nostril: Entire Entry

ноздря nostril

Он зажал себе ноздри, чтобы не чувствовать запах гниения.

He pinched his nostrils so that he wouldn't smell the stench of decay.

Semantics

This entry is concerned with the word ноздри denoting the nostrils of human beings and animals. No specific words or expressions exist for the nostrils of animals. Common sense will dictate which of the expressions in this entry can or cannot be used to refer to animals.

Morphology

ноздря EE NPlur. ноздри; f.in.noun

Syntax

Syntactic actants

Actant 1: whose nostrils they are
(a) Genitive
(b) Possessive

Ноздри Тани гневно вздрагивали.	Tanya's nostrils quivered angrily.
Ноздри его гневно вздрагивали.	His nostrils quivered angrily.
NB When the word ноздри functions as a subject and does not have a descriptive modifier, the construction ноздри у + Genitive is often preferred to (a) and (b), above:
Ноздри у мальчика были заткнуты ватой.	The boy had wads of cotton in his nostrils.

Restrictive modifiers

(a) adjectival modifier

левая/правая ноздря	the left/right nostril
Левая ноздря у мальчика была заткнута ватой.	There was a wad of cotton in the boy's left nostril.

Lexical Relationships

What it is a part of

нос	nose
NB The word нос requires a modifier in combination with the headword, e.g.
ноздри его прямого носа_g	the nostrils of his straight nose

Size, shape, and other visible properties

большие ноздри	large nostrils
маленькие ноздри	small nostrils
тонко вырезанные ноздри	finely shaped nostrils
изогнутые ноздри	curved nostrils
вывернутые ноздри	up-turned nostrils
волосатые ноздри	hairy nostrils

Smelling

*бить [no Pf.]: запах_n бьёт в ноздри_a*	a strong smell assaults one's nostrils
Запах горелого бил в ноздри.	The stench of something burning assaulted my nostrils.

Movements and gestures

зажимать/зажать ноздри_a	to pinch one's nose
NB The above expression describes an action performed so as not to smell something unpleasant.
зажимать/зажать одну ноздрю_a	to pinch one nostril
NB The above expression usually describes what one does to close one nostril while leaving the other free to snort tobacco or narcotics, use a nasal spray, clear one nasal passage, etc.
вздрагивать [no Pf.]: ноздри_n вздрагивают; трепетать [no Pf.]: ноздри_n трепещут	someone's nostrils quiver
*раздуваться [no Pf.]: ноздри_n раздуваются*	someone's nostrils flare
NB When applied to humans, the above expression usually describes a symptom of anger.

Other expressions

выпускать/выпустить дым_a (or струйки_a дыма_g) из ноздрей_g	to blow smoke (or streams of smoke) out one's nostrils
идти/пойти: у N_g идёт пар_n из ноздрей_g	N's breath is visible
NB N here usually denotes an animal, especially a horse:
У лошади шёл пар из ноздрей.	Steam came from the horse's nostrils.

Sample texts

Ничего не ответив, словно его не было, — только вздрогнули ноздри узкого носа, — она повернулась на стуле,.. достала с буфета сзади пепельницу, поставила у тарелки, сбросила пепел. [В. Набоков, Дар]	Without a word of reply, as if he was not there — only the nostrils of her narrow nose quivered — she turned in her chair,.. obtained an ashtray from the sideboard behind her, placed it by her plate and flicked some ash into it. [V. Nabokov, The Gift]
Женя Смородина, когда вселяла в слабого, суетливого мужа дух борьбы и протеста, сама на глазах хорошела: глаза совсем темнели,.. ноздри прямого носа вздрагивали... [В. Шукшин]	When Zhenya Smorodina was trying to inspire aggression and protest in her weak, fussy husband, her looks improved: her eyes seemed darker,.. and the nostrils of her straight nose quivered... [V. Shukshin]
Ничего, ничего, — быстро сказал господин и выпустил две тонких струи дыма из ноздрей вдруг сузившегося носа. [В. Набоков, Защита Лужина]	*"Never mind, never mind," said the other quickly and expelled two thin streams of smoke through the nostrils of his suddenly narrowed nose. [V. Nabokov, The Defense]*
Рысак вскинул голову, ноздри его трепетали, он стриг ушами и подрагивал мускулами. [В. Сорокин, Роман]	The trotter threw back his head, his nostrils trembled, he twitched his ears and his muscles quivered. [V. Sorokin, "Roman"]