your nose” Ain’t Funny

Snatching a child’s nose while tucking your thumb between your fingers may seem like innocent fun, but the gentlemen of the nineteenth-century South beg to differ.             While slapping a man’s face with white gloves is more dramatic, men of means did not take the touching of their noses lightly. No matter how lightly they were touched. This insult to one’s honor could result in death.             The visible integrity of the upper crust was crucial to their success. In a world where one’s word was their literal bond, to be insinuated as dishonest could preclude any future bank loans ...